Mexican Street Corn Soup

This Mexican street corn soup takes me back to when I was living in a small town in Oaxaca, Mexico, and my neighbor invited me to participate in the corn harvest. Fresh corn is like gold: used in a myriad of foods from tortillas, tamales and pozole to elote and equites. Inspired by elote, this corn soup is sweet, creamy and a bit smoky from the chipotle powder.

What is elote?

Elote, or Mexican street corn, is a popular dish throughout Mexico. Vendors grill whole corn cobs and serve them with various delicious toppings like mayonnaise, cotija cheese and a squeeze of fresh lime. Mexican street corn soup plays with this concept, but swaps the grill for a slow cooker and uses heavy cream instead of mayonnaise.

Mexican Street Corn Soup Ingredients

• Fresh corn: The most essential ingredient in this recipe is fresh corn on the cob. Use white, yellow or bicolor corn; just make sure that it looks fresh and vibrant, and that it feels heavy for its size.
• Heavy cream: Elote gets its creamy hit from a mixture of mayonnaise and crema, but this recipe uses heavy cream as its base. For a lower-fat version, you can use half-and-half or try other substitutes for heavy cream.
• Bacon: Bacon brings a Tex-Mex flavor to this recipe. Fresh chorizo makes an excellent substitute.
• Onion: Each type of onion offers a distinct flavor and aroma. Yellow or sweet onions are the best options for this soup, but red onions work.
• Peppers: We use several types of peppers for this soup. Green bell peppers offer a bit of color and vegetal, sweet flavor, while jalapenos pack some heat. Remove the seeds and membrane if you want less heat from the jalapeno.
• Seasoning: Chipotle powder, cumin, salt and pepper are all you need to spice up this street corn soup. If you don’t like chipotle powder (which is made from smoked and dried jalapeno), try other fried Mexican chiles like guajillo or pasilla. You can also swap in chili powder if that’s what you have.
• Toppings: Classic toppings for Mexican street corn include lime, cotija and cilantro. If you don’t like cilantro, try epazote, a traditional Mexican herb.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the corn

Strip the corn kernels from the cob using your preferred method. Rub the back of a knife over the stripped cob to “milk” it. Add enough water to the corn milk to make 2 cups. Add the corn kernels and corn milk to a 5-quart slow cooker.

Editor’s Tip: For a safe and sturdy approach to cutting corn off the cob, cut off the base to make a flat end. Stand the corn up on the flat end, and use a sharp knife to glide between the kernels and the cob. To catch the kernels, place the corn cob in a rimmed tray or bowl while you strip it. (Psst: Don’t skip the corn milk! Although not well known, corn milk is super flavorful and creamy and used in dishes like corn ice cream.)

Step 2: Cook the bacon

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until it’s crisp, five to seven minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the skillet.

Editor’s Tip: Because bacon is a fatty cut of pork, it shrinks as it cooks. Slice the bacon into large cubes so that it doesn’t disappear in the skillet when the shrinkage happens.

Step 3: Cook the remaining ingredients

Add the onion, green pepper and jalapeno to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, over high heat until they’re soft, three to four minutes. Add the chipotle powder, cumin, salt and pepper to the skillet and cook for one minute longer. Transfer the seasoned onion and pepper to the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to low heat for 3 hours and 30 minutes to 4 hours, or until the corn is tender and the mixture has thickened slightly.

Step 4: Add the cream and lime

Stir the cream, lime zest and juice into the soup. If you like, you can use an immersion blender to achieve a smoother texture.

Editor’s Tip: If you use an immersion blender, add the heavy cream gradually as you blend it so you don’t accidentally thin out the texture too much. Blend some or all of the mixture to your desired consistency.

Step 5: Garnish and serve

Garnish with reserved bacon and sprinkle with optional toppings like fresh cilantro, lime, sliced jalapeno, chopped bell pepper and crumbled cotija cheese.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re making this dish yourself, you can add the bacon and desired toppings to the whole batch of Mexican street corn soup. If you’re making this recipe for a crowd, set the toppings out in small bowls so everyone can choose their own.

Taste Recipes

Recipe Variations

• Make it vegan: With a little imagination and experimentation, you can make this a dairy-free recipe. Instead of heavy cream, use a combination of any non-dairy milk, silken tofu or silken tofu and vegan butter. Nix the bacon or replace it with a plant-based meat brand of your choice. Replace the cotija cheese topping with nutritional yeast or cashew cheese.
• Make it a casserole: Don’t feel like messing with a slow cooker? Make this Mexican street corn bake instead. For a creamier result, you can swap the Parmesan in the recipe for a Mexican cheese like cotija or queso fresco.

How to Store Mexican Street Corn Soup

Because this recipe uses dairy, it should be kept in the fridge for three to four days. To store this dish, first allow any leftovers to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Keep the leftovers towards the back of the fridge, where the temperature is coolest. When ready to eat, reheat only as much as you plan to eat, because repeatedly cooling and reheating dairy is not recommended.

Can you freeze Mexican street corn soup?

Yes, you can freeze Mexican street corn soup for up to two months, but its texture and flavor may degrade slightly because it contains dairy. For best results, allow the soup to cool and transfer it to individual serving-sized, airtight containers. Before eating the soup, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a rush, you can place the container in a bowl of warm water to thaw.

How do you reheat Mexican street corn soup?

You have several options for reheating this soup. For best results, reheat the soup on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. You can also use the microwave, pausing it regularly to mix the soup. Lastly, you can heat it in an oven set to 165°, transferring the soup to an oven-safe container before popping it in.

Can you make Mexican street corn soup ahead of time?

You can indeed make Mexican street corn soup ahead of time. One option is to prep the ingredients beforehand: stripping the corn kernels, extracting the corn milk, and storing them separately in the fridge for up to three days. Bacon tastes best when made fresh, but you can also cook it and store it for three to five days (remember to reserve the drippings for later). As for the onion and pepper, you can dice them and safely store them in the fridge for one to three days.

You can also make the street corn soup ahead of time. One of the great benefits of slow-cooker recipes is that once the soup is ready, you can turn it to the “warm” setting while you wait to serve it. However, don’t keep the soup at this setting for more than four hours. After that, cool it down and store it in either the fridge or freezer.

Mexican Street Corn Tips

Can you make Mexican street corn soup with frozen corn?

Yes, you can make this soup with frozen or canned corn if you don’t have fresh corn. Be sure to thaw the corn and drain any excess liquid before adding it to the slow cooker. You can recreate the corn milk by purchasing a little extra corn, blending it to a chunky-smooth consistency and draining it using a fine mesh sieve or a piece of cheesecloth.

Can you make Mexican street corn soup on the stovetop?

It’s easy to convert this slow-cooker soup to a stovetop soup. In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, five to seven minutes. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the pot. Add the onions, green peppers and jalapeno and cook over medium-high heat until soft, three to four minutes. Add the dry seasonings and cook for one minute. Stir in the corn kernels and corn liquid, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the corn is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the cream, lime zest and juice. Garnish as desired.

What can you serve with Mexican street corn soup?

Because elote soup is creamy and filling, it pairs wonderfully with a light, fresh dish like Mexican layered salad or shrimp salad with hot honey avocado dressing. You can also serve this recipe as a side and pair it with a protein of your choice, like chipotle chicken or grilled onion and skirt steak tacos. Balance the soup’s creaminess with your choice of a tart drink and dessert. Think agua de Jamaica, a chilled hibiscus tea, or strawberry ice.