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Mexican Street Corn Soup

Mexican street corn soup with a creamy elote-inspired base, blended until smooth and finished with charred corn kernels. Topped with cotija, cilantro, chili powder, and fresh lime for classic street-corn flavors in a bowl.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Corn kernels
  • 5 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned), divided
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
Jalapeño
  • 1 jalapeño, minced
Broth
  • 4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Sour cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
Butter
  • 2 tbsp butter
Chili powder
  • 2 tsp chili powder
Cumin
  • 1 tsp cumin
Smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
Lime juice
  • 1 juice of 1 lime
Cotija cheese
  • 0.5 cup cotija cheese
Fresh cilantro
  • fresh cilantro, extra cotija, and lime wedges for serving
Salt and pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Char the corn and build the soup base
  1. Char 2 cups of corn in a dry hot skillet until you see browned spots, then set aside.
  2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven and sauté the onion and jalapeño for 4 minutes, stirring until softened.
  3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  4. Add the remaining 3 cups of corn, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and cook for 2 minutes.
Simmer, blend, and finish
  1. Pour in the broth and simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat.
  2. Blend the soup until smooth with an immersion blender, aiming for a creamy, uniform texture.
  3. Stir in the cream and sour cream, then add the charred corn and lime juice.
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve topped with cotija, cilantro, chili powder, and lime.

Notes

For the smoothest texture, blend the soup while it’s hot and keep the charred corn pieces for finishing. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat gently to avoid breaking the dairy. Freezing is not recommended due to cream and sour cream texture. If you want a dairy-light version, use evaporated milk in place of heavy cream and a dairy-free sour cream substitute.