Mexican Street Corn Soup

Name: Mexican Street Corn Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup red onion (finely diced); 1/2 cup white onion (finely diced); 1 red bell pepper (finely diced); 1 poblano pepper (seeded and finely diced); 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and finely diced); 3 12-ounce packages frozen corn; 32 ounces chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make it vegetarian); 1 8-ounce block cream cheese; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 2 teaspoons paprika; 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1/3 cup heavy cream; 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

By Maggie

No ratings yet

Mar 13, 2025

Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

This Mexican Street Corn Soup is full of complex flavors and your favorite veggies for a creamy, spicy version of corn chowder!

a white bowl filled with Mexican Street Corn Soup, garnished with lime wedges

Ingredients
How to make Mexican Street Corn Soup
What to serve with Mexican Street Corn Soup
Storage and Reheating Instructions
More amazing soup recipes
Mexican Street Corn Soup Recipe

Elote (or Mexican Street Corn) has a long history for good reason. It’s easy to make, tastes amazing, and is the perfect blend of juicy, creamy, sweet, and savory! Whether you get it grilled from a street vendor in Mexico or make it at home in your air fryer, it’s a surefire way to spice up your traditional corn side dish.

When something tastes as delicious as elote, it’s natural to recreate it in any form you can think of! Esquites (or Street Corn Salad) takes those juicy kernels off the cob and into a delicious bowl you can enjoy on its own or topped with various protein like grilled chicken or crunchy bacon.

Being a soup lover, of course I had to try all these flavors in a creamy broth! This Mexican Street Corn Soup recipe tastes like your favorite esquites but with a wholesome, meal-worthy twist. You only need one pot and about 35 minutes to make this delicious comfort food recipe you will want again and again.

cast iron dutch oven full of Mexican Street Corn Soup; a ladle taking out a big scoop

Ingredients

Here is an overview of what you will need for this Mexican-inspired soup recipe. As always, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements.

Red onion and white onion – Finely dice these into pieces that are easy to eat. Sweet (yellow) onion can also work in place of the white onion, but I prefer the stronger flavor you get from the white onion.
Red bell pepper, Poblano pepper, and Jalapeno pepper – These create the perfect sweet and spicy blend for this soup! Finely dice so the flavor is distributed through every bite, and remove seeds unless you like it SUPER spicy.
Frozen corn – I used frozen corn kernels because it keeps its nutrients for so long and is super convenient. However, feel free to use fresh corn as long as you have enough time to boil it for 1-2 minutes and cut it off the cob before using. If using canned corn, make sure to drain the water out first.
Broth – I used chicken broth because I love the meatier flavor it adds to the soup. You could easily use vegetable broth to keep this recipe vegetarian. Use low-sodium options if you are sensitive to salt.
Cream cheese, Heavy cream, and Shredded cheese – Full-fat, room temperature cream cheese melts into the smoothest texture. However, you can use a low-fat version if you prefer. If you have Mexican crema available, you could use that in place of the heavy cream. While cotija is the cheese most commonly used for elote, it doesn’t melt as well. You can use shredded cheddar, pepper jack, or a Mexican blend.
Seasoning: Garlic powder, Paprika, Cumin, Kosher salt, and Pepper.
Optional garnishes: Crumbled cotija cheese, a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, lime wedges, crushed tortilla chips, chopped fresh cilantro, etc.

How to make Mexican Street Corn Soup

Sauté onions and peppers

diced red bell pepper, poblano pepper, jalapeno pepper, red onion, and white onion in a cast iron dutch oven

sauteed onions and peppers in a cast iron soup pot

In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the diced red onion, white onion, red bell pepper, poblano, and jalapeño for 3-4 minutes until softened.

Add corn and spices

frozen corn added to a soup pot full of sauteed onions and peppers

Stir in the frozen corn, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook for another 2 minutes to enhance the flavors. If you like more of a charred flavor, allow the vegetables to cook without stirring them much.

Add broth and simmer

Pour in the chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

MEAL PREP NOTE: If you are making this to freeze for later, this is where you stop. Instead of moving to the next step, allow your soup to cool, place in freezer-safe containers, and label with the last step to be done when reheating later.

Make it creamy

cream cheese added to mexican street corn soup in a dutch oven

heavy cream and shredded cheese added to creamy mexican street corn soup

Stir in the cream cheese until fully melted and incorporated, then add the heavy cream and shredded cheese, stirring until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

ULTRA SMOOTH TIP: If you prefer it SUPER creamy and a bit soother, you can blend a portion of the soup. An immersion blender makes this extra easy — Just stick it deep into the pot and blend until it reaches your preferred consistency. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer some to the pitcher of your blender, cover with a lid, purée until creamy, then stir back into the pot.

overhead shot showing a bowl of creamy Mexican Street Corn Soup garnished with cilantro, cotija cheese, and lime wedges

What to serve with Mexican Street Corn Soup

We love a big bowl of this creamy corn soup with fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of zest, some extra cheese, and fresh cilantro. If some guests like it spicier, provide some chili powder and jalapeno slices for them to add on top!

When serving for a big party, we like to serve with Jalapeno Poppers and Cilantro Lime Chicken Bites as appetizers then have this Southwest Chicken Salad Board available with the soup on the side.

More vegetarian dishes to go with it:

overhead shot showing a bowl of garnished corn soup beside a dutch oven full of the creamy Mexican Street Corn Soup

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Allow your soup to cool, then spoon into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days. If reheating the entire recipe, it’s best to warm it up on the stovetop in a soup pot over medium low heat, stirring frequently for even reheating. For individual servings, microwave in 1-minute increments on 50% power, stirring between each blast.

Leftovers can be frozen, though super creamy recipes like this do have a tendency to separate. If making this to freeze for later, I recommend following the recipe through step #3, then cooling and freezing your soup base. When ready to eat, thaw in the fridge, reheat and add in your cream cheese, heavy cream, and shredded cheese.

If freezing 8 individual servings, you would add 1 ounce cream cheese, 2 teaspoons heavy cream, and about 3 tablespoons of shredded cheese to each serving.