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Do you love elotes and esquites? Mexican street corn soup channels those flavors into a cozy, comforting bowl and makes it a complete meal.
Why you’ll love this recipe
You guys LOVE Mexican street corn. I mean, I do too, but wow. It’s maybe the one thing we can all agree on. On the off chance it’s the actual key to world peace, I’ve been devoting some time to riffing on it. This soup is one of the results. It’s got:
- All the flavors of Mexican street corn
- In a silky, lightly creamy, flavor-packed broth
- Cozy vibes for chilly weather, though it’s light enough for the spring and summer, too
- Easy vegetarian and gluten-free options
Plus it’s ready in well under an hour and makes a nice big batch. Hope you’ll love it as much as we do.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
Produce
- Poblano peppers have a great combination of flavor and very mild heat. If I’m using a ton of them in a recipe that really features them, I’ll char them and remove the skins. Here, you don’t have to do that. Just seed and dice them as you would bell peppers.
- White onion is a little bit sweeter and mellower than yellow. It’s okay to substitute yellow if that’s what you’ve got.
- Yukon gold potatoes (or any similar gold-fleshed variety) hold their shape nicely even when they’re creamy and tender. They’re just the right match for this soup. Just give them a good scrub — no need to peel.
- Frozen corn is a great choice here and easy to keep on hand. 20 ounces of frozen corn equals 6 ears, or close enough. Fresh corn is, of course, great too.
- Freshly squeezed lime juice adds a gentle brightness and tang. Pro tip: if you live far away from where limes are grown, they can taste a little one-note sometimes. Using half lime juice and half lemon juice can restore some of the nuance in this and other recipes.
- Scallions and cilantro help this soup burst with freshness and flavor. You can use all but the roots of the scallions, plus the leaves and tender stems of the cilantro.
Other ingredients
- I tend to make this recipe with a lower-sodium chicken broth, but to make it vegetarian, simply use a good vegetable broth. Imagine No Chicken lower sodium is my favorite vegetable broth by far.
- Cotija cheese is a salty, tangy, Mexican cow’s milk cheese. It comes fresh or aged, but the commercially aged version is much easier to find in many parts of the U.S., and that’s what you’ll use in this recipe.
- Chili powder refers to the American-style spice blend, not pure ground chili.
- A little bit of all-purpose flour thickens the broth just enough. To make this recipe gluten-free, you can substitute a 1:1 GF flour blend.
- Half and half adds just the right level of creaminess.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a cozy, comforting batch of Mexican street corn soup in under an hour. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll sauté the pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in the butter, then stir in the flour to coat.
- Add the broth, seasonings, and potatoes and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until tender.
- Stir in the corn and cook to warm through.
- Off the heat, stir in the remaining ingredients. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
Sure! You can add a pound of cooked, shredded chicken (even rotisserie to keep it simple) or a couple of cans of black beans for a little extra protein. To make it spicier, add a couple of minced jalapeños in the first step.
It’s great as-is, but I sometimes like to add my favorite cornbread muffins.
Yes, and I love to. It makes a big batch that keeps well in the fridge for up to a week, and the flavors will develop as it sits. Consider adding the lime juice and cilantro just before serving to amp up the freshness factor, though it’s not really necessary.
The soup will keep, tightly sealed in a nice cold fridge, for up to a week. Reheat without boiling in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More favorite soup recipes
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Mexican Street Corn Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter
- 2 medium poblano peppers, diced small
- 1 large white onion, diced small
- 2 ribs celery, diced small
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 4 cups (950 ml) lower-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ pounds (680 grams) Yukon gold potatoes, diced small (no need to peel)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 20 ounces (567 grams) frozen corn kernels
- 1 pint (475 ml) half and half
- ½ cup (60 grams) grated cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a heavy 5-quart pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the poblano, onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about five minutes.
- Add flour and stir until vegetables are evenl coated.
- Add broth, potatoes, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add corn and simmer until warmed through.
- Off the heat, stir in half and half, cotija, lime juice, scallions, and cilantro.
Notes
- Poblano peppers have a great combination of flavor and very mild heat. If I’m using a ton of them in a recipe that really features them, I’ll char them and remove the skins. Here, you don’t have to do that. Just seed and dice them as you would bell peppers.
- White onion is a little bit sweeter and mellower than yellow. It’s okay to substitute yellow if that’s what you’ve got.
- A little bit of all-purpose flour thickens the broth just enough. To make this recipe gluten-free, you can substitute a 1:1 GF flour blend.
- I tend to make this recipe with chicken broth, but to make it vegetarian, simply use a good vegetable broth. Imagine No Chicken lower sodium is my favorite vegetable broth by far.
- Chili powder refers to the American-style spice blend, not pure ground chili.
- Yukon gold potatoes (or any similar gold-fleshed variety) hold their shape nicely even when they’re creamy and tender. They’re just the right match for this soup. Just give them a good scrub — no need to peel.
- Frozen corn is a great choice here and easy to keep on hand. 20 ounces of frozen corn equals 6 ears, or close enough. Fresh corn is, of course, great too.
- Cotija cheese is a salty, tangy, Mexican cow’s milk cheese. It comes fresh or aged, but the commercially aged version is much easier to find in many parts of the U.S., and that’s what you’ll use in this recipe.
- Freshly squeezed lime juice adds a gentle brightness and tang. Pro tip: if you live far away from where limes are grown, they can be a little one-note sometimes. Using half lime juice and half lemon juice can restore some of the nuance in this and other recipes.
- Variations: You can add a pound of cooked, shredded chicken (even rotisserie to keep it simple) or a couple of cans of black beans for a little extra protein. To make it spicier, add a couple of minced jalapeños in the first step.
- This recipe makes a big batch that keeps well in the fridge for up to a week, and the flavors will develop as it sits — so feel free to make it in advance. Consider adding the lime juice and cilantro just before serving to amp up the freshness factor, though it’s not really necessary.
- Keeps, tightly sealed in a nice cold fridge, for up to a week. Reheat without boiling in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What is the red sauce, shown in photo, you have used to dot across the finished soup? I’m guessing it is something to add extra flair to your soup. It all looks yummy!
Hi, Idella! I just used some oil from my jar of Fly By Jing chili crisp for a little extra color in the photo. Doesn’t really make extreme sense flavor-wise. I’d recommend adding extra heat with minced jalapeño or another hot pepper added in the first step instead, though it tasted good with chili oil too. xx