Vegan Mexican Street Corn Salad

This Vegan Mexican Street Corn Salad is a dairy-free take on traditional elote. It features roasted sweet corn, spicy jalapeno peppers, a tangy Chipotle Lime Aioli, and Vegan Feta Cheese. The perfect combination.

Serve this as the main dish or as an easy summer side dish at your next party.

For more Mexican-Inspired vegan recipes , try this Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, copycat Chipotle Style Black Beans, or Air-Fried Black Beans.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy & Delicious – This recipe only requires a bit of chopping and stirring – it is as easy as it gets! You can cut down on prep even more by using canned corn instead of corn on the cob.
• Control the spice – Not a big fan of spice? Swap the jalapenos for chopped bell pepper or reduce the amount of paprika in the aioli.
• Serve a crowd – This Mexican street corn salad recipe is super easy to scale, especially if you are using canned corn. As is, this recipe serves 5-6 people. Easily double it to bring along to the next BBQ or potluck.

Ingredients

• Fresh corn – You can easily swap for canned or even frozen corn (cook the frozen corn before using). 
• Chipotle Lime Aioli – I use my super easy recipe for chipotle lime aioli that is just a few ingredients – vegan mayo, salt, pepper, lime juice, and smoked paprika.
• Shallot – Feel free to sub with red onions.
• Diced jalapenos – The canned version gives this recipe a little more of a scoop-able quality, but you can certainly use fresh jalapenos instead.
• Vegan Feta – I know feta sounds out of place for a Mexican-inspired dish, but trust me on this one. It replaces the traditionally used cotija cheese and gives an extra sharpness to this dish. You can use any vegan cheese you prefer, but I swear Follow Your Heart Vegan Feta is an exact replica for the dairy version.

​Helpful Equipment

​In addition to measuring cups and spoons, the following equipment is helpful for this recipe:

• Baking sheet or large pot (depending on how you cook your ears of corn)
• Chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Mixing bowl

How to Make Vegan Mexican Corn Salad

​This is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to make this recipe including photographs. For the quick version, skip ahead to the recipe card below!

If you aren’t using canned corn, start by cooking the corn cobs. You can choose any method to cook your corn, but I prefer roasting or grilling in order to achieve the charred flavor from the grill marks that is traditional for elote.

Corn Cooking Methods

Grill: Wrapped the bare corn cob in foil or place it directly on the grill grates. Cook the corn over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Boil: Remove the husks and silks and place the cobs in boiling water for 3-5 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved.

*Roast: *This is my preferred method. Remove husks and silks, and place on a baking sheet with built in roasting rack. Optionally, you can line the sheet itself with aluminum foil to reduce clean up. Roast at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved.

Make the Aioli

This recipe uses my Chipotle Lime Aioli which is just vegan mayonnaise, lime juice, and spices. While the corn is cooking, mix together the ingredients for the Chipotle Lime Aioli and set aside.

Mix it Up

Once the corn is cooked and cooled enough to touch, take a sharp knife and remove the kernels. I find the easiest way to do this is to place a small bowl upside down inside of a large bowl and balance the cob on its end on top of the smaller bowl. This gives the kernels a place to collect as they fall.

Mix the aioli, diced shallot, diced jalapenos, and vegan feta into the bowl the with corn kernels. Reserve some of the vegan feta for sprinkling on top.

Stir until the aioli is evenly coating all ingredients.

Serve immediately as a warm corn salad, or refrigerate 30 minutes until cold. 

Eat this salad as a dip with your favorite tortilla chips, or throw it on top of a bed of greens for a Mexican-inspired taco salad.  Enjoy!

Variations

• Add sunflower seeds for some protein and crunch.
• Add more veggies like dice red bell pepper.
• Add more spice by adding some hot sauce to the chili mayo or some diced serrano pepper to the salad.
• Add some nutritional yeast for extra cheesy flavor.

How to Store 

• Fridge: Store leftover corn salad will last in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container.

More Tips

• Not Vegan? Use regular mayo for the aioli or dairy feta cheese. You can also use the traditional cheese choice for this dish: cotija.
• Gluten-Free? As long as you choose a gluten-free cheese, you are all set!
• Want more spice? Add ¼ tsp cayenne pepper to the Chipotle Lime Aioli or opt for a spicier pepper than jalapeno to mix in.

FAQ