Mexican Street Corn Coleslaw – 🌽🥬🌶️🧅 Grilled corn, red and green cabbage, red onions, jalapenos, cilantro, chili powder, and lime juice come together in this EASY side dish that’s packed with the flavor of traditional elotes! A crowd-pleaser at your next backyard barbecue, picnic, potluck, or fiesta! Think of it as an amped up version of coleslaw that’s irresistible!
Table of Contents
You don’t need to go to Mexico City for your elote fix! Because I have this deconstructed version of elotes-meets-coleslaw.
Wondering what traditional elotes are? It’s grilled corn on the cob that’s slathered with mayo, dusted with chili powder, and sprinkled with cotija cheese. It’s a crunchy, juicy, slightly spicy snack that’s very craveworthy!
And in this sense the coleslaw recipe is more like esquites – which instead of the corn being on a cob (elotes) the corn is shaved off the ear and served in a cup (esquites) with all the fixings and toppings!
But we don’t have to get bogged down other than to know this is such a super tasty dish!
This Mexican corn coleslaw that’s infused with grilled corn, red and green cabbage, red onions, jalapenos and cilantro for so much authentic Mexican flavor.
The creamy mayo dressing is spiked with lime juice, cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder for an amped up version of traditional coleslaw dressing.
Whether you want to serve this easy side dish at your next picnic, potluck, backyard barbecue, or fiesta it’s a crowd-pleaser. Or make it on a lazy summer day as a no-fuss snack. And did I mention how fast and easy this coleslaw is, too!
Ingredients in Mexican Street Corn Cole Slaw
For this great side dish, you’ll need the following easy to find and very common ingredients including:
Vegetables
- Corn – on the cob, frozen, or canned (listed in my order of desirability)
- Red cabbage
- Green cabbage – use a bag of coleslaw mix to save time!
- Cotija cheese or queso fresco
- Red onion
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapenos – use a green pepper if you don’t want it spicy
Dressing
- Mayonnaise
- Mexican crema or sour cream
- Lime juice
- Cumin
- Smoked paprika
- Chili powder
- Salt
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Mexican Street Corn Coleslaw
This is such a super simple coleslaw recipe to whip up!
- Grill the corn and after it’s cooled, slice it off the cob and place the cups corn in a large bowl. Or add thawed and drained frozen corn kernels or drained canned corn.
- Add the remaining vegetables to the bowl.
- Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, taste, and check for seasoning balance.
- Pour the dressing over the veggies, stir, toss, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it!
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
Make-Ahead: You can prep this up to 24 hours in advance and keep it refrigerated until you’re going to serve it. Note that the longer this Mexican street corn salad sits, the more ‘soupy’ the slaw will be since the natural liquid in the cabbage and vegetables will seep out in the presence of salt.
Mexican Coleslaw FAQs
Yes you do. There’s no way to get the creamy flavor and creamy dressing texture for the dressing without it. Any fabulous coleslaw recipe, including this one, will have mayo. I don’t recommend omitting it (like using all sour cream, and no mayo). There are vegan mayo options that you can use if you have dietary restrictions.
Crema is thinner than sour cream and not quite as tangy in my experience. You can turn American sour cream into a makeshift crema by thinning it out with a tablespoon or two of milk. Mexican crema is typically sold in the same area of the grocery store where you’ll find cotija cheese. I haven’t made this recipe using Greek yogurt so don’t know exactly how it will be although probably fine.
Cotija is very dry, tends to be finer in texture, and is sharper because it’s more aged. Think of it like grated Parmesan (dry, fine, sharp). Queso fresco is a fresher, soft cheese, not sharp at all. It’s more like a crumbled feta, minus the boldness of flavor. I prefer cotija in this recipe because it has more flavor but use what you can find and prefer. If you can’t find either, consider Parm or feta cheese, or omit the cheese.
For us, it’s not “spicy” but it does have a great deal of flavor. Jalapenos don’t actually have that much heat, especially if you remove the seeds. And you’re flavoring a large quantity of cabbage (bland without help!) However, don’t confuse a short and squat jalapeno with a more slender serrano chile because they DO have heat! If you’re in doubt about the spice, omit the jalapenos or use 1/2 or 1 rather than two.
Yes, it’s easily scalable – up or down – to suit your needs.
Crumbled bacon, pepitas, sunflower seeds, English cucumbers, or diced avocados are all great add-ins.
what to serve with Mexican coleslaw
This coleslaw is the perfect addition to any other Mexican-inspired recipes at your next backyard barbecue, picnic, potluck, or make it as an easy weeknight side dish. With a big bowl of tortilla chips and restaurant-style salsa for dipping, you’re set.
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Mexican Street Corn Coleslaw
Ingredients
- 4 ears of fresh corn, cleaned and grilled* (see Notes for corn options)
- 2 cups red cabbage, shredded
- 2 cups green cabbage, shredded (use a bag of cole slaw mix to save time)
- ½ cup cotija cheese, queso fresco may be subsituted
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- ⅓ cup cilantro, finely minced
- 1 or 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced very small, or to taste
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Mexicana crema or sour cream
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste if desired
Instructions
Corn, Cheese, and Vegetables
- Grill corn as desired, following the grilling instructions given in my Grilled Corn post, linked in the Notes below.
- After it's been grilled and is cool enough to handle, using a sharp knife, shear the corn from the ears and add it to a large bowl.
- Add the remaining vegetables including the cabbages, cotija, red onions, cilantro, jalapenos, and stir to combine. Tips – If you're sensitive to spicy food or are unsure about the overall heat level, use 1/2 to 1 jalapeno with the seeds and white membranes removed; or simply omit. Jalapenos aren't spicy for me, but everyone is different so start slowly and add to taste. If you can't find cotija or queso fresco, you can either use crumbled feta or simply omit the cheese.
Dressing
- To a medium bowl, add all the ingredients, and whisk to combine until smooth. Taste, and make any necessary seasoning adjustments.
Assembly
- Pour the dressing over the vegetables in the large bowl, and stir to coat evenly. Taste again for seasoning balance, and if necessary, add more salt, cumin, chili powder, etc. and stir to combine. Tip – If it tastes at all flat or boring, it likely needs more salt. You're seasoning a large quantity of vegetables which can be bland on their own, so don't be afraid to add additional salt (or other spices), to taste.
- Cover, refrigerate, and serve chilled. Before serving, optionally garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, fresh parsley, or as desired. Make-Ahead – You can make this up to 24 hours in advance, noting that it will become more 'soupy' as it sits, as the natural juices from the vegetables seep out in the presence of salt. Storage – Leftovers will keep for up to 3-5 days airtight in the fridge, noting that the everything will become softer and soupier as it sits which is simply the nature of coleslaw.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Mexican-Inspired Corn Recipes:
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My husband raved about this slaw! A few things I tweaked. I omitted the jalapeño since I can’t eat peppers. Also used purple cabbage only, no green. I will add more corn next time I make it. Overall, this was phenomenal and will definitely be making this again!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Kelsey, and I’m glad this slaw got rave reviews and that it was phenomenal and you’ll definitely make it again!