Mexican Street Corn Casserole
This Mexican street corn casserole is a Mexican-inspired dish that’s perfect for taco Tuesdays, summertime, and any time the cravings for Elote appear. This dish is full of delicious Mexican street corn spices, queso fresco cheese, and cilantro. This casserole is the perfect side to our Mexican Lasagna, Mexican quinoa, Ensalada de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Salad), and sheet pan chicken fajitas. It’s also incorporated into my Corn Fries recipe.
![A white bowl with Mexican Street Corn Casserole in it, resting on a round wooden board.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-3.jpg)
Why This Recipe Works
Elote is a Spanish word meaning “corn” and street corn is a pretty famous and delicious treat enjoyed by many. Although that corn is served still on the cob, you can’t deny how much easier it is to prepare in a baking dish and “off the cob” like we’re doing here today.
We love this street corn casserole because it packs all of those delicious flavors into every bite and requires minimal effort to prep. Serve it alongside some tasty tacos like my Baja Taco Recipe or my Roasted Cauliflower Tacos if you want a veggie-filled dinner.
This Mexican corn casserole is actually pretty perfect on its own and doesn’t need much to make it feel like a complete meal. The flavors complement many dishes and meats though so you shouldn’t have too hard of a time planning something fabulous for dinner.
![A large serving spoon scooping out Mexican Street Corn Casserole from a white baking dish.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-4.jpg)
Ingredients
![Ingredients used to make Mexican street corn casserole.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-ingredients_.jpg)
- Corn: You’re going to need corn for a corn casserole, and while you could simply cut corn off of the cob, frozen corn works best. Not only that but frozen corn makes it so much easier to prep!
- Spices: We use a combination of chili powder, garlic powder, and salt.
- Cheese: While you could use cotija cheese, we enjoy this dish best with queso fresco Mexican cheese because it gives such a great flavor.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Combine the corn (frozen or thawed) and the mayo, sour cream, 1 ½ teaspoon of chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and 4 ounces of queso fresco cheese in a large bowl.
![Corn kernels topped with chili powder, mayo, sour cream, and Mexican cheese in a glass bowl](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-10.jpg)
![Mayo and sour cream covered corn kernels in a large glass bowl.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-9.jpg)
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the remaining chili powder over the top. Bake for 35-45 minutes until heated through and bubbly around the edges.
![A white rectangular baking dish full of Mexican Street Corn Casserole that has been sprinkled with chili powder.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-8.jpg)
![A baked Mexican Street Corn Casserole in a white baking dish, garnished with chopped cilantro, white crumbled cheese, and chili powder.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-7.jpg)
- Remove from the oven and top with the remaining cheese and cilantro. Serve warm.
![A spoon scooping into a casserole dish that is full of cilantro and chili powder covered corn kernels.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-5.jpg)
Recipe Tips
Corn: You can thaw the corn or bake it frozen (I didn’t notice a difference when I did it both ways). When frozen it’ll bake longer, around 40-45 minutes. Feel free to use fresh corn cut off the cob as well.
If you want a punch of lime flavor, squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top of the Mexican street corn casserole after it finishes baking. You can even add some lime zest as well if you want a strong lime flavor.
For another delicious corn recipe, try my Honey Butter Skillet Corn.
FAQs
While I have personally not tried it this way, I do not see any reason why it wouldn’t work out. The taste should be incredible and the texture should be even closer to the real deal street corn. I do recommend being careful to cut the corn off the cob so that there aren’t too many hard cob parts in the mixture.
This dish is best when served with a squeeze of fresh lime juice over the top just before serving. As for main dishes to serve alongside corn casserole, I suggest enchiladas, pork carnitas, steak tacos, and more. If you can picture it going great with Elote, then there’s no doubt it would taste fabulous here too.
