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Mexican Corn Dip (Elote Dip)

Mexican corn dip that tastes like street corn: charred corn kernels folded into a creamy skillet base and finished with cotija, chili powder, and lime. Serve warm as an easy party dip with tortilla chips.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Corn kernels
  • 3 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen (thawed)
Butter
  • 2 tbsp butter
Mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
Cream cheese
  • 4 oz cream cheese softened
Sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
Cotija cheese
  • 1 cup cotija cheese crumbled, divided
Chili powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
Smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Garlic powder
  • 0.5 tsp garlic powder
Fresh lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Jalapeño
  • 2 tbsp jalapeño finely diced
Salt
  • 1 salt to taste
Fresh cilantro
  • 1 fresh cilantro for garnish
Tortilla chips
  • 1 tortilla chips for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Char the corn
  1. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, then add the corn kernels and cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until charred on one side.
  2. Stir the corn and cook 2 more minutes to further char and heat through.
Make it creamy
  1. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the softened cream cheese until melted and fully incorporated.
  2. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, half the cotija, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, jalapeño, and lime juice, then stir until everything is creamy and heated through.
  3. Taste and season with salt, then transfer to a serving bowl or serve directly from the skillet.
Finish and serve
  1. Top with the remaining cotija, dust with chili powder, and scatter with fresh cilantro.
  2. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

Notes

Pro tip: thaw frozen corn completely so it chars instead of steaming. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently on low to keep the texture creamy. Freezing is not recommended as the dairy can separate. For a dairy-light option, swap cream cheese and sour cream for plain lactose-free versions and use mayo made with avocado oil.