Elote Dip Cups

Elote Dip Cups- Fresh corn is coated in a creamy dressing then loaded into bite sized tortilla cups.

May 26, 2021 by Nicole Collins

Can you believe we're days away from the official kick off of summer?

When did that happen?

I think someone needs to tell the weather though, because our temperatures have been all over the place.

I was looking at the weather forecast for this week, and I think I started crazy laughing. Looking just at the daily high temps, over the course of 4 days we go from 90 to 65 to 68 to 90 again. What the heck is that?

Even from day to day, we're still in that stage where you don't know how to plan for your day. It's 55 degrees in the morning and 85 degrees by mid afternoon. I love spring time and all, but these 30-40 degree spreads are a little out of control.

I even saw someone posted a pic on Instagram the other day showing they were buried in feet of snow.

That's a big ol' “NO” for me!

I hope the weather gets its ish together by the weekend, because I think there are a lot of people that are going to be partying hard this weekend as the first real official weekend after the experts have basically said it's safe to gather again.

And, we have to make sure everyone stays fed!

So today, we're making Elote Dip Cups!

For these cute handheld cups, we're taking the flavors from traditional Mexican street corn, mixing them into a light but creamy corn dip, and filling store bought tortillas scoops with the mix to make an easily portable bite. These fun little bite sized cups are perfect for gatherings right now, because there's no lingering threats of sharing food or double dipping. And, they're the perfect size to graze and go!

Let's start with the corn. We're getting into the season where fresh corn is in it's prime, so I highly recommend getting fresh corn straight from the cob for this recipe. I like to roast the corn right inside its husk, then slice off the kernels once it's cool enough to handle. So if you have the opportunity to get fresh corn, definitely do it. However if you don't, frozen corn that's been thawed will work too.

To coat the corn, we're going to make a creamy base that starts with equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream. To that, we'll add some chili powder, garlic powder, and a little squeeze of lime juice. Mix it all together, and the corn is ready to get added right in.

Along with the corn, we're going to add some minced jalapeno, some fresh cilantro, and some crumbled feta. Now cotija cheese is the traditional choice in Mexican street corn. But, I really love the extra salty funkiness that the feta adds to the salad. Feel free to use crumbled cotija if you want to be a little more traditional.

Once we have all of our components, we'll mix everything together, give it an extra pinch of salt and pepper for seasoning, and it's time to stuff our tortilla cups with our creamy mix. Now, you don't have to fill tortilla cups with this creamy corn dip. You could just serve it on its own in a bowl with tortilla chips on the side. But, you really can't beat an all in one bite sized walking appetizer!

This elote dip is not thin and gooey like you might imagine when you think of a dip. It's actually almost more like a creamy corn salsa. But whatever you call it, it's freaking delicious. The corn is sweet and adds these beautiful little pops of texture. The dressing is cool and creamy. The cilantro adds a nice freshness to the party. And though we have chili powder and jalapeno in the mix, this dip is not spicy at all.

And, bonus! If you have leftovers of the dip mix, it's great in tacos, salads, grain bowls...it basically makes everything it touches a gazillion times more delicious.

Alrighty, everyone. I don't know about you, but these baby appetizers are definitely going to be part of my Memorial Day spread this year. I hope they're part of yours too!

We're finishing off the week with a trip to the tropics on Friday, so stay tuned!

Until then, enjoy! And, let's eat!

Elote Dip Cups

Serves: about 40-45 bites Print

Ingredients:

2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chili powder
1 tbsp lime juice
2 ½ cups corn, thawed if frozen
2 tbsp jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 tbsp cilantro, minced
1/3 cup crumbled feta
salt and pepper, to taste
40-45 tortilla scoop chips

Directions:

To a mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, chili powder, and lime juice. Mix well until fully combined. Add corn, jalapeno, cilantro, feta, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the bowl. Mix gently until fully combined.
Spoon dip into tortilla cups. Alternately, transfer the dip to a serving bowl, and serve with chips on the side. Serve immediately!

Recipe notes:

*I like to use corn on the cob for this recipe, especially when corn is in season. Start by roasting the corn still in the husk at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the husk, and cut the corn kernels off of the cob. Let the corn cool before mixing into the dip.

*Leftovers can be refrigerated for 4-5 days.

*Bonus recipe: this dip is excellent on a fish taco, in a salad, or in a grain bowl too!