With Cotija cheese, cilantro, chili powder, and lime, this Mexican Street Corn-inspired soup is a fun way to cook with sweet summer corn. Note that this is not an authentic Mexican recipe. It is a riff on corn chowder based on the popular and delicious flavors of Elote.
Before I was a food writer, I was that girl who flooded her friends’ social media feeds with cell phone pictures of what she was cooking and eating.
There’s no shortage of humorous memes out there about people like me, I know!
Three summers ago, I posted a picture of the corn soup I’d made for dinner, inspired by the flavors of Mexican Street Corn, and my phone lit up with a flurry of notifications. Comments ranged from, “I need this recipe!” to the descriptive, “I’m drooling all over my keyboard,” and the suggestion that led us to where we are today, “Start a food blog already, Amanda!”
When I thought about it, creating a place to share recipes with friends sounded like a fun idea. Except, I soon learned that to start a blog, you have to know stuff other than how to make soup. Things such as what you want to call your site (let’s not even talk about how long I dwelled on that detail), the technical end of navigating blogging software, and the magical, mysterious world of SEO.
By the time I got my act together that year, corn season was long over. It only occurred to me last week, as what had to be my ten-thousandth pot of this soup simmered on the stove, that I’ve never published the recipe!
As a lifelong Jersey girl, summer corn practically runs through my veins. We have some of the sweetest, most delectable varieties here in the Garden State, with the coveted Silver Queen (white) and Butter and Sugar (bi-color) being my personal favorites.
Nothing beats a simple grilled ear of corn at a barbecue, rolled in butter and sprinkled with sea salt, or topped with cheese, herbs, spices, and lime, à la Mexican Street Corn. At peak season, the corn is so ripe that you can even eat it uncooked.
That said, I have a serious weak spot for corn soup. Take those same elements you enjoy “on the cob” and simmer them into a naturally rich, creamy, full-flavored soup and I’m in heaven.
“Mexican Street Corn” soup is as easy to make as it is versatile to serve. The heat level is customizable to your personal preferences (I like mine mild, but feel free to go to town with the chili powder if that’s your thing!).
To “up” the smoky quality, you can certainly grill the corn instead of pan-roasting the kernels as directed below, but don’t skip the step of simmering the stripped cobs in the broth. I’ve always been amazed by how much sweet, milky deliciousness is hidden in the cobs themselves. They’re a natural flavor trove! I like to serve this soup hot as a light dinner, but have made something of a habit out of having the leftovers chilled for a refreshing lunch.
To my family and friends who have encouraged me from the start and have been endlessly excited about the recipes I’ve shared on Striped Spatula: Thank you. It’s long overdue, but this soup’s for you!
“Mexican Street Corn” Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
- 6 cups fresh corn kernels , from 8-10 shucked cobs (save 6 of the stripped cobs for simmering the soup)
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder (use more or less, depending on your heat preferences)*
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large garlic cloves , chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup grated dry/aged Cotija cheese , plus additional for garnish (substitute Parmesan or Romano if Cotija is unavailable)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro , divided
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large, nonstick pot or cast iron Dutch oven until shimmering. Add corn kernels, chopped onion, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and corn is lightly charred in spots, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Remove 1-1/2 cups of corn mixture from the pot and set aside. Stir broth and 6 stripped corn cobs into the pot, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Use tongs to remove corn cobs from pot and discard.
- Stir sour cream and Cotija into the soup. Transfer soup to a blender or food processor (in batches, depending on the size of your unit for safety) to puree until smooth.
- Return soup to pot and if needed, gently reheat to desired serving temperature. Stir in half (3/4 cup) of the reserved corn mixture, lime juice, and 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and chili powder.
