Everything you love about Mexican Street Corn in dip form, and no grilling necessary! Irresistible esquites can be ready in minutes!
This single serving esquites, also called elote en vaso (corn in a cup) or Mexican street corn dip is a recipe that comes to me from my daughter. She's been making this tasty corn dip for years and her version is inspired by Torchy's street corn that she often enjoyed while living in Houston. While visiting recently, my daughter shared her corn dip recipe with me - and it's fabulous!
What Are Esquites?
Esquites is a common snack sold in markets and from street vendors in the streets of Mexico. It is similar to elote which is made from corn on the cob. Esquites means "toasted corn" in Spanish and corn is the base of esquites.
Why This Recipe Works
- Incredibly flavorful: The combination of garlic, jalapeños, lime, chili, cheese, and mayonnaise ensures the Mexican corn dip is filled with flavor.
- No need to fire up the grill: Mexican street corn is traditionally made from grilled corn on the cob. But with my daughter's version, she uses frozen or canned corn instead and it can be ready and enjoyed in just 15 minutes!
- Enjoy as a dip or a salad: We enjoyed esquites with tortilla chips and also ate it straight out of the bowl with a spoon.
- Recipe doubles well: This is a single serving Mexican corn dip recipe but the ingredients can be doubled or tripled if you'd like to make more.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
To make a small batch of Mexican street corn dip, you will need:
- Butter: A small amount of salted butter is used to sauté the corn and chopped jalapeños in a skillet. I think butter is totally worth it here but you can use olive oil instead.
- Corn: I love to make esquites with canned corn because it's convenient. You can also make esquites with frozen corn too. When using canned corn, be sure to rinse the corn before using it. This washes away the sodium from the liquid in the can. If you'd like to grill corn on the cob, 2 ears of corn will typically yield approximately 1 cup of corn. To grill the corn, shuck the cobs, brush the corn with olive oil and then place them over very hot coals or over high heat. Cook the corn for about 2-3 minutes on each side until all sides are lightly charred, about 8-10 minutes.
- Jalapeños: Chopped fresh jalapeños offer an extra dose of spicy flavor. If you are sensitive to spice you can certainly leave it out or simply use less.
- Garlic: Garlic is a welcome contrast to sweet corn.
- Lime juice: Lime juice adds a fresh citrus flavor to the dish.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise makes the sauce extra creamy. If you're looking for an alternative, use sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt. Personally, I find that sour cream and yogurt dull the other flavors so you might like to add an extra squeeze of lime juice and additional salt.
- Chili powder: For a little added heat. Feel free to leave this ingredient out if you prefer.
- Crumbled cotija cheese: This Mexican cheese is perfect to use in this Mexican street corn salad or dip. If you can't find any, use crumbled feta cheese or Parmesan cheese instead.
- Cilantro: Cilantro adds a final burst of freshness. Feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
How To Make Mexican Corn Dip For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn and chopped jalapeños and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly charred, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the corn to a medium-sized bowl and add minced garlic, lime juice, mayonnaise, chili powder, crumbled cotija cheese, and cilantro. Stir to combine.
- Transfer the corn dip to a small bowl and enjoy with tortilla chips.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned corn that has been rinsed and drained.
- Butter helps to brown the corn in the pan. Don't stir the corn too frequently after placing the kernels in the pan because you want the corn to start to develop tasty brown edges.
- You can add additional chili powder or extra minced jalapeños if you'd like your esquites to be spicier.
- For vegan esquites, sauté the corn in ½ tablespoon of olive oil, and substitute your favorite vegan mayonnaise and cheese alternatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dish goes by many names including, corn in a cup, corn dip, Mexican street corn salad, corn salad bowl, esquites, elotes in a cup, elote en vaso, or trolelotes.
Eat this delicious Mexican street corn salad or dip with a spoon or eat it with tortilla chips. I also love spooning some of the corn over a cooked hamburger patty or broiled chicken.
Esquites is traditionally served slightly warm from the freshly cooked corn. However, the corn salad or dip is also delicious at room temperature or even cold.
You can make corn dip in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before eating.
Esquites and elote both share very similar ingredients but the method of serving them differs. Elote is grilled or charred corn on the cob slathered with creamy mayonnaise, chili powder, lime juice, and cilantro, and then topped with crumbled cotija cheese. Esquites combines all of these ingredients in an easer-to-eat salad or dip form.
Absolutely! If you'd like to make a larger batch of esquites, just double or triple the ingredient amounts.
Yes. If you'd like to grill corn on the cob to make this fabulous corn salad or dip, 2 ears of corn will typically yield approximately 1 cup of corn. To grill the corn, shuck the cobs, brush the corn with olive oil and then place them over very hot coals or over high heat. Cook the corn about 2-3 minutes on each side until all of the sides are lightly charred, about 8-10 minutes.
To cut corn off the cob, place an ear of corn, tip side down on a cutting board while firmly holding the opposite end. Using a sharp knife, cut downward, starting at the top and working down using a gentle sawing motion. Rotate the corn and repeat until all of the corn is off the cob.
Serving Suggestions
In addition to eating this delicious corn dip with tortilla chips or with a spoon, consider serving it with any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this corn dip recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Corn: Corn Muffins, Chicken Tortilla Soup, Fried Rice, Vegetable Soup
- Jalapeños: Guacamole, Cucumber Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Taco Soup
- Garlic: Ratatouille, Shrimp Fettuccine, Saag Paneer, Risotto
- Lime juice: Ranch Water, Pickled Onions, Key Lime Pie, Shrimp Tacos
- Mayonnaise: Potato Salad, Reuben Sandwich, Pineapple Lime Jello Salad, Ranch Dressing
- Chili powder: Taco Seasoning, Chili, Zuppa Toscana, Beef Tacos
- Cotija: Spicy Peas with Mint, Add to the top of Southwestern Black Bean Soup and Nachos
- Cilantro: Carne Asada, Chicken Tagine, Vegetarian Chili, Taco Salad
If you’ve tried this small batch Mexican corn dip recipe or any of the variations please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
Mexican Corn Dip For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 cup corn (use frozen and thawed corn or canned corn that has been rinsed and drained)
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeños
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- ½ tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon crumbled cotija cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Melt butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn and chopped jalapeños and cook, stirring occasionally until slightly charred, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the corn to a medium-sized bowl and add minced garlic, lime juice, mayonnaise, chili powder, crumbled cotija cheese, and cilantro. Stir to combine.
- Transfer the corn dip to a small bowl and enjoy with tortilla chips.
Notes
- Use fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned corn that has been rinsed and drained.
- Butter helps to brown the corn in the pan. Don't stir the corn too frequently after placing the kernels in the pan because you want the corn to start to develop tasty brown edges.
- You can add additional chili powder or extra minced jalapeños if you'd like your esquites to be spicier.
- For vegan esquites, sauté the corn in ½ tablespoon of olive oil, and substitute your favorite vegan mayonnaise and cheese alternatives.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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