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Mexican Street Corn Soup

Mexican street corn soup with charred elote-style corn, blended silky broth, and a creamy finish with cotija and lime. Simmered and blended until smooth, then topped for a street-food look with cilantro and extra chili powder.
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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: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

corn kernels
  • 5 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned), divided Divide into 2 cups for charring and 3 cups for blending into the soup.
onion
  • 1 onion, diced
garlic
  • 4 clove 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 Use some for seasoning and extra for serving.
cumin
  • 1 tsp cumin
smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
lime
  • 1 juice of 1 lime Serve with lime wedges.
cotija cheese
  • 0.5 cup cotija cheese Plus extra for topping.
cilantro
  • 0.25 cup Fresh cilantro, extra cotija, and lime wedges for serving Topping amounts to taste.
salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

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

Notes

For the smoothest texture, blend the hot soup thoroughly before adding the charred corn and dairy. Store in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently over medium-low to avoid scorching. Freeze up to 2 months, but expect texture changes after thawing. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (keep sour cream) and aim for full-fat cotija for the same elote-style tang.