Light Mexican Street Corn

Mexican Street Corn is one of the greatest foods to grace my palate, period. First off, I love corn, especially when it’s in season and super sweet. Second, street corn combines that sweetness with creamy texture, a hint of spice, and is downright addicting. It’s typically made with butter, sour cream, mayo etc – delicious, but not the most WW friendly. So I sought to create a version that tastes like the real thing, reducing calories while not reducing flavor. The end result? This Light Mexican Street Corn that you’re going to want to make on repeat.

This recipe actually came about while I was planning to reshoot my Southwest Corn Salad recipe. I had every intention of just remaking it, but as I started getting ingredients together, I realized that I could do one better. By tweaking some ratios of ingredients (and tasting a bunch along the way), I created this dish which is creamy, sweet, spicy, salty, and bursting with flavor. It pairs great with summer BBQs and tequila drinks, and I cant wait for you to try it.

Ingredients in Light Mexican Street Corn

This recipe is super simple and the cooking involved is minimal. It’s served cold (though it’s tasty warm too), so its great to make ahead of time. It’s also super easy to double, triple, etc if you’re cooking for a crowd. The components are:

• Corn, duh. You can really use any, but I think this street corn is made best using fresh corn roasted and cut off the cob. I’ve made it with frozen corn in a pinch too and it’s still great.
• Red onion, which gives a great zing and adds a lot of flavor.
• Butter Spray. I used I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter spray, which is 1 WW SP for 40 sprays. If you don’t have it handy, you can use Smart Balance, Butter, etc.
• Pickled jalapeños. Yes, the kind that come from a jar. They add a great amount of heat and vinegar flavor without being too spicy. You can sub fresh jalapeño and cut the amount in half if you’re feeling brave.
• Cotija cheese. This cheese is a Mexican cow’s milk cheese that’s dry and crumbly, deliciously salty, and an absolute must in this dish.
• The dressing! It’s a combination of nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, agave (or honey), and spices. You’ll use cumin, smoked paprika, and chipotle chili powder to flavor the dressing and ultimately the street corn.

Making Light Street Corn

The only real cooking you have to worry about here is the corn – and it’s super easy. If you’re using fresh corn, you don’t even need to remove it from the husk first. Just preheat your oven to 400, put the corn (in husks) on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes. If it’s already peeled, do the same, just reduce cooking time to 15 minutes. Let your corn cool slightly and slice it off the cob. Add your butter spray (or melted butter) and mix well. Chop cilantro, onion, and jalapeños and add to corn. Then mix well and set aside while you make your dressing.

Combine greek yogurt with fresh squeezed lime juice, chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, and agave. Your final dressing should be light pink in color and relatively runny. Coat your corn in the dressing, and toss well. lastly, add your Cotija cheese. Give it a good mix, garnish with extra cilantro, Cotija, and a lime wedge. Let chill in the fridge before serving.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also store the corn and dressing separately and combine them before serving.

Light Mexican Street Corn

Jacklin Altman

This Light Mexican Street Corn is light on calories but big on flavor. It's creamy, sweet, spicy, bright, and fresh. It's great to make ahead and perfect for a crowd, and you're sure to be the hit of your summer BBQ when you show up with this in tow.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Salad

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8 1/2 cup servings

Calories 108 kcal

Equipment

• Oven
• Mixing Bowls
• Cutting Board
• Knife

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 ears corn cooked and cut off the cob, 4 cups total
• 40 sprays butter spray or 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion diced
• 2 tbsp pickled jalapeño diced
• 1/4 cup cotija cheese crumbled

Dressing

• 1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp agave nectar or can use honey
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lime

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400F. Put corn (in husks) onto a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. If using corn that's already husked, reduce time to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut corn off of the cob and put into a large mixing bowl. Spray corn with butter spray or add melted butter and toss to coat.
• Dice onion, jalapenos, and cilantro and add to corn. Toss and set aside.
• Combine dressing ingredients and mix until smooth. Pour over corn mixture and toss to combine. Add cotija cheese and mix in thoroughly. Garnish with additional Cotija, cilantro, and a lime wedge.
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Notes

Click here to add to WW app.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 3gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 110mgPotassium: 161mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 280IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg

Keyword vegetarian, dinner, lunch, appetizer, salad, my ww, weight watchers, elote, gluten free, corn

Tried this recipe?Add your thoughts below in the comments or post on social media and tag @foodbythegram!