What’s not to love about warm, creamy, cheesy, and gooey? This cream cheese corn dip is my most requested appetizer. It’s loaded with crowd-favorite Mexican street corn flavor, made deliciously dunkable wth sour cream and mayo, and finished with a fresh and zesty elote taste.
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My Favorite Corn Dip with Cream Cheese
Appetizers are usually an after thought, but once you experience this gooey, cheesy hot corn dip with a Mexican street corn flair, you’ll forget about the main course. I created this recipe on whim, but it was love at first dip. I immediately knew it had to be to part of my effortless GF appetizer recipe collection.
Honestly there’s not a lot of Mexican dishes that make it to our table without an elote salad served alongside it. The fresh and zesty flavors are a spot-on pairing for easy weeknight wins like classic tamale pie with ground beef or topping epic crunchwrap gluten-free quesadillas. I could whip up the flavorings and creamy base in my sleep.
Since it’s my flavor rut in the best way, when dreaming up ways to add a little pizzazz to this warm cream cheese corn dip, I knew exactly the magic to add. Fresh lime juice, a little salty, smoky seasonings, cilantro, and freshly grated cheese pulls it together perfectly. Chef’s kiss. 😘
Ingredient Bits and Modifications
This recipe can go down a couple a couple ways. If you’d like to lean more into street corn vibes, I recommend using frozen corn straight into a skillet to char first. If you’d like more of a bright and fresh flavor (with the added bonus of being a time saver), drain canned corn and add it to the cream cheese mixture.
I like Monterey jack cheese (always freshly grated for smoother melting!) because of its smooth creaminess. However, pepper jack works too and will add more heat. Speaking of spice, feel free to up the level by adding in some diced jalapeños or more cayenne pepper.
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(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Optional charred corn or save a step?
If you like a little browning on the corn first, add it to a pan and cook for about 8-10 minutes. This is always my first step when making Mexican street corn, so it’s kind of ingrained in me.
I’ll be honest, though. Once the corn is mixed with cream cheese, cheese, and seasonings, the charred corn taste is subtle. If you’d to make this recipe very simple, just add in the drained canned corn after the next step.
If you are charring, I prefer using frozen corn straight into the pan because there’s less water than canned. Use three 12-ounce bags.
Stir in creamy goodness
Over low heat heat stir in softened cream cheese, diced green chiles, mayo, sour cream, lime juice, and the seasonings. This is also a good time to add additional heat if desired, like diced jalapeños or additional cayenne pepper.
Finish with cheese…and then some
Part to of the cheese gets mixed in now with cilantro. Once that’s stirred in, remove from the heat and add more cheese to the top. If your pan is oven-safe, pop it under the broiler to melt the cheese.
For garnishes I like to add a little queso fresco to the top, along with more cilantro, and paprika. It’s time to dip and enjoy!
If you’d like to make this ahead of time for party prep, prepare the dip up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate in an airtight container. When ready to enjoy, transfer to a baking dish and bake at 350℉ for 20-30 minutes, or until warm and bubbly.
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Warm Elote Corn Dip with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (optional) olive oil , if charring corn first
- 3 15 ounce cans canned corn , well drained
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 7 ounce can chopped green chilies , fire roasted preferred
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika , can use sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 lime, juiced, about 2 tablespoons
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated Monterey Jack Cheese, divided
- ½ cup (optional) crumbled queso fresco, for topping
- tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- The drained corn can be adding to the dip ingredients without charring first. If you'd like to add a hint of smoky flavor, add the olive oil to a large deep, preferably oven-safe, skillet over medium high heat. Add the corn and cook about 7-12 minutes, stirring intermittently, until parts of the kernels start to blacken.1 tablespoon (optional) olive oil , 3 15 ounce cans canned corn
- Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, green chiles, seasonings, lime juice. Cook and stir until the mixture is smooth. If the corn hasn't been charred first, add the drained corn to the mixture and stir.8 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 7 ounce can chopped green chilies , 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika , ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper , 1 lime
- Stir in 1 cup Monterey jack cheese and cilantro. Remove from heat. If you aren't using an oven safe skillet, transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Broil for 1-2 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Garnish with queso fresco, additional paprika, and cilantro, if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.½ cup fresh cilantro, 1 ½ cups freshly grated Monterey Jack Cheese, ½ cup (optional) crumbled queso fresco, tortilla chips
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