![Mexican Street Corn kernels garnished with cilantro and chili powder on a white plate against a wooden cutting board.](https://saltandbaker.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Mexican-Street-Corn-Casserole-2.jpg)
More Mexican Inspired Recipes
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Mexican Street Corn Casserole
Ingredients
- 40 oz bag frozen corn - thawed, or not thawed (see notes)
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2/3 cup sour cream - full fat or light is fine
- 2 teaspoons chili powder - divided
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 oz queso fresco - crumbled and divided
- 3 tablespoons cilantro - chopped
- fresh limes - optional, for spritzing at the end if desired, see notes
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9 with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl stir the corn (can keep frozen or thaw it), Mayo, sour cream, 1 ½ tsp chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and 4 oz of the queso fresco.
- Pour in the pan, sprinkle the remaining chili powder on top and bake for 35-45 mins or until heated through and bubbly on the edges. Remove and top with the remaining cheese and cilantro. Serve warm.
229 Comments on “Mexican Street Corn Casserole”
This recipe was so yummy thank you for sharing. I made it for a celebration of life and it was a hot with the entire group.
How is this leftover? Does it reheat well??
It reheats very well!
I loved this recipe! I did modify it some, adding cream cheese for extra creaminess (yes, it did make it a bit gloopy, but YUM!), and using some of my own favorite seasonings, but my friends loved it! I was very happy, since the idea of an elote casserole came from the same friend, as he’d made it himself (also adding the cream cheese), so I was basically going up against his. LOL
Hello! Is this ok to make ahead and stick in fridge and bake tomorrow ya think?
Yes! Most definitely.
Can this be served cold?
I prefer it warm. But I’m sure cold will be fine?
Hi! This sounds great! Do you think that it would freeze well, uncooked? Basically, assemble and then cover and freeze..thaw and bake when ready? I am wanting to prepare a freezable meal and would love to use this as a side dish!
I haven’t tried freezing it. I’m sure you can, but there may or may not be textural changes from the cheese, mayo, and sour cream when thawed and baked.
Do your bake it the entire time UNCOVERED? A lot of casseroles I bake covered 1/2 time and then uncovered for the remainder. This looks delicious! I’m going to make it for the first time this weekend for a birthday dinner with street tacos.
Yes, bake uncovered. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Extremely good and so easy to make! We made this for our Superbowl party last Sunday and multiple people commented on how good it was. I added more cheese than the recipe calls for because . . . who doesn’t love more cheese? Besides that, I followed the recipe and it was absolutely delicious.
I had just tried mexican street corn a week ago, at a local restaurant and found I kind of liked it. Then on super bowl Sunday a friend brought over your mexican street corn. and I loved it. Cannot wait to make it myself and share with my friend who introduced me to it in the first place.
The absolute best! Tastes just like street corn but easier to make and eat. The whole family loves it!
I made your recipe a few weeks ago and it was incredibly delicious!! Can I make this in a crockpot instead?
I haven’t tried it in a crock pot, but I’m sure it’ll work just as well. Make sure to spray the crockpot with nonstick spray!
Delish !!! Perfect for people that can’t bite into the corn on the cob. Yummy 😋🤤
Amazing, so easy to make . Will be making again
Absolutely delicious! Family loved it.
So good! I prepared it early in the day with frozen corn and I put all of the queso into the corn mix, then I squeezed a lime on top. I covered and put it in the refrigerator. I pulled it about 30 min before baking and then baked for 45 minutes. I topped it with some cojita cheese, cilantro and chopped green onions. It was amazing! Thanks for this recipe!
Love those variations, Cynthia! Glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for the positive review!
Very very good. I loved it. I made it for my daughter for her birthday because she loves Mexican street corn. Everyone present loved it. People asked for the recipe and that’s when you know it’s really good!
That definitely is the mark of a great recipe! Glad this fit the bill 🙂 thanks for the great review!
This looks amazing. Can it be made in advance for a dinner party? If yes, any changes you would make?
Yep it can be made in advance. Wouldn’t make any changes. Assemble, cover, and store in the fridge. Then pop it in the oven right before the dinner party.
YUM! Perfect recipe.
Mexican street corn casserole
Whitney, what a gorgeous recipe and photography. Hopefully I’ll have the chance to try this recipe soon!