- Toss remaining 3/4 cup corn with lime zest and 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro. Serve soup, topped with a few spoonfuls of the corn mixture, and an extra sprinkling of Cotija.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
You may also like:
Soups & Stews
Jambalaya Soup
Soups & Stews
Spicy Chili Recipe with Three Meats and Beans
Soups & Stews
Ham and Bean Soup
Vegetables
This was mind blowingly delicious! I followed the recipe exactly until the end where I just added all the corn, lime juice, and lime zest into the soup instead of saving it for a topping. We only used extra cojita for the topping. It was SO yummy! I’ll be making this over corn chowder any day! I used your tip about a Bundt pan and it worked great! The cojita makes such a difference rather than using a substitute. I used my stick/immersion blender in the soup pot and it worked fine. I shucked 9 cobs of corn but I guess they were on the larger side because I wound up with 8 cups of corn. I saved the two extra to do something with later next week–but I may just cut up and onion and cook it like you do in the recipe and use it as a side because that was delicious too! I kept sneaking tastes of it out of the bowl of corn we had set aside for the soup!
Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this, April! Thank you for your great review! The extra corn sautéed with onion would be great as a side, too. Fresh corn is one of the best parts of summer!
Happy Cooking,
Amanda
I’ve made this several times now and it comes out fantastic every time! Have you tried to freeze this? I’d love to save some for a busy night, but not sure how it’ll hold with sour cream in there.
I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed the soup, Jillian! I honestly haven’t tested freezing it, but I’ve frozen other corn soups with good results. If you try it, I would recommend leaving out the sour cream and adding it to the pureed soup after you’ve defrosted/reheated it. That should give you the best texture.
Great simple recipe! It also works with lemon juice if you happen to be out of lime. Some tortilla goes well with it.
Made tonight was great ????????
Hi Amanda,
Any suggestions for a substitute for the sour cream?
Thanks!
Hi Emily,
I haven’t tested it personally in this recipe, but Greek yogurt can usually be substituted well for sour cream.
When do you add the broth!?
As instructed in step 2.
As usual Pinterest came to the rescue I had about a dozen ears of corn????????♀️Didn’t want to throw out started looking for recipes and found this! It’s great a little messy with corn flying everywhere ????but I’d definitely make it again. My husband tasted it and said “Oooooh that’s pretty good!” I have a video but not sure how to post it????
Just made this – delicious! I also added avocado right before serving.
Hi, I am looking forward to making this. I am a bit confused as to how to prep the corn. In step one, you say to add corn kernels, chopped onion, etc. How many corn kernels? Do I boil the corn kernels and cut them off the cob with a knife? Or do I not boil and just cut the kernels raw off the corn?
I grew up in a Greek-speaking household, and so I am not sure by what you mean by 6 ‘stripped corn’ in step 2. Please help! <3 <3 Thanks!1
Hi Maria,
The recipe calls for 6 cups of corn kernels (cut off of 8-10 cobs). Stripping is the process of cutting off the kernels. For this recipe, you’ll do this when the corn is raw. Then, you’ll simmer 6 of those stripped cobs in the soup for flavor.
Hope that helps. Happy Cooking!
The Striped Spatula Team
Can I keep it in a crockpot for a party to serve at our leisure?
Hi Marcia,
I can’t say with certainty, as I haven’t tested holding the soup in a crockpot. Corn soup does tend to thicken as it stands, so the texture could be affected.
Made this today with some fresh local corn and I added in some cauliflower too, it was awesome. My husband who was concerned about it ate half of what a I made. He wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t good. Thanks for the great recipe!!!
This was a great use for leftover corn from July 4th! And I hear you on the blog front – it was years of me forwarding e-mails with travel recommendations before I took my friends’ advice and started my blog =)
Absolutely fabulou! Love the trick of boiling the cobs. My guys love this soup too!
I grew up in so cal . Eating Mexican street corn. This soup taste so much like it ! ❤ don’t forget lime .
Love this recipe! I added a few teaspoons of Garlic and Herb Goat Cheese for a little pop :)
I just made this and added a little bell pepper and jalapeño for an extra kick! Absolutely delish, definitely will make again, possibly with shredded chicken. Have you ever added chicken or another protein and if you did would you suggest cooking the chicken separately or adding it into the boiling/simmering process?