Let me preface this by saying when I make Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad at home, I have no intention of sharing it with anyone. It was one of those things I make and then hide in the back of my fridge and pretend it's not there so no one else (aka my husband or Poppy) will eat it.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
No shame in my game - Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad is so good you won't want to share it with anyone!
Have you guys ever had that delicious Mexican street corn on the cob, known as Elote, that's slathered in mayo, chile powder and lime juice? It's basically the best thing in the world and I'm a BIG fan. The only thing that bothers me about that dish is there is no avocado anywhere to be found. Well, fear not my friends, PROBLEM SOLVED.
Mayo can be substituted for avocado in most any dish in my opinion, so obviously that's what I did. I just took a perfectly ripe avocado and threw it into the blender with a hint of lime juice and a little water and blended it up until it was the same consistency as mayo. And then I went ahead and mixed it in with all my favorite things like quinoa, monetary jack cheese, corn straight off the cob, some cilantro and scallions and then topped it all off with a healthy shake of chile powder and salt and pepper.
You could easily use some grilled corn too, but I'm really into raw corn as you can probably tell!
Much to my dismay, Thomas discovered it in the back of the fridge and I was forced to share last week, Poppy too. He did however declare it to be one of the best things I've ever made! #winning
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Red or White Quinoa
- Corn
- Jalapeño
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Cotija or Feta Cheese
- Chili Powder
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Avocado
- Salt
- Black Pepper
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad
Step 1: Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Once cooked, add the quinoa and raw corn to a large mixing bowl with the chopped jalapeño green onions, cilantro, half of the lime juice, cotija cheese and a dash of chili powder. Toss to combine.
Step 2: Remove the avocado from the skin and discard the seed. Place the flesh of the avocado in a blender or food processor with the remaining lime juice and blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed to make the mixture smooth, it should be a similar consistency to a mayonnaise.
Step 3: Remove the avocado mixture from the blender, toss it with the corn and quinoa mixture.
Step 4: Top with the shredded jack cheese. Season with salt and pepper as needed and serve.
How to Store Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad
You can store the quinoa corn base without the dressing in the fridge for about a day or so. Add the dressing only when it is time to eat.
Tips & Tricks
You can grill your corn, but I'm a huge fan of raw corn when it's perfectly in season!
FAQs
Can I use frozen corn?
Yes! Of course fresh corn is really great, especially when it is in season. However, feel free to use frozen corn.
What other grains can I use instead of quinoa?
You can substitute quinoa with farro or bulgur. Couscous may also work.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad (aka Esquites with Quinoa)
Ingredients
- 1 cup red or white quinoa
- 3 cups corn about 4 ears, cut from the cob
- ½ jalapeno seeded and finely diced
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 handful cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoons cotija or feta, crumbled
- chili powder to taste
- ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 avocado
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.
- Once cooked, add the quinoa and raw corn to a large mixing bowl with the chopped jalapeño green onions, cilantro, half of the lime juice, cotija cheese and a dash of chili powder. Toss to combine.
- Remove the avocado from the skin and discard the seed. Place the flesh of the avocado in a blender or food processor with the remaining lime juice and blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed to make the mixture smooth, it should be a similar consistency to a mayonnaise.
- Remove the avocado mixture from the blender, toss it with the corn and quinoa mixture and top with the shredded jack cheese. Season with salt and pepper as needed and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
this looks like all kinds of wonderful. Pinning it!
I haven't had the opportunity to spend much time on the west coast, so Esquites is new to me. I am not a huge quinoa fan, and since that makes me feel like something might be wrong with me, I keep trying different ways to prepare it. I am definitely looking forward to trying this dish. Looks and sounds delicious, as do all of your recipes.
This sounds excellent! I'm making it this week. Wouldn't just a little bit of red onion be good in this salad? Just a thought. It would be terrific without it too.
yes absolutely!!
looks awesome Gaby!! I can't wait to try it!
I wouldn't want to share this wit anyone either!!!!
That sounds like something I'd do! Hide it in the back of the fridge. 😉
Looks delicious, Abby!
I love quinoa ~ this a great picnic salad!
I can see why you were hiding this, looks amazingly good 🙂
haha! you should totally clean out a can of crisco or something and put your future meals in there - i doubt Thomas would open that 😉 i'd LOVE this salad for lunch right now!!
This is my kind of salad! Avocado goes so well in Esquites!
This sounds like a wonderful combination. Bring on summer! This will be my new dish to bring and share. So tasty and easy.
Love it! Avocado instead of mayo--brilliant!!
Gotta love a good quinoa salad! This sounds awesome!
This does sound "hide me" worthy, Gaby!!! I need to try this - the flavors sound amazing together! Thanks for sharing!
Love everything about this! I grew up in San Antonio, and we ate that type of corn ALL the time, but we called it elotes. I love that you used avocado instead here, though - yum, yum, yum!