Mexican Street Corn Chowder is inspired by all the delicious flavors of Elote. A creamy soup with roasted corn, poblano pepper, and flavorful spices, topped with cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. Ready in under 30 minutes!
Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
In Central America and Mexico, an ear of corn is called Elote meaning tender cob. Mexico City is one of the best places in the world to experience street food. There you can find vendors selling a variety of foods including Elote. Elote is an ear of corn skewered on a stick then roasted over an open grill. It is then coated with toppings such as butter, mayonnaise, cotija cheese, salt, lime, and chili powder.
This soup has many of the components you would find in Elote. I hope this soup transports you to the streets of Mexico City!
Ingredients
Cayenne is optional for a little spice.
Roasted Corn
The roasted corn I used for this recipe was found in the freezer section at Trader Joe’s. 365 by Whole foods also has frozen fire-roasted corn. Canned fire-roasted corn can also be used such as Del Monte brand. If none of these are available or if corn is in season, you can always roast your own!
How to Roast Corn
Heat oil over medium-high heat ( I like to use a cast iron pan), add whole corn on the cob. Cook each side until browned/charred.
How to Make Mexican Street Corn Chowder
- Blister the poblanos.
- Add garlic, cook until fragrant.
- Stir in corn, broth, and spices.
- Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in cream, sour cream, and lime juice.
- Puree about half of the mixture using an immersion blender.
- Stir the mixture and continue heating or serve immediately.
- Serve topped with crumbled cotija cheese and fresh cilantro.
Variations/Substitutions
- Shredded chicken would be a delicious addition to this chowder!
- If cotija cheese is not available you can use feta.
- Substitute a poblano pepper for a can of green chilis or jalapeno if needed.
- Spice it up by adding some cayenne pepper and jalapenos.
Products Used
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More Mexican Inspired Recipes
Mexican Street Corn Chowder
Equipment
- dutch oven or large pot
- Immersion blender or blender
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil such as avocado oil
- 1 poblano pepper stem removed, deseeded, and diced
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 32 ounces (2 pounds) roasted corn frozen, canned, or fresh roasted
- 32 ounces vegetable broth or chicken broth ( I used low sodium)
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 lime juiced
- cotija cheese crumbled
- fresh cilantro optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat dutch oven on medium-high heat. Once heated add oil and diced poblano pepper. Cook until blistered (about 5 minutes).
- Add garlic, cook until fragrant.Stir in corn, broth, chili powder, cumin, salt, and paprika.Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
- Stir in cream, sour cream, and lime juice. Using an immersion blender, puree about half of the mixture.Return to low heat or serve immediately.Top with crumbled cotija cheese and cilantro.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
When I added the cream to the broth it curdled! How to avoid that?
I let the corn/broth cool a bit, but when I added the cream it curdled!
Awe I am so sorry to hear that the cream curdled when you added it the broth mixture. I am not sure what happened but here are a couple of suggestions; maybe the cream was too cold and mixture was too hot. It may help to get the cream to room temperature before adding. Another thing that may prevent it would be tempering the cream which warms the cream. You would slowly whisk a half a cup of the corn broth into the cream stirring constantly. Then you would pour that cream mixture into the soup.