Last Updated on June 16, 2024

This Dairy-Free Mexican Street Corn Quinoa Salad is a fun spin on Mexican Street Corn! With a boost of complete protein from the quinoa and the delicious dairy-free smoked paprika dressing, this is sure to be on your summer picnic side dish rotation!

Growing up, my dad introduced me to corn on the cob slathered with mayo, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and chili powder, then wrapped in foil and grilled on the grill. It was so dang delicious and I completely forgot about this delicious Mexican Street Corn inspired recipe! I think at one point I had fully prepared to share the veganized recipe here on the blog but the photos didn’t turn out great and then I forgot about it, lol.

It wasn’t until I asked on my Instagram stories recently about what recipe you all would enjoy, and someone mentioned Mexican street corn… while it’s still on my long recipe to-do list, I decided to take that suggestion and turn it into a yummy quinoa salad that is perfect to make ahead and take to all of your summer pool parties, picnics, barbecues and cookouts!

What Is Mexican Street Corn?

Mexican Street Corn, also called Elote, is a grilled corn that is smothered in a creamy mayo and sprinkled with chili powder, cheese and lime. Elotes are served across the streets of Mexico, often a whole corn on the cob served on a stick, thus the name ‘street corn’ stuck and became super popular.

The Ingredients

The salad is made with corn, frozen, canned, or fresh is fine to use, quinoa, red onion, dairy-free feta cheese, fresh cilantro, and the spicy dressing!

Corn. For this recipe you will need two 15 ounce cans of corn. You can also use fresh corn off the cob or frozen corn, but in my experience, canned corn works the best and is the easiest.

Quinoa. This quinoa salad calls for 1 cup of uncooked quinoa. You will then cook it in water according to package directions.

Red onion. You can buy pre-diced red onion from the grocery store or dice/chop your own. You will need ⅓ cup of diced red onion.

Cilantro. You’ll need ¼ cup fresh cilantro minced, and maybe a few leaves left for garnish, if desired.

Feta cheese. For this recipe I was able to find vegan feta cheese from the Follow Your Heart brand. Violife makes a plant-based feta cheese as well. If you can’t find it, you can always substitute it with a vegan parmesan, even my homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese would work! Or you can omit the cheese completely and I think this salad would still taste amazing!

The Homemade Dressing

Mayonnaise. The dressing calls for ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise. I used the soy-free Follow Your Heart Vegenaise.

Apple Cider Vinegar. You need ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar for this dressing.

Lime juice. I used pre-bottled lime juice. If you do that as well, make sure it’s pure bottled lime juice with nothing else in it. You may also juice your own limes, enough for 2 tablespoons worth of lime juice to use in this recipe. I would approximate that is about 2 fresh limes, maybe 3 if they are small or aren’t very juicy.

Smoked paprika. Adding smoked paprika to this dressing gives the salad a nice smoky flavor while offering that vibrant orangish-red color. It’s the perfect spice to add to this dressing. You will need 1 teaspoon.

Cumin. Cumin also adds a nice flavor. You will need ½ teaspoon of ground cumin to add to the dressing.

Cayenne pepper. Cayenne pepper is the spice that gives the dressing and this salad a little spicy kick! I’m a total wuss when it comes to spicy food, so this homemade smokey dressing is on the mild side. If you like more heat, feel free to add a little bit more cayenne pepper. I only added ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper, but you can add more if you want this Mexican street corn quinoa salad spicier.

Salt. Add ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste.

How To Make This Salad

This Dairy-Free Mexican Street Corn Quinoa Salad recipe is so simple to make! I made this again recently for Father’s Day and it was a BIG HIT! And from people who don’t even eat gluten-free or vegan! 😉

Step 1. Boil 2 cups of water in a small saucepan and cook the quinoa according to package directions, about 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed.

Step 2. While the quinoa is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet medium high heat. Add the corn and saute until slightly charred, approximately 7-10 minutes if the corn is fresh or canned. If it’s frozen, it may take longer.

Step 3. To make the dressing, add all dressing ingredients and whisk/stir until smooth.

Step 4. Place the cooked quinoa to a large bowl along with the corn. Next, add the red onion and ½ cup of the dairy-free feta cheese. Pour the dressing into the bowl and toss to mix the salad well.

Step 5. Let the salad cool for at least 10-15 minutes and then add the remaining half of the cheese and the cilantro. Toss to combine. Garnish with more fresh cilantro and feta and serve!

You may make this salad a few hours ahead of time, just be sure to cover until you’re ready to serve. This salad is best served at room temperature.

This Mexican street corn salad would be great without the quinoa too, but I just love adding a boost of plant-based protein to this recipe! It also “bulks it up” so that it’s more filling (hello fiber!) and will serve more people. You could even enjoy this salad as a meal on it’s own and top it with some plant-based meat!

You can make this a few hours ahead of time, just be sure to cover the salad until you’re ready to serve. This salad is best enjoyed at room temperature.

I’d love to hear what you think of this fun spin on Mexican Street Corn! Leave a comment down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this easy, delicious Dairy-Free Mexican Street Corn Quinoa Salad recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!