Gluten Free Mexican Street Corn Salad
This salad brings all the bold, smoky flavors of Mexican street corn into a bowl you can share — and it comes together fast enough for a weeknight. The corn gets charred in a hot skillet until deeply golden in spots, which gives the whole dish that irresistible roasted sweetness before the creamy dressing even enters the picture. That dressing — a tangy blend of mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and a hit of cayenne — coats every kernel in something seriously craveable. Crumbled cotija, fresh cilantro, sliced green onion tops, and diced jalapeño round it all out with salty, herby, spicy contrast. Every ingredient here is naturally free of gluten, so there's no swapping or substituting required — just straightforward cooking with real, whole ingredients. Serve it straight from the bowl with extra lime wedges and a dusting of chili powder, and watch it disappear. This one easily feeds four as a side, but honestly it's tempting enough to eat on its own.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 cups corn kernels (from about 4 ears fresh corn, or thawed frozen corn)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
- 3 green onions (green tops only), thinly sliced
- ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
For serving
- lime wedges, for serving (optional)
- extra chili powder, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, and salt until smooth. Set aside.
- 2
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or grill pan over high heat until shimmering. Add the corn kernels in a single layer and season with the salt. Cook undisturbed for 3–4 minutes, until the kernels are deeply charred on one side, then stir and cook for another 2–3 minutes until charred in spots throughout. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let cool for 5 minutes.
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