The BEST Corn Dip
The BEST Corn Dip is a creamy, cheesy dip featuring sweet corn and laced with Tex-Mex flavors including cumin, a touch of jalapeño, and fresh cilantro. Perfect for summer parties, tailgating, or year-round entertaining, this corn dip recipe can be made with fresh corn, frozen corn, or even canned corn!
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I can honestly say that my mouth is watering just putting together this post. This recipe, y'all...SO GOOD. Downright addictive, in fact. I promise that if you make this amazing Corn Dip for any kind of gathering, you need to have the recipe on hand, because people are guaranteed to ask for it.
The Inspiration
This recipe was inspired by my friend Tracy, who used to bring an amazing Mexican corn dip to Bunco back in the day. It was made with canned Mexicorn and mayonnaise and grated cheddar. It also incorporated a generous amount of cumin...which initially seemed like a lot, but was the secret to making it so tasty.
The dip was served with Fritos Scoops and the bowl was inevitably scraped clean and I made it for years...until the computer program that housed all of my most beloved recipes crashed and I lost that recipe along with so many other of my tried-and-true favorites (a moment of silence for my irretrievable recipes, please).
I have no doubt that I could have asked Tracy for her corn dip recipe again. But years later, I felt like I remembered the gist of it well enough to attempt recreating it myself!
Ingredients
And so that's what I did. This Corn Dip takes a few liberties unique to the original. And don't get me wrong...there was nothing wrong with the original recipe. In fact, it was absolutely delicious. But finding myself with some extra roasted corn on the cob one day, I decided to make a version with fresh ingredients.
So here's whatcha' need:
- Fresh corn. I promise, it takes this recipe to the next level! Don't miss my favorite trick for roasting fresh corn on the cob effortlessly and with no mess. That being said, you can definitely achieve great results using thawed, frozen corn or even canned corn instead of roasted corn...scroll down for more info!
- Sour cream. Feel free to swap in some Greek yogurt if you'd like to lighten things up.
- Mayonnaise.
- Grated cheese. I recommend sharp cheddar for extra flavor, but you could also use mild cheddar, colby jack, pepper jack, or whatever cheese you enjoy.
- Fresh jalapeños. Diced. Add more or less to your liking. You can also control the heat of your peppers by scraping out the seeds and membranes for flavor with mild heat, or leaving the seeds and membranes intact for a bit more spice.
- Chopped fresh cilantro. I personally think cilantro is a necessary flavor in this corn dip. But if you the hate the stuff, you can always leave it out. 😉
- Cumin. One tablespoon may seem like a lot, but it's what makes this Corn Dip so smoky and delicious.
- Garlic salt + pepper.
How to Make Corn Dip
This recipe is as simple as folding everything together until well-combined. Easy-peasy!
But there is one more very important step after that: you must allow your Corn Dip to chill. Time in the fridge allows the taste of the mayonnaise to fade into the background as the cumin melds into it and deepens in flavor.
How Long to Chill
I recommend 4 hours chilling time at a bare minimum, but it's even better if you can wait 8 hours or overnight before enjoying this recipe.
And after that, serve with tortilla chips or corn chips and brace yourself for how fast it gets gobbled up!
Fresh Corn, Frozen, or Canned?
Fresh corn adoration aside, you may be wondering...could you make this Corn Dip recipe with frozen corn if fresh happens to be out of season (or if you simply don't want to mess with it)?
Of course you can! I actually do it all the time. Just be sure to thaw frozen corn in a colander under running water first.
Also, I would be remiss if I didn't point out again that the original Mexican corn dip recipe from my friend called for canned corn...Mexicorn, specifically. So drained canned corn, while not my personal preference, will work just dandy in this recipe as well. Just keep in mind that your Corn Dip won't taste quite as "fresh" as had you used one of the other options.
Oh. My. Word. It's amazing how such simple ingredients can yield such amazing flavor. The sweet-crisp fresh corn in this recipe plays perfectly off of the smoky cumin, warm jalapeño bits, and bright cilantro.
So if you still have an opening on your Independence Day menu, add this Corn Dip to the list! Or make it for a barbecue. Or make it for Bunco.
I said it once and I'll say it again...this dip will disappear and you will receive recipe requests. (Thanks again, Tracy!)
More Summer Dip Recipes
- Dreamy Dill Dip with Baked Pita Wedges
- Fluffy Chocolate Fruit Dip
- Zesty Black Bean Dip
- Corn, Black Bean, & Tomato Salad
Corn Dip
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh roasted corn, from approximately 5 corn cobs
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 to 3 fresh jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed, finely minced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, more or less, to taste
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine corn, sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese, jalapeños, cilantro, cumin, garlic salt, and black pepper. Stir until well mixed.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably 8 hours to overnight) to allow flavors to blend. Serve with tortilla chips or corn chip scoops.
Notes
- You may use frozen (thawed) corn or drained canned corn (regular or Mexicorn) in place of the fresh roasted corn.
- For a lighter variation, you may substitute Greek yogurt for up to half of the mayo/sour cream combo.
- I prefer using freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese, but your favorite variety of pre-shredded cheese will work fine.
- My family did not find this dip to be spicy using two jalapeños with seeds and membranes removed. Feel free to increase the number of jalapeños for extra spice, or leave the seeds and membranes intact for some real heat. You may also use pickled jalepeños instead of fresh for a different type of flavor, if you wish.
- The flavors in the Corn Dip will intensify and blend after it's been allowed to chill for several hours (at least 4, but ideally 8 or more). It won't taste quite as good if you serve it right away.
Nutrition
Post originally published on June 23, 2015, and updated July 2, 2021, and August 31, 2022.
I made this corn dip once before today so now I’ve made it twice! I have a Halloween party this Saturday (two days away) and I don’t see this corn dip lasting until then. It is THAT good!
Made this corn dip for game night and everyone loved it. I couldn't believe how creamy and flavorful it is!
So yummy! Easy to make and the flavor is delicious!!
We loved this dip so much! So fresh and tasty.
Made this for a summer get together it was a hit! I used fire roasted can corn everyone loved it. I will be making this again!!
OMGOSH
I’ve been looking for “sides and dips” for summer because we grill often. My husband and I don’t want a heavy meal. A beautiful piece of protein on the grill and this dip is perfect for us.
I thought I had cumin in my pantry, no I didn’t, so I used a packet of taco seasoning, everything else was to recipe. I used can corn, I first “roasted” the corn in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes, just to give it a roasted look and flavor. This is going to be a regular at our dinner table.
This sounds so good! Could you also possibly bake this so it’s served warm? The cilantro part might make it strange... but you could sprinkle on top afterwards?
I think you could serve it warm! I actually have another corn dip recipe that's warm, and it has cilantro inside plus extra sprinkled on top: https://www.fivehearthome.com/ultimate-mexican-street-corn-dip-appetizer-recipe/
I have been making a recipe similar to this, but to make it somewhat like this and adds more corn flavor, I use creamed corn in place of the mayonnaise. It is great.
Made the corn dip with your barbacoa recipe. We (my hubby, mom and 6 kiddos) put it in our barbacoa salad/tacos (we make a "Chipotle" Buffet.) SO scrumptious!!!! Love your recipes and your site! Thanks!
Yum, Seana...what a great idea to add this corn dip to the barbacoa! I will have to try that next time. 🙂 And I'm so glad to hear that you enjoy my recipes and my site...happy to have you following along! Happy Friday and have a great weekend!