This creamy corn dip is reminiscent of Mexican street corn. It has the mayo, cheese, lime juice, and cilantro you would expect, plus added cream cheese, peppers, and onions. It is creamy and delicious!
Hot Appetizer
This creamy corn dip is a cheesy, hot appetizer that is a spinoff of Mexican street corn. Make it to feed a crowd (it is rich and will go far) or half the recipe if a smaller amount is needed. It is best served warm with the cheese melted and stringy. Try it as an appetizer or serve it as a side, with chips, crackers, or veggies.
Use Fresh or Frozen Corn
For the best flavor, use fresh corn in this recipe. A sweet or bicolor corn works well. Cut the corn off the cob and saute it in a pan until it browns a little. Alternatively, you can use frozen cut corn when fresh is not available. Thaw it in a nonstick pan and then let it brown slightly. You can also grill corn on the cob until it browns and then cut it off.
Mixing the Ingredients for Corn Dip
Use a nonstick pan to make the dip. Then, place it in an oven-proof bowl or casserole pan to finish it in the oven. Follow these steps.
Finishing the Corn Dip
This dip is placed in the oven to melt the cheese topping. When finished, squeeze half a lime on top and sprinkle more chili powder. Garnish with cilantro leaves, lime slices, and a few sprinkles of Cotija cheese, if desired.
Serve Hot
This dip is best when served hot out of the oven or after cooling for a few minutes. It can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and reheated in the oven.
TIP for Reheating: Place a cold baking dish onto a room-temperature baking sheet to prevent it from breaking in a hot preheated oven. The metal sheet will absorb the thermal shock of the hot oven rack and protect the cold dish.
Other Dip Recipes
Here are some sweet and savory dip recipes you might enjoy. Click on each name or photo to link to the recipe.
Easy and Creamy Corn Dip
Equipment
- (1) 10-inch round baking dish or equivalent
Ingredients
- 4-5 ears corn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, minced, seeds and membranes removed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, sliced in half
- 1 bar cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (divided)
- 1 lime
- cilantro for garnish (optional)
- Cotija cheese for garnish (optional)
- tortilla chips, Fritos Scoops, crackers, or vegetables cut into sticks for dipping
Instructions
- Wash and drain the corn. Then, cut the kernels from the cobs.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Pour the olive oil into a nonstick skillet. Add the corn and cook on medium heat until it starts to brown.
- Add the onions, jalapenos, and garlic and cook until wilted.
- Add the cayenne, chili powder, paprika, pepper, and salt. Stir to mix.
- Add the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and milk. Stir until the cream cheese melts. Add half of the cheddar cheese and stir. If the dip is too thick for easy stirring, add extra milk. The dip should be creamy but not too thick. It should be easy to dip without breaking a tortilla chip.
- Taste and add any extra salt or seasonings you prefer.
- Spoon the dip into a casserole dish. Add the remaining cheese to the top. Bake for approximately 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Cut half of the lime into thin slices. Squeeze the juice from the other half onto the top of the baked dip. Add a sprinkling of chili powder. Then, garnish with lime slices, cilantro leaves, and a sprinkling of Cotija cheese.