This healthy Mexican Street Corn Dip is layered with hummus, Greek yogurt, corn, red onion, cotija cheese, and more. It’s packed with flavor and perfect for scooping up with tortilla chips or raw veggies!
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A few years ago, elote burst onto the popular food scene. Suddenly cobs of corn slathered with mayo and cheese were on restaurant menus, and elote was deconstructed into deli salads at the grocery store.
But elote is hardly new. In fact, the translation is, “ear of corn”. But street snack vendors in Mexico dressed it up, and many decades later, it became popular in America. This lightened-up Mexican Street Corn Dip is a nod to the original—certainly different but with the same amazing flavor combinations that everyone loves.
Traditional elote is grilled corn on the cob topped with crema (usually mayo + sour cream), cotija cheese, lime zest, and chile powder.
This dip is a delicious spin on elote—but it’s a much healthier one to boot!
Ingredients
- The dip starts with a layer of plain hummus—use your favorite variety.
- The next layer is Greek yogurt mixed with lime juice, lime zest, and cilantro.
- Fire roasted corn, red onion, and jalapeño go on top.
- More cilantro and cotija cheese are the finishing touches.
- A sprinkle of chili powder adds color and flavor to the top.
How to make Mexican street corn dip
Start by stirring together the lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, and 6 ounces of Greek yogurt (low fat or full fat are fine—just make sure it’s plain and not flavored!)
Next, get out a platter to serve the dip on. Spread the hummus on the bottom of the platter, then top with a layer of the Greek yogurt mixture. You can use either regular (plain) hummus or roasted garlic flavored.
I find that a small offset spatula works best for spreading the hummus and yogurt mixture.
Top the yogurt with a layer of fire roasted corn. I found the corn at my local grocery store in the freezer section. I defrosted it in the microwave before using. If you can’t find fire roasted corn, regular corn kernels (either canned or frozen) work, too!
Then, layer on the red onion, jalapeño, cotija cheese, and the rest of the cilantro.
Finally, sprinkle on chili powder to add a pop of color and flavor.
FAQs
To make the dip extra spicy, keep the seeds and membranes of the jalapeño attached, then chop it and add it to the dip. The seeds and membranes will add a nice kick!
To ensure that the dip is not spicy, be sure to remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapeño before chopping it. Most of the heat resides there, so it shouldn’t be too spicy. The Greek yogurt and the cotija cheese will cool off any spice that’s left! You could also substitute one quarter of a green bell pepper in place of the jalapeño if you really wanted to ensure that the dish won’t be spicy.
Sour cream (either low fat or full fat) is a good substitute for Greek yogurt in a dip.
Substitute a non-dairy sour cream in place of the Greek yogurt to make this dip dairy-free. I find that most non-dairy yogurts are too watery for this recipe.
Serving the dip
There are two food that I particularly love with Mexican Street Corn Dip: tortilla chips and mini bell peppers.
If you’re using mini bell peppers for dipping, give the whole thing a sprinkle of kosher salt before you serve it. The tortilla chips add the salt that the recipe needs, but since mini bell peppers don’t have any salt, the dip needs a little to make all of the flavors really pop.
Also a note on the scooping: make sure you get a bite of corn in each bite! It adds a light sweetness and crunch that really makes the dip special.
I served the Lightened Up Elote Corn Dip with an Easy Red Pozole and a refreshing Hibiscus Iced Tea for a Cinco de Mayo get-together with my friend Kelley of Haviland Events. She did the adorable table setting, right down to the potted succulents (from Home Depot!) with crepe paper decorations. How cute are they?
Related recipes
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Lightened Up Elote Corn Dip
Ingredients
- 1 (6 oz) container 2% Greek yogurt
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 (10 oz) container plain hummus
- 1 cup frozen fire roasted corn, defrosted
- ½ cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 large jalapeño, finely diced, seeds and membranes removed if desired
- ¼ cup cilantro, divided
- ⅓ cup cotija cheese
- Chili powder
- To serve: tortilla chips, mini bell peppers
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Mix to combine.
- Spread the hummus evenly over a medium sized platter.
- Carefully spread the Greek yogurt mixture on top.
- Layer the corn, red onion, and jalapeño evenly over the top.
- Sprinkle the cotija cheese and remaining ¼ cup cilantro over the top.
- Sprinkle with chili powder to taste.
- Serve with tortilla chips and mini bell peppers for scooping up the dip.
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