This Dip Is Officially My 'Plus-One' at Every Potluck From Now On

We're at the peak of New Jersey corn season, which, in my opinion, is the best corn in the world. While the best way to eat a just-picked ear of corn is cooked right on the cob, slathered in butter, and sprinkled with salt, the second best way is in a dip I made recently.

A taco and tequila bar near me serves a Mexican corn dip with tortilla chips that I've always loved. Recently, the restaurant changed the recipe—it's been dryer and less flavorful. So I searched for a recipe that looked similar, and not surprisingly, I found one here on Allrecipes.

This site is home to many of my family's favorite recipes that I've made since long before I joined the team. The French dip I make several times each winter, the cornbread that's the perfect side for so many meals, the taco seasoning I mix up from the bottles on my spice rack, and many other recipes shared here by members have been staples on my dining table for years.

Now, I'll be adding Creamy Elote Dip to my permanent cookbook. I made it last weekend and took it to a friend's house, where we devoured it. I'll be bringing this dip to potlucks and cookouts and serving it at my patio cocktail parties until corn season is over. 

What Is Creamy Elote Dip?

Creamy Elote Dip takes its inspiration from Mexican corn on the cob, known as elote, and turns it into a dip for tortilla chips or other dippers. It’s not difficult to make (it takes less than half an hour), but you have to cook the corn first and then you have to cook the dip on the stovetop. Here are a few of the main ingredients in this delicious dip:

Fresh corn on the cob: I am sure that if you had a hankering for this dip when corn isn’t in season, you could make it with frozen corn, but for the best results, use fresh corn.

Green onions, chopped: Also known as scallions, green onions add a mild onion flavor to the dip.

Mayonnaise: On elote, mayo is the glue that adheres the seasonings to the cooked corn on the cob. In this recipe, it acts as a flavorful base that ties together all the recipe components.

Sour cream: This adds extra creaminess and tang to the dip.

Lime juice: The street corn gets a squeeze of lime. The dip has it mixed right in, giving it that boost of acidity to balance out the richness of the other flavors.

Cilantro: A must for authenticity, but if you’re one of those people who can’t stand cilantro, leave it out.

Ancho chile powder: Mild in heat, this is the traditional seasoning used for street corn. I didn’t have any, but I did have Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote Seasoning, so I used that. 

Cotija cheese: This crumbly Mexican cheese is mixed into the dip, and I used more than called for because I wanted it extra cheesy. If you can’t find this cheese, there are several cheeses you can substitute for cotija. 

How to Make Creamy Elote Dip

There are three basic steps to this dip:

1. Grill the corn.
2. Prep the ingredients.
3. Mix the corn with the other ingredients and cook on the stovetop, saving the chile powder and cheese to sprinkle on top at the end.

I did not grill my corn, although I’m sure that if I had, the dip would have had an even more authentic elote flavor. But it was super hot outside when I made the dip, and I wasn’t in the mood to fire up the grill and stand over it while the corn cooked. So, I boiled my corn in the kitchen. I cut off the kernels once the corn was cool enough to the touch.

After prepping the other ingredients—chopping the veggies and herbs, juicing the lime, crumbling the cheese—I threw together the ingredients to make the dip. Once all the elements are prepped, it all comes together rather quickly. I serve this with corn tortilla chips for dipping to keep in line with that corn flavor profile. Leftovers reheat easily in the microwave or on the stovetop. 

I already have requests to take this dip to two gatherings in upcoming weeks, which is good because I can’t wait to eat this creamy, elote-inspired dip again (and again)!