Mexican Corn Salad with Queso Fresco
4/1/2026
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Served warm or cold, this bright and colorful Mexican corn salad is a little sweet, a little spicy, and a whole lot of yum. Featuring a rainbow of veggies tossed in a creamy queso fresco sauce, it’s a texture lover’s dream! Enjoy as a side dish, appetizer, on tacos, with tortilla chips, and more.
Why You’ll Love It
Quick: This salad comes together in under 30 minutes!
Customize the spice: Easily increase or decrease the spiciness to your preference.
Serve hot or cold: Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. It’s tasty either way and a great make-ahead party recipe.
Versatile: So many delicious ways to enjoy Mexican corn salad from on top of tacos or greens, as a side dish, with chips, etc. The options are endless!
What You’ll Need
For the full ingredient list, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Salad
- Frozen sweet corn is the base of this salad.
- Use homemade taco seasoning or your favorite store-bought brand to add plenty of flavor.
- Red bell pepper adds beautiful color and crunch, red onion adds flavor, and jalapeños add spice.
- Garnish the corn salad with chopped fresh cilantro for bright and light flavor.
Queso Fresco Cream Sauce
- Plain Greek yogurt and a little bit of mayo create the creamy base of the sauce.
- Red wine vinegar, salsa verde, and lime juice add flavor.
- Season the sauce with lime zest, salt, and cayenne pepper.
- It’s not a queso fresco cream sauce without queso fresco!
Try it!
Homemade Queso Fresco
Have you always wanted to learn how to make queso fresco? Now is your chance! This queso fresco recipe is easy to make and a perfect addition to so many dishes!
try it!
Mexican Street Corn Casserole
You’ll love our Mexican street corn casserole! It’s baked all in one dish, and ready to serve in just an hour.
How to Make Mexican Corn Salad
Caramelize the corn
Heat avocado oil in a cast iron skillet set to medium/high heat. Once fragrant, add the corn and let it sauté in the pan for 2-3 minutes. Don’t stir the corn during this time so it can begin to caramelize. Mix in the taco seasoning and let the corn continue cooking for a few more minutes until it turns lightly golden brown and caramelizes all over.
Transfer the caramelized corn to a large mixing bowl and add the bell pepper, onion, and jalapeño.
I like to use a cast iron skillet for this step because it gets really hot and retains heat, perfect for caramelizing the corn. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any pan will do.
Make the sauce
Mix the Greek yogurt, mayo, red wine vinegar, salsa verde, lime juice, salt, and cayenne pepper together. For best texture, use a whisk and stir until the sauce has a smooth consistency. Gently fold in the crumbled queso fresco.
Mix & enjoy
Pour the creamy sauce over the corn mixture and mix until the salad is evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with cilantro, jalapeño rounds, lime wedges, and additional queso fresco crumbles. Serve warm or enjoy chilled (cover and refrigerate the salad for an least 1 hour).
Easy Swaps & Variations
Use fresh corn: When sweet corn is in season, use fresh corn instead of frozen.
Double batch: This dip disappears quickly at parties, so I recommend making a double batch if you’re serving a crowd!
Make it spicy: Use more cayenne pepper and leave in some (or all) of the jalapeño seeds.
Make it mild: Omit the cayenne pepper and replace the jalapeño with canned green chiles (no need to drain them first).
Serving Ideas
Is it a salad? A dip? A side dish? All of the above! Enjoy this Mexican corn salad however you like. It’s amazing served as:
- A topping for walking tacos or bean and cheese burritos
- A side dish for ground beef quesadillas or huevos rancheros
- A cheesy dip with tortilla chips or fresh veggies
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, mix well and add any garnishes.
Tip: Mexican corn salad a wonderful make-ahead party appetizer (or dip!). It tastes great chilled, so prepare this a day ahead of time for easy prep.
FAQ
Traditional Mexican corn salad is made with cooked/sautéed veggies tossed in mayo, sour cream, chili powder, lime juice, and cheese. It’s often pretty spicy and can be served warm or cold. My twist on this salad features caramelized sweet corn, Greek yogurt, crumbled queso fresco, plenty of fresh veggies, and some spice.
Absolutely. Use any skillet or saucepan – the corn will still caramelize beautifully!
Leave out the cayenne pepper and replace the jalapeño with canned diced green chiles. You’ll still have wonderful flavor without the heat.
Mexican Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 6 cups frozen sweet corn
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 large red bell pepper, minced
- 1/2 large red onion, minced
- 1/2 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup 2% Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonaisse
- 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons salsa verde
- Zest from one medium lime
- 3 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 oz. crumbled queso fresco
- Jalapeño rounds, additional crumbed queso fresco, and lime wedges, optional for serving
Instructions
- Add the avocado oil to a large cast iron skillet set over medium/high heat.
- When the oil is fragrant and begins to sizzle, add the corn to the skillet.
- Mix the corn with the oil and let the corn sauté in the pan for 2-3 minutes without stirring it around.
- Sprinkle the corn with taco seasoning, stir, and let the corn sauté until it begins to caramelize and brown, about 3-4 more minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the corn to a large bowl.
- Add the red pepper, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro to the corn and mix well.
- In a separate small bowl, make the sauce. Add the Greek yogurt, mayo, red wine vinegar, salsa verde, lime juice, salt, and cayenne pepper. Whisk together until the sauce is smooth.
- Fold the crumbed queso fresco into the sauce.
- Pour the Greek sauce over the corn mixture and fold all of the ingredients together.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with cilantro and optional jalapeño rounds, lime wedges, and a sprinkle of crumbed queso fresco.
- Serve warm or cover the salad with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to serve chilled.
Tips & Notes
- Storage instructions: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, mix well and add any garnishes. Mexican corn salad a wonderful make-ahead party appetizer (or dip!). It tastes great chilled, so prepare this a day ahead of time for easy prep.
- Spicier version: Use more cayenne pepper and leave in some (or all) of the jalapeño seeds.
- Mild version: Omit the cayenne pepper and replace the jalapeño with canned green chiles (no need to drain them first).
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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