Mexican Street Corn Soup – Oh Sweet Basil

A delicious twist on our classic Elote (Mexican Street Corn) recipe, this soup is full of flavor and a quick and easy soup for dinner. A creamy broth packed with sweet corn, roasted chicken and a subtle hint of spices for flavor, this chicken and corn soup is sure to win over friends and family!

I don’t remember the first time I enjoyed Elote, but I want to say it was in Rexburg, Idaho at a little farmer’s market. I never went to school during the summer so I never enjoyed all the yummy food that comes from summer fruits and veggies there. It took my parents moving from Vancouver, Washington to Idaho for me to finally enjoy this tasty recipe that’s a staple in Mexico.

Now that I’ve had it, I cannot get enough. From the classic Elote recipe, to Mexican Street Corn Salad, and even a fun Elote Mexican Street Corn Pasta salad the possibilities are endless. Oh and let’s not forget our slow cooker Mexican street corn dip! Y’all know I love a good dip!!

What is Elote?

Well, first let’s address the question, how do you pronounce elote? It is super easy! You start the word just as if you were starting the word “eloquent” except drop the “quent” and replace it with “tay”. Elo-tay. Now you’ve got it!

Elote, often called Mexican street corn, is grilled corn on the cob smothered in a creamy mayo sauce and topped with chili powder, cheese and fresh lime.

Ingredients for Mexican Street Corn Soup

We are going to take all those classic elote flavors and add a few ingredients to it to make a fantastic corn soup! We add a few more vegetables for more depth of flavor and chicken to make it a little more hearty. Here is what you will need:

• Butter: used for sautéing all the veggies
• Vegetables: Yellow Onion, Celery, Garlic, Pasilla Pepper and Corn
• Seasonings: Chili Powder, Kosher Salt, Sugar, Black Pepper
• Soup Base: Chicken Broth, Heavy Cream, Mexican Crema
• Chicken Breasts: you can grab a rotisserie or if you want to cook your own, try our sticky Mexican chicken recipe
• Cotija Cheese: found in the refrigerated section with the other cheeses or sometimes in the section of Mexican specialty foods

NOTE: If you want to keep it vegetarian, skip the chicken and swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card down below.

How to Make It

One of the things I love about soup recipes is that they are usually super easy to make! This recipe can be on the kitchen table in less than 30 minutes! Here are the basic steps:

1. Sauté the onion and celery in a little butter until tender.
2. Add the garlic, poblano and seasonings and stir for a minute or so to bloom the spices.
3. After adding the corn and remaining liquid ingredients, simmer for 15 minutes to blend all the flavors.
4. Remove 2 cups of the soup and pulse in a blender until smooth. Add it back to the soup along with the chicken and cheese and stir to combine.
5. Serve with chopped cilantro, lime wedges, jalapeno slices and cotija cheese.

Keep scrolling to the end of the post for the instructions in complete detail.

What is Elote Dressing Made of?

The dressing for authentic elote dressing is just mayo, then you roll the corn in crumbled cotija cheese and sprinkle it with chili powder. To mimic the creaminess and tang of the mayo, we add heavy cream and Mexican crema.

What Type of Corn Should I Use?

You are going to want corn kernels cut straight of the cob if possible! And if you can grill it first, that is double thumbs up! If not, you can just cut the corn off the cob and toss it into the soup. You just can’t beat the flavor and texture of fresh corn.

If it’s not corn season, your next best option will be frozen corn.

All Things Elote!

The thing about Mexican Street Corn is, it’s so satisfying to eat, the sweet corn, the creamy crema, the texture of the salty, crumbly cheese and that rounded out smokiness of the chili powder, you just can’t help but wonder how else you can enjoy such a dish!

Which is why it’s obvious that our site also has:

What to Eat with Elote Soup

A good soup needs a good chunk of delicious bread to sop up it up. I will usually make a batch of our No Knead Artisan Bread or our French bread.

You could also try a side of Mexican roasted zucchini or pinto beans. And if you’re not a fan of pinto beans, you try our fantastic black beans instead.

Garnishes

I listed some possible garnishes up above, but let me list them again along with a few more. After all, it’s the garnishes that take a soup to the next level!

• Cilantro
• Jalapeno Slices
• Lime Wedges
• Cotija Cheese
• Avocados
• Sour Cream or Mexican Crema
• Green Onions
• Fritos
• Tortilla Strips

It’s Mexican Street Corn Soup Spicy?

It can be if you want it to be! As it is written, it is not spicy at all, but if you want to add a little heat, add more jalapenos. You could mince up the jalapenos and add them to the veggies that you sauté if you want.

Make Ahead and Storage

This is a great make ahead meal. You can make everything up to a day or two ahead of time, leaving the heavy cream and Mexican crema out until right before heating.

Elote soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep in an airtight container.

You can reheat it in the microwave for individual servings or on the stovetop if you are warming up a big batch.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing this soup as creams don’t freeze and thaw very well.

This is a Mexican street corn spin on a traditional corn chowder that is going to be your new favorite soup recipe. It is creamy with pops of crunch from the corn, smokiness from the chili powder and bright with the lime juice. This Mexican street corn soup recipe is a must try!

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