Best Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

About This Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

• Creamy, crunchy, juicy. The textures in this Mexican street corn salad are out of this world. There are sweet pops of charred corn kernels, smoky black beans, roasted red peppers, and crumbly cheese.
• Lightened up. All that gets tossed with a lighter version of the traditional crema you’ll find slathered onto street corn. My dressing still packs loads of flavor, though!
• Easy. I’ll show you how to grill corn and turn it into the most delicious Mexican-style esquites. It’s quick and very straightforward, and if you have leftover grilled corn, THIS is the recipe you need to make tonight!

Elote vs. Esquites

Elote, or Mexican street corn, is corn on the cob that’s grilled over fire, slathered with sour cream and mayo crema, rolled in crumbled cojita cheese, and garnished with chili powder, cilantro, and lime juice. Esquites is the same corn, just removed from the cob and served dressed with the above toppings. So one is on the cob, the other is off the cob.

Esquites Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this easy esquites recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full list, measurements, and step-by-step recipe instructions.

• Sweet Corn – I prefer to use fresh corn in this recipe because I grill it to add extra flavor. However, you can make esquites with frozen corn (be sure to thaw it) or canned corn (rinse and drain it). In this case, you can grill the corn in the oven or toast it in a pan on the stovetop instead.
• Roasted Red Pepper – I love the pop of color and the flavor from the roasted red pepper. You could also use freshly diced pepper if you’d like.
• Green Onion – I like to add sliced green onions to this grilled corn salad to brighten it up a bit.
• Cojita Cheese – Cotija is a crumbly Mexican cheese. Similar to feta, it typically comes in a block, and you crumble it yourself. It’s great crumbled on carne asada tacos, too.
• Cilantro – If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, you can use chopped parsley or basil instead.
• Black Beans – To bulk up the salad and make it more of a meal. You can use rinsed and drained canned black beans or make Instant Pot black beans. Or, leave out the beans if you prefer.
• Dressing – My recipe has mayonnaise, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), lime juice, chili powder, ancho chili powder, and smoked paprika. Prepare to be obsessed!

How to Make Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)

I like to make my Mexican Street Corn on the grill instead of sautéed in butter, which is the traditional method. Grilling adds another flavor dimension from the smokiness. Here’s how I make esquites:

1. Make the chili lime cream sauce. To a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, plain yogurt, lime juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Grill Corn: Shuck the corn and place it directly on the hot grill. Grill the corn over medium-high heat (375-400°F) for 3-4 minutes per side, until it’s slightly charred on all sides. Then, remove the corn from the grill. Once the corn has cooled down enough to handle, use a large knife to shave the kernels from the cob. I like to do this right into the bowl I’ll use to make my salad.
3. Assemble the corn salad. Add your chopped roasted red pepper, fresh cilantro, green onion,  cotija cheese, black beans, and the chili lime dressing to the corn. Gently stir everything together with a spoon until the ingredients are evenly coated, and serve!

Recipe Tips

• Grill it, don’t pan sear it. Yes, the traditional recipe calls for sautéing the corn in butter. Honestly, you get so much more flavor if you use fresh corn and place it directly on the grill. The char flavor adds a smoky flavor that sautéing in butter just cannot!
• Chili powder is a key component of Mexican street corn. It’s what you see sprinkled on top of the corn right before serving. I like to use two different kinds of chili powder. One that has that classic chili powder taste, and also ancho chili powder, made from ancho chilis, which gives just a little bit of spice.
• Add the sauce and fresh cilantro right before serving. This keeps the integrity of the dish so it doesn’t get soggy. Keeping the cilantro for the end brightens the dish right up and keeps it at its freshest state!
• Serve it warm. You can serve this corn salad warm or cold. I like it warm because it reminds me of the way Mexican street corn is served. Fresh and hot off the grill!

What to Serve with Esquites

Pair this grilled corn salad with Baja fish tacos, these chipotle chicken tacos, shrimp tacos, or sheet pan steak fajitas, and a big bowl of tortilla chips with guacamole to share. You can even use this salad as a taco topping, as I do with these chicken street tacos. Of course, no Mexican feast is complete without a chilled margarita!

How to Store

• Refrigerate. This salad stores wonderfully in the fridge. Keep it airtight, and it’ll last for up to 4-5 days. You’ll need to give it a fresh stir before you serve it.

More Tex-Mex Recipes

• Mexican Chopped Salad
• Chicken Mole
• Overnight Breakfast Enchiladas
• Creamy Queso Blanco
• Turkey Tostadas
• Chicken Burrito Bowl