If you’re looking for the perfect summertime side dish, you’ve come to the right place!
This is, hands down, one of our favorite dishes. Summer doesn’t get much better than this. Go with yellow, white, or yellow and white corn, and you can’t go wrong. The sweetness of the corn matches beautifully against the slight heat from the pepper. Side dish perfection! We love to serve this with our Southern Baked Beans and Classic Pasta Salad!
How To Make Mexican Cream Corn
This recipe is always a crowd favorite.
And so much of it can be made in advance.
How To Grill Corn on the Cob
As mentioned, you can’t go wrong with whatever sweet corn you select. We love white corn, but yellow is great, as is yellow and white!
To grill the corn, simply brush on a couple of tablespoons of olive over 8 ears of corn that have the husks and silk removed.
Crank your grill to high and place the corn directly over the heat. Grill until lightly charred and cooked through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
EXPERT TIP: You can also cook the corn in your oven. Simply place the corn (husks and silk removed) in a dish and roast in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes. In a pinch, you can use six 15 oz. cans of sweet corn that have been drained.
Now, it’s time to remove the corn kernels.
After the corn is cool enough to handle, hold the ear upright, and use a large knife to carefully cut the kernels from the cob.
EXPERT TIP: The corn can be grilled (or roasted) up to 24 hours in advance. You can also remove the kernels a day in advance, too.
Tips For Making Mexican Cream Corn
Fresh is best – Seek out fresh corn if you can. We love going with sweet yellow or white corn. Grilling or roasting brings out the most delicious sweet corn taste.
Adding cream – We’ve tested all types of cream, and we find heavy cream adds the perfect luxurious texture and taste to the dish. For a lighter version, go with half and half, or whole milk.
Serving – The dish can be served right from the skillet you prepared it in, or from a serving bowl. It’s best served hot but is still really good at room temperature.
EXPERT TIP: Two finely diced jalapenos will make the dish slightly spicy. Not a lot of heat, but a little. Be sure to remove the seeds and inner ribs of the peppers to minimize the heat. If you want very little heat, then only use one pepper, if you like it extra spicy, then go with 3 peppers, and leave a few seeds in.
Next, add in the cream cheese, heavy cream, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened.
EXPERT TIP: For a lower-calorie dish, go with half and half, or whole milk. We do find that the luxurious creaminess goes away if you use low-fat or skim milk, but don’t worry, it’s still pretty yummy.
When To Serve Mexican Cream Corn
This dish is quintessential outdoor BBQ fare. However, it’s really spectacular served year-round.
We love serving this alongside our Slow-Cooker Baby Back Ribs and Southern Baked Beans!
Homemade food is always going to be extra special, and this dish is absolutely no exception.
This dish is served best piping hot, right off the stove.
However, you can easily make it up to 24 hours in advance and then reheat it on the stove over medium heat before serving itto guests.
The addition of fresh crumbled queso fresco cheese, chopped tomatoes, and freshly chopped cilantro are beautiful and delicious garnishes.
Ready to make the best corn side-dish in town? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a picture, post it on Instagram, and tag @howtofeedaloon and hashtag #howtofeedaloon!
Mexican Cream Corn
Equipment
- A grill (charcoal or gas), or an oven.
Ingredients
- 8 ears corn husks and silk removed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers cored, seeded, and finely diced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz cream cheese cut into chunks
- 1 lime juice
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin ground
- 1½ tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 2 tbsp queso fresco crumbled, for garnish
- 1 tomato chopped, for garnish
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped. for garnish
Instructions
- Turn your grill onto medium-high heat. Toss the ears of corn in the olive oil. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and fully cooked, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Once the corn is cool enough to handle, use a large knife to cut the kernels from the cob. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapenos and cook, stirring often, until soft and lightly browned, about 8 minutes.
- Add the corn and mix well.
- Stir in the cream cheese, cream, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with crumbled queso fresco, tomatoes, and cilantro. Serve at once.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in May 2014, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in June 2021!
I agree with the cream corn, but please don’t add the Mexican because no Mexican would ever add heavy cram, cheese cream, tomato, onions, cumin and jalapeño to Mexican cream corn.