Description
Creamy Mexican Street Corn Soup with charred corn, Cotija cheese, and lime. Easy one-pot recipe that captures all the flavors of elote in a cozy bowl!
Ingredients
For the Soup Base:
- ¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
- 6 cups fresh corn kernels (from 8–10 shucked cobs) – save those stripped cobs!
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder (adjust to your spice preference)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
For the Creamy Finish:
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup dry-aged Cotija cheese, grated (plus extra for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (divided)
Instructions
Get your oil hot – like really shimmering hot. Dump in the corn, onion, chili powder, salt and pepper. Don’t baby it – let it sit and get those brown spots on the corn. Stir it around every couple minutes for about 8-10 minutes until your kitchen smells incredible and the onions look soft.
Throw in the garlic and cook for maybe a minute until you can really smell it. Now here’s the part that sounds weird but trust me – scoop out about 1½ cups of this corn mixture and put it in a bowl. You’ll use it later for topping and it’s going to make your soup look restaurant-fancy.
Pour in your broth and toss those naked corn cobs right into the pot. Scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom because that’s pure flavor right there. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down and let it bubble away for 20 minutes. Those cobs are doing serious work extracting corn flavor.
Fish out those corn cobs and toss them. Stir in the sour cream and cheese, then transfer everything to your blender. Work in batches if you need to – don’t overfill because hot soup will explode everywhere (learned this the messy way).
Pour the smooth soup back into your pot. Add about ¾ cup of that reserved corn mixture you set aside, the lime juice, and half the cilantro. Taste it and add more salt, pepper, or chili powder if needed.
Mix the leftover corn with lime zest and the rest of the cilantro in a small bowl. This is your fancy finishing touch that makes people think you actually know what you’re doing in the kitchen.
Notes
Save yourself time: Char the corn and chop everything the night before – this soup comes together super fast when you’re organized
Too thick? Add more broth. Too thin? Let it simmer with the lid off for a few minutes
Want it richer? I sometimes throw in a pat of butter when I add the garlic – my secret weapon
Don’t mess this up: Never boil the soup after adding sour cream or it’ll curdle and look gross
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired