This 25 minute Mexican Street Corn Soup is inspired by the delicious flavors of Elote - but with a Midwestern spin! It's loaded with tons of flavor that comes from a handful of simple ingredients - sweet corn (canned, frozen or fresh all work well!), a few key spices, heavy cream, and a splash of lime juice. Garnish with fried tortilla strips and plenty of Cotija cheese for an easy dinner your family will love!
You'll Love This
- It's so quick and easy! This street corn soup takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish which means it's totally doable on a busy weeknight. The only prep work required is dicing the onion and slicing the garlic. No fancy kitchen gadgets or cooking skills necessary!
- It's a hearty vegetarian dinner! If you're trying to eat more meatless meals, soups are a great place to start. Whether it's Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup, Easy Chickpea Noodle Soup, or Vegan Lentil Tortilla - soup is a really great way to introduce plant-based meals to your family in a way that is familiar to them. Truth be told, soup is one of the few foods that I know my daughter will ALWAYS eat.
- You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn in this street corn soup recipe! Leftover grilled corn will work as well! That's one of the best things about this soup - you can make it all year round, whether there are trucks selling street corn on the corner or 5 inches of snow outside your window. Mexican street corn soup is always in season!
Instructions
Drain cans of corn and set aside.
Saute onion, then add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt, and pepper.
Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add corn.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add half the corn mixture to a blender along with the vegetable broth. Blend until smooth and creamy.
Pour blended soup back into the pot and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with your favorites and enjoy!
Tips
- If you like your soup nice and creamy, add the full cup of cream. If you prefer a more brothy soup, just add half the cup of cream. Personally, I like to go all-in with the cream. It gives this street corn soup a really smooth, velvety texture.
- To make this soup vegan, use a 13.5 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk in place of the heavy cream. You'll get a really similar texture and flavor even with coconut milk. And don't worry, you won't be able to taste the coconut! With all the other flavors and spices in this soup, the slight hint of coconut will not stand out at all.
- This soup will be creamy, but still has whole kernels of corn as well. If you prefer a soup that is entirely creamy, just blend the whole batch of soup instead of just half! You'll likely need to blend it in batches depending on the side of your blender.
What is Elote
- Mexican Street Corn, also known as Elote, is corn on the cob covered in mayonnaise or Mexican crema, then sprinkled with Cotija cheese, chili powder, and fresh chopped cilantro. It's traditionally served by a street vendor and is a very popular street food in Mexico. It is served with the husk still attached (but pulled back), which serves as a handle to make it easier to eat.
- My street corn soup recipe is in no way meant to be an authentic version. This is very much a Midwestern twist on a Mexican classic. I have used some of the same flavors of Elote and translated them into a hearty, vegetarian soup.
- My intention is always to honor the origins of the recipes that I am recreating. And I sincerely mean no harm by using Mexican recipes as inspiration for the recipes you may see here on Midwest Foodie.
- If you are looking for a traditional Elote recipe, here is a delicious one that you should definitely try!
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Recipe
Mexican Street Corn Soup
This 25 minute Mexican Street Corn Soup is inspired by the delicious flavors of elote - but with a Midwestern spin! It's loaded with tons of flavor that comes from a handful of simple ingredients - sweet corn (canned, frozen or fresh all work well!), a few key spices, heavy cream, and a splash of lime juice. Garnish with fried tortilla strips and plenty of Cotija cheese for an easy dinner your family will love!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mexican/American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 4 (15 oz.) cans corn kernels, drained
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- ½-1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Garnish
- fried tortilla strips
- sliced jalapeno
- fresh chopped cilantro
- sour cream
- cotija cheese
- paprika
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add onion along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, and a couple more pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
- Add half the corn mixture to a blender along with the vegetable broth. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour blended soup back into the pot and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream and lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with your favorites and enjoy!
Notes
If you like your soup nice and creamy, add the full cup of cream. If you prefer a more brothy soup, just add half the cup of cream. Personally, I like to go all-in with the cream. It gives this street corn soup a really smooth, velvety texture.
To make this soup vegan, use a 13.5 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk in place of the heavy cream. You'll get a really similar texture and flavor even with coconut milk. And don't worry, you won't be able to taste the coconut! With all the other flavors and spices in this soup, the slight hint of coconut will not stand out at all.
