Name: Easy Mexican Corn Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 2 cloves garlic (, minced); 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 2 stalks green onion; 3 (15 oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained; Juice from 1 lime; 1 avocado (, peeled and diced); 3 oz. Cotija cheese, finely crumbled ((or Feta cheese)); 1 handful cilantro leaves (, chopped)

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Our easy Mexican corn salad is a favorite Mexican side dish! Perfect for taco nights, barbecues, picnics or any family meal.

Years ago, I had a few girlfriends over for a Mexican feast with this elote salad as a tasty side dish on the menu. They kept asking for the recipe for the corn salad, so I knew it was a good one! We've had it countless times since.

Perfect Side Dish that's Easy!

I've made this recipe quite a few times for company because it's such an easy Mexican side dish. We often serve tacos when we have guests because it's a convenient meal that everyone loves. Typically, I'll make my Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos or our Ground Beef Tacos that feed a crowd. For side dishes with tacos, I serve my Easy Mexican Rice, sometimes a layered dip with tortilla chips, salsas, and this Mexican corn salad.

The flavors remind me of our Mexican Street Corn off the cob, but I do not take the time to grill the corn in this recipe. In fact, I use canned sweet corn to make it quick! All of the ingredients are mixed together in a large bowl then refrigerated for about an hour to allow those flavors to blend.

Ingredients

(full printable recipe at end of post)

For this recipe, you can find all of the ingredients in your local grocery store. The following is what you need to make Mexican corn salad with possible suggested substitutions.

Whole kernel corn -- I use sweet corn from a can.
Dressing -- My homemade dressing for this salad is a mixture of mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, chili powder and salt. You can use miracle whip or sour cream instead of the mayo.
Cheese -- My go-to for this recipe and for Mexican street corn is cotija cheese. But, if I cannot find it, queso fresco is a good option, or feta.
Onion -- My preference is green onion, but you can use your favorite variety of yellow, Spanish, red, etc.
Cilantro -- Mainly for garnish, can be left out.

Variations

If you're shooting for a low-carb option, you can use other vegetables, like cauliflower, instead of the corn. Also for more flavor options, try mixing in diced bell peppers or jalapeno and tomatoes. Stir in pinto beans for a heftier dish.

Storage and Leftovers

Serve this Mexican side dish cold from the fridge. It can sit at room temperature for a couple of hours, too, but store it back in the fridge overnight for leftovers the next day. It will last about 3 days in the fridge.

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