Skinny Chipotle Street Corn Dip
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With a handful of ingredients, you can make a skinny chipotle Mexican street corn dip full of earthy heat and vibrant flavor. This easy appetizer is best served piping hot from the skillet, with extra lime wedges and plenty of chips to go around.
Friends, this one is worth writing home about it. If you’re enjoying Mexican or Tex-Mex fare, it’s standard issue to start off with some salsa or guacamole, right? And while no one’s ever sad to see those, with just a few minutes of effort and ingredients, you can pair that offering with a hot chipotle street corn dip that everyone loves.
Why make street corn dip?
- a fun complement to chips and salsa
- easy to adjust the heat to your liking
- creamy and spicy all at once
- minimal chopping
- reheats well
Ingredients and substitution notes
Here’s a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need, along with possible substitutions.
- Corn: you’ll be happy to know this works well with fresh, frozen, or canned corn. My preference is to buy frozen fire-roasted for a little shortcut to great charring action!
- Peppers: A chipotle chili pepper adds that signature flavor. You can find these in small cans in your Mexican food aisle. Add a chopped jalapeno for extra heat, if you like!
- Cotija: Cotija is a white Mexican cow’s milk cheese with a firm, dry texture and salty, milky flavor. It’s become one of our favorite ingredients for dips and for topping tacos! I usually buy a large wedge at Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find Cotija, many recommend feta for a substitute, but we actually prefer Parmesan in this street corn dip, because it has a similar salty tang.
- Greek yogurt: We prefer tangy Greek yogurt to mayo here, and it makes this street corn dip relatively healthy.
- Garlic.
- Cilantro.
- Lime for juice and wedges to serve.
- Butter.
- Chili powder and kosher salt.
Scroll to the bottom and watch the video in the recipe card for a quick overview of how this comes together.
It’s pretty simple for a hot dip: you’ll quickly cook the garlic and jalapeno, if using, in butter, then add the corn and chipotles. Use a cast-iron skillet if you have one, because it helps get a nice blackened effect on the kernels of corn. Let the corn cook for a few minutes, turning just occasionally.
Once the corn is cooked through, and a bit blackened if you’re going for that, turn off the heat and mix in yogurt, cheese, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Keep those chips handy: taste-testing encouraged!
Our favorite way to serve this is straight out of the skillet, with a big bowl of chips and a pile of napkins to encourage folks to dig in. It also travels well, however–just transfer to a bowl and reheat briefly in the microwave.
Needless to say, any leftovers also make a terrific add-on to tacos or burrito bowls for a quick lunch or clean-out-the-fridge dinner.
More Mexican favorites
- Shrimp Tacos with Green Chile Adobo
- Skinny Baja Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Tacos
- Best Homemade Flour Tortillas
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Skinny Margaritas with Agave and Orange Juice
- Mexican Chocolate Cake with Cinnamon Frosting
- Paloma Cupcakes
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- 7 Layer Taco Dip from Pip and Ebby
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Skinny Chipotle Street Corn Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper seeded and diced, optional
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cups corn kernels fresh, frozen, or canned
- 1 chipotle pepper in ancho sauce seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese
- generous handful chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, jalapeno if using, and chili powder. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add corn kernels and chopped chipotle. Stir to coat the corn evenly in butter, then let the corn cook for 3-4 minutes, until the bottoms of the kernels are slightly charred. Stir and let cook for another 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in Greek yogurt, Cotija, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Taste and add more salt as desired. Serve hot with chips, tortillas, or other dippers as desired.
Video
Notes
- If you have a cast iron or other heavy-bottomed skillet, it makes it easier to get the slightly charred and blackened effect on the corn. You can also start with fire-roasted corn kernels, for a shortcut.
- Cotija is available in many major grocery stores – we always buy large wedges from Trader Joe’s – but feta or Parmesan make good substitutes if needed.
Nutrition Estimate
Recipe adapted from Closet Cooking via Damn Delicious.
Monica! This looks and sounds ridiculously good. Grilled corn is so fab and I don’t make it nearly enough, let alone in a mouthwatering dip like this. Pinning and saving!
There’s a fast casual restaurant near me that makes a Greek yogurt sweet corn side dish and it’s so yummy! I love that tang too. Good luck with your move!!
I love recipes using greek yogurt instead of mayo as a healthier option! It works so well! And thanks for the tip about parmesan as a swap for Cotija cheese. I can’t find it any the UK either and have always swapped feta but this recipe with parmesan sounds amazing. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Oh my goodness!! Corn is my weekness ? this looks so delicious and flavorful ? can’t wait to try it
Mexican street corn is one of my favorite sides!! Love that you lightened it up too. I’ll have to try this with dairy-free yogurt and DF cheese. Thanks!
Street corn is one of my favorite things ever! And I love that I can eat this guilt free!
Regarding- meaning to keep it short. Ha ha I was going to say, weren’t you supposed to be packing?! Best of luck in your move!
Wow, yum, tacos are a big hit here and my husband doesn’t like mayonnaise so I’ll have to try this! My preschooler loves sweetcorn.