This soup will be creamy, but still has whole kernels of corn as well. If you prefer a soup that is entirely creamy, just blend the whole batch of soup instead of just half! You'll likely need to blend it in batches depending on the side of your blender.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 8.3 g
- Sodium: 392.5 mg
- Fat: 9.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.5 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 11.3 mg
Keywords: Mexican corn chowder, vegetarian corn chowder, corn chowder soup, elote soup
Laura S
Does this soup freeze/reheat well?
Kylie
Yes! This soup freezes beautifully! Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat in a sauce pan over medium heat until warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving!
MJS
My bestie makes a corn soup that is to die for. I was looking for something similar. I am not a cook. I tried to make this. It was delicious. Saving the recipe.
★★★★★
Angela Goodson
Just wondering if you’ve ever subbed hominy for the corn. We love hominy and we love street corn even though I don’t care for corn alone. Thoughts? Maybe 2 cans golden hominy and 2 cans corn? Or go all in for the hominy? Also, thank you for the note about how to keep it vegan!!
Kylie
I don't work with hominy often but I do think it would work well as a substitute in this recipe! Definitely let me know how it turns out if you give it a try 🙂
Julie G
So good! I halved the recipe and still had a lot (though we were having as a first course and not the whole meal). Used frozen corn that I didn't defrost in advance and it was perfect. Tasted awesome without cream, though I did the cream and it was delightful. Topped with queso fresco. YUM
★★★★★
JJ
Wondering roughly how much frozen corn you used instead?
Kylie
I'd recommend maybe 45-50 ounces or so of frozen corn. This recipe calls for 60 ounces of can corn, but since it's drained you don't need quite as much if you use frozen. This recipe is super forgiving as well so just add more or less depending on your taste.
Peggy
Excellent recipe and so adaptable to different toppings! Thanks a bunch!
★★★★★
Mandy
What is the serving size? I do t see it on the nutritional info. Thanks!
Kylie
I'd guesstimate about 1.5-2 cups per serving. Hope that helps!
Blair
Best soup! My husband and I make it all the time.
★★★★★
MARIA ANN CRUZ
3:30 am...looking for new recipes...this really caught my eye...I can do this! Great suggestions: red chili flakes and a rotissiered chicken served in warm corn tortilla topped with tastee salsa or more chili flakes..I am there!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Kylie
I could not agree more, Maria - you GOT this!! Rotisserie chicken would be a delicious addition! Thanks for leaving a review - I really appreciate it 🙂
Sue
The soup was very good. I loved the pictures and information about the soup. I did use the full cup of cream, and wish I would have done the half cup. It was very rich. I added some diced jalapeños to the onion mix, and it gave it a little kick. My teenage son was not going to eat this because he wanted more protein. I added some diced chicken and homemade chicken stock. I always use my homemade stocks and broth. My son ate 4 large bowls. It is now morning, and he is heating up leftover. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kylie
I love to hear that, Sue! I LOVE having leftovers for breakfast, too 🙂 Diced jalapenos sound great and I love that you were able to add more protein for your son. Thanks so much for leaving a review - I really appreciate it!
Nicole
Yum!!! This was so easy. Couldn’t believe how much flavor it had for so little effort. I added crushed red pepper because we like things spicy.
★★★★★
Kylie
WOOHOO! I love to hear that, Nicole. Red pepper flakes would be the perfect addition in this street corn soup. Thanks for leaving a review - I really appreciate it 🙂
Homecook123
This was DELICIOUS! Thank you for the recipe! I adored it. So tasty. Added some smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder just to add even more flavor.
★★★★★
Kylie Lato
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Renee! Your additions sound delicious! Thank you for leaving a review - I really appreciate it.
STEVEN M.
Looks really good. Might kick it up a notch, with precooked crispy bacon bits and/or chopped bell peppers. I am a Ninja Foodie pressure cooking type of guy, and woul probably use pot, to make the soup. I figure your good, if you set it for a 5 minute cook time. Between pressure build-up and cooking, figure a 15-20 minutes.
★★★★★