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Mexican Street Corn Soup

Mexican street corn soup with charred corn and an elote-style creamy base blended until smooth. Simmered with broth, finished with heavy cream, sour cream, and bright lime, then topped with cotija, cilantro, and 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: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Corn
  • 5 cup corn kernels divided; 2 cups charred, 3 cups added to the soup
  • 2 cup corn kernels char these in a dry hot skillet
  • 3 cup corn kernels used for the blended soup base
Aromatics and broth
  • 1 onion diced
  • 4 garlic minced
  • 1 jalapeño minced
  • 4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
Creamy soup base
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 2 tbsp butter
Spices and acidity
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 lime juice of 1 lime
Toppings
  • 0.5 cup cotija cheese plus extra for serving
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro extra for serving
  • 1 lime wedges for serving
  • 0.5 tsp chili powder extra for serving
Seasoning
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 Immersion blender

Method
 

Char the corn
  1. Char 2 cups of corn in a dry hot skillet until lightly blistered and browned, then set aside.
Sauté aromatics
  1. Melt the butter in a pot, then sauté the onion and jalapeño for 4 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring to prevent browning.
Build the soup base
  1. Add the remaining 3 cups corn, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, then cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Add the broth and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes.
Blend and finish
  1. Blend the soup until smooth using an immersion blender.
  2. Stir in the heavy cream and sour cream, then add the charred corn and lime juice.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve topped with cotija, cilantro, extra chili powder, and lime wedges.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, blend the soup while it’s hot, then stir in cream and sour cream gently to keep it silky. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat slowly over low heat (it can thicken). Freezing is not recommended because dairy may separate. For a lighter version, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and keep sour cream as-is.