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Mexican street corn soup has all the flavors of Mexican street corn, but in soup form! This creamy corn soup uses green chiles, flavorful aromatics and Mexican spices, fire roasted corn, and crumbled queso fresco. If you love corn soup, you have to give this one a try!
Looking for more Mexican street corn inspired recipes? Try this Mexican street corn pasta salad and Mexican corn and green chile dip!
Why You’ll Love Street Corn Soup
Quick and easy – This street corn soup is easy to make and packed with flavor! It’s a great soup to make on weeknights and would also be a good one to serve on game day!
Creamy and full of flavor – This corn soup gets it’s creaminess by puréeing some of the corn mixture in a blender as well as using a modest amount of heavy cream. Between the spices, aromatics, green chiles, and fire roasted corn, this soup is packed with flavor!
What is Mexican Street Corn (Elote)?
Mexican street corn, also referred to as elote, is a Mexican preparation of corn on the cob. The corn is grilled and then coated in mayo or Mexican crema. It’s topped with chile powder, lime, and crumbled Mexican cheese such as cotija.
Ingredients
- White onion, celery, garlic, jalapeño – The aromatics for the base of the soup that give it tons of flavor.
- Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika – Earthy, smoky spices that pair well with the sweet corn.
- Green chiles – Canned green chiles are great or if you have access to fresh fire roasted green chiles those are really good!
- Low sodium chicken broth – Vegetable broth can be used as well to make the soup vegetarian.
- Corn – frozen or fresh corn kernels can be used. Grilled or frozen fire roasted corn will give the soup more flavor.
- Plain Greek yogurt – Adds creaminess and a little tang to the soup.
- Cream – Heavy cream gives the corn soup a rich flavor and makes it extra creamy.
- Sugar – A touch of sugar brings out the flavor of the corn and balances any spiciness.
- Lime juice – The fresh, zippy flavor of the lime balances out all the flavors.
- Cilantro – A fresh herb often used in Mexican cooking.
- Queso fresco – A mild, salty, cow’s milk cheese. Cotija can also be used. Be aware that it is slightly saltier than queso fresco.
How to Make Mexican Street Corn Soup
This is an overview of the recipe with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Sauté the onion, celery, jalapeño, garlic, and dried spices in a large pot or dutch oven until soft and tender.
Add in the green chiles, corn, half of the cilantro and chicken broth and stir everything together. Bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Use a measuring cup to scoop out 2 cups of the soup and put it into a blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour the purée back into the pot and stir together. Squeeze in the lime juice and pour in the cream, Greek yogurt, queso fresco, and remaining cilantro. Use a whisk to whisk the yogurt in until it’s smoothly incorporated into the soup.
Taste for seasoning and garnish the soup with extra crumbled queso fresco, cilantro, chili powder, and lime wedges.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use fresh grilled corn or frozen fire roasted corn for extra flavor.
- Make the soup vegetarian by swapping chicken broth with and equal amount of vegetable broth.
- Make the soup creamier and richer in flavor by increasing the cream from 1/2 cup to 1 cup.
- Sour cream or Mexican crema can be used in place of Greek yogurt.
- If you’re sensitive to heat, swap the jalapeño with a poblano pepper and be sure to use mild green chiles.
- Add 2 cups of shredded or diced chicken to the soup to make it heartier.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure you use full fat plain Greek yogurt, it’s at room temperature, and you whisk it into the soup quickly. This will keep if from curdling.
- When blending the hot soup, don’t fill the blender more than half full. Remove the center cap on the lid and cover it with a towel. Hold down the towel and start blending on low speed. Increase the speed gradually.
What to serve with Mexican Corn Soup
This is a hearty soup on it’s own, but I like make it a more complete meal by adding protein or a side dish or salad. Warm tortillas or tortilla chips are a no-brainer to serve with the soup.
If you want to add protein to the meal, try my carne asada, grilled chicken fajita skewers, cilantro lime shrimp, or skillet enchilada meatballs.
Street corn soup would also pair well with these back beans and rice, chili honey lime roasted brussels sprouts, or guacamole with tortilla chips.
Storage, Reheating and Freezing
Storage – The soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Reheating – You can either microwave the soup until warm or gently heat it in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
Freezing – Street corn soup is freezer friendly. Once the soup has cooled completely, transfer it to a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat it, let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight and reheat using one of the methods above.
More Soup Recipes
Did you make this Mexican street corn soup? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review.
Mexican Street Corn Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds and vein removed and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 6 cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
- 1/2 cup plain full fat Greek yogurt, room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, celery, jalapeño, garlic, dried spices, and salt and pepper until soft and tender, 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in the green chiles, corn, half of the cilantro and chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil then turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Use a measuring cup to scoop out 2 cups of the soup and put it into a blender. Blend on low gradually increasing the speed until it's smooth. Don't overfill the blender or the top may burst off from the heat.
- Pour the purée back into the pot and stir together. Add in the lime juice, cream, Greek yogurt, queso fresco, and remaining cilantro. Use a whisk to whisk the yogurt in until it's smooth and incorporated into the soup.
- Taste the soup for seasoning and then serve garnished with more queso fresco, chili powder, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is delicious!!
Thanks for making the soup Gloria!