Zesty 20-Minute Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

Celebrate in-season sweet corn (the BEST of the year) with this quick and easy street corn salad recipe! In only 20 minutes, you'll have a creamy, spicy, delicious street corn with creamy Greek yogurt, feta, jalapeños, chipotle seasoning, red onion, cilantro, and lime. Top tacos, taco salads, tortilla chips, or any of your favorite Mexican-inspired recipes.

this recipe

This super simple, 20-minute wholesome street corn recipe is based off of my other healthy Mexican street corn recipe, but this version is my go-to when I need street corn FAST and don't want to turn on my oven in summer. There's a time and place for oven-roasted corn (seriously, so good), but this shortcut recipe is great to have in your back pocket as an alternative.

Perfect for a delicious, crowd-pleasing appetizer or topping to serve on taco night! We're obsessed with scooping it onto these 20-minute quinoa bowls with turkey taco meat or topping these 15-minute ground chicken tacos. This street corn barely lasts two days in our house-let's make it!

Key Ingredients & Notes

• Fresh sweet corn - I've tested this recipe with frozen corn, and I have to insist on fresh. Am I just a sweet corn snob because I'm from Wisconsin? Maybe... but I also noticed the texture of cooked fresh corn retains more of its plump juiciness after being cooked, and my family and I thought it made a big difference in the result.
• Greek yogurt - Street corn is often made with mayo, but I've adapted this recipe to use Greek yogurt for creaminess with a bit more protein. 2% or whole milk work best for creamy results and flavor (skip the fat free here). Sometimes we do part mayo and part Greek yogurt, since the flavor of mayo is hard to beat!

Please see the recipe card for full ingredients list and amounts.

Substitutions & Variations

• Cheese - Instead of feta, try cotija or crumbled queso fresco.
• Chipotle Seasoning - If you don't have chipotle seasoning on hand when you're making this, smoked paprika, chili powder, or a Southwest seasoning blend will taste delicious. Have fun with it!
• Vegan - To make a vegan version of this recipe, use vegan yogurt and/or vegan mayo instead of Greek yogurt, and omit the feta.
• Kid-friendly - Swap the jalapeños for sweet red pepper, and omit the chipotle seasoning to make this dish a little less spicy and friendlier for the kiddos. Red onions can also be omitted or swapped for milder green onions.

Let's Make This Delish Street Corn!

1. Step 1: Cut the corn off the cobs and heat some extra virgin olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add corn kernels and sauté for a few minutes to soften. Add garlic, salt, and chipotle seasoning, and sauté for several more minutes until fragrant and a deeper color of yellow. Transfer the corn to a separate large bowl to cool for 5 minutes before adding other ingredients.

2. Step 2: In the meantime, dice up your red onion, jalapeños, finely chop the cilantro, and cut the lime into wedges.

3. Step 3: Time to combine! To the large bowl with corn, add the jalapeños, cilantro, red onion, Greek yogurt, feta, lime juice, salt, and pepper... plus a little more chipotle seasoning if desired.

4. Step 4: Mix everything together and enjoy immediately with tortilla chips, on tacos, or by the spoonful! Please get this street corn on some easy chorizo tacos...

Pro Tip: When the corn cooks, its cell walls start to break down and open up to seasoning and flavors, and same for other produce. That's why salting and seasoning veggies after they've cooked a bit helps them become super flavorful!

Pairing Ideas

This street corn is so versatile! Top one of this recipes, or serve alongside other Mexican inspired appetizers, like guacamole.

Did you try this quick and easy street corn? Don't forget to leave a star rating 🌟 and comment below, and tag me on Instagram and Pinterest so I can see what you made!