This Mexican Street Corn Soup has all the flavors you love from Mexican street corn all bundled up into one comfort food soup that is to die for!
Who else loves Mexican street corn? We’ve taken all the delicious flavors of Mexican Street Corn and made it into a delicious soup that is absolutely killer! It’s hearty, full of corn, and topped off with bacon, cheese, and jalapeños. What’s not to love? Not only is this soup absolutely delicious, it’s also really easy to make, and is ready in under 20 minutes! We have a feeling you’ll be making this soup over and over and over again. It’s easy for this one to become a family favorite!
What is Mexican street corn (Elote)?
Mexican street corn, also known as Elote, is grilled corn that is lathered in a mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, cotija cheese, chili powder, garlic, and cilantro.
Corn Options:
While we love the convenience of frozen corn kernels, you can always use canned, or even fresh corn cut off the cob. If using canned, you’ll need 4 cans of corn for this recipe. Make sure to drain corn first.
Heavy Cream:
This soup is so creamy with the heavy cream. You can always use milk or half and half, but it is certainly not the same. Alternatively, if you need a plant-based option, you can substitute with your favorite plant-based milk or half and half replacement product. Make sure to choose a higher fat content dairy alternative such as oat or soy milk.
Sugar:
Sugar is completely optional in this recipe. If you would like to leave it out for any reason, you are welcome to do so.
Cilantro:
Please make sure to use freshly chopped cilantro in this recipe. Dried cilantro simply will not do.
Spice Level of Mexican Street Corn Soup:
The jalapeño in this soup gives it a nice warmth, but is not overly spicy. If you prefer a spicier soup, you can always an extra jalapeño.
How much flour do you need to thicken a soup?
When you want to thicken a soup or stew, use equal parts flour and fat. The flour needs to be mixed into the fat directly for best results. This allows it to evenly disperse into the liquid once it is added. If you’ve already added your liquid and you want to add additional flour in to thicken your soup, whisk your flour into a small amount of the hot liquid in a separate bowl. Once you have a liquid slurry, pour it back into the soup over heat and stir until thickened.
Storage and Reheating Instructions:
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious Mexican inspired recipes:
- Authentic Carne Asada
- Ultimate Nacho Recipe
- Classic Tacos Al Pastor
- Sizzling Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
I added fresh squeezed lime juice and lime zest when I added the cream!
I made it with veggie stock since we are vegetarian. It was so good.
Yes I made with veggie broth,added avo used vegan bacon and grilled the corn till it caramelized, also used coconut milk as we are vegan.
Thanks for sharing this. I read the comments looking for this information.
We loved this! Delicious flavor. Thank you for sharing.
My daughter brought this recipe home from college and made it for us over her Thanksgiving break. First, I was impressed that she was cooking. Second, this soup is absolutely AMAZING!! I couldn’t get enough!!
I’ve made it a few times since. The only change I made was adding shredded, cooked chicken to make it more of a hearty soup.
It’s FANTASTIC!
Good idea to add chicken because I was thinking of doing the same. I made this for tonight’s dinner and I want to eat a whole bowl of it now. Hope my self-control is strong enough to wait. This soup is so good that I want to give it 10 stars!
So easy and delicious! Made this as part of a multi-soup night for guests and this was by far the most desired! Excited to make again!
I used half frozen corn and half canned hominy. Very good! Served with queso fresco since it’s what we had on hand. I like the idea of adding shredded chicken — next time!
I made this for myself and my fiance and it’s delicious! I topped it with some shredded parmesan (store was out of cotija cheese), tortilla strips, bacon crumbles, and a sprinkle of lime juice. I served it with some crusty bread with a bit of cheese on top.
Just a note– if you’re like me and forget to get an onion at the store, it’s good without it. I meant to pick one up but forgot. I also made the rookie mistake of burning the jalapeno when I was sauteeing it, probably because I cooked it for too long and there wasn’t onion cooking with it to call for more cooking time *facepalm*. Luckily I hadn’t used the whole thing and was able to start over with only about a quarter of a jalapeno, it was still delicious but I’m looking forward to having a stronger flavor next time when I actually use a whole jalapeno and an onion! If you’re not a jalapeno or onion fan though this soup is great without it.
This soup, with only a bit of jalapeno, was not spicy if anyone is sensitive to spicy-ness. The chili powder gave it a nice taste but I wouldn’t call it spicy. I’m sure there is a way to kick up the spice in this recipe if you want to, maybe adding in some hot sauce at the end or a little adobo sauce? I feel like hot sauce might complement the flavor of this better than adobo.
I also only used about 1/4 cup of cilantro. Someone said the cilantro was really strong with a whole cup, and also being the beginner that I am, I just bought one of those mini containers of it at the store which wasn’t much, so I just used all I had. Still the flavor was great and we both loved it.
I also might add more flour next time so it isn’t quite so liquidy but that is just my personal preference. Great recipe I’ll be making again!
Great recipe! Delicious & easy to make . Big hit with my husband.
I used 1 cup whole milk & 1/2 cup half & half and thought the soup was very rich. I also added one yellow squash & one zucchini after grating both, sautéing them in a little vegetable oil until all the liquid was dissipated. I added the sautéed squash (cooked down to about a cup & a half) to the sautéed onion & garlic, then followed the rest of the recipe.
Made this tonight and it’s SO good! I don’t eat bacon so I left that out as well as the sugar and cheese. Added a bit more jalapeno to the cooking phase. Blended half of the soup in my Vitamix and added it back while simmering. Amazing! So glad this made a lot! I’ll eat every bite!
I used two cans of sweat corn rinsed well then pan fried (olive oil) till some of the kernels started to brown. (The kernels start getting a caramel color and get sweeter. I also just added the bacon right into the soup when I added the milk and cilantro.
I might dial back the cumin a bit.
Lastly I forgot the sugar. Next time.
A big hit. Delicious!!!! Definitely recommend it!!