Are you a fan of Mexican food? If tacos, burritos and chilli are your thing you will love Mexican Style Corn Soup. Just follow a few simple steps and enjoy a bowl of thick and creamy corn soup seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper and lime juice to give it a Mexican twist. Toppings add a whole new dimension of texture and flavour to the soup, be sure to add roasted corn, coriander and cheese as well as jalapeños if you can handle a little more heat.
This soup was inspired by a corn soup recipe I found in a soup cookbook that I bought when my husband had his wisdom teeth removed. The original recipe was for a corn and fennel soup. It was pleasant but nothing to write home about, but I loved how convenient and quick this corn soup was to make. Corn doesn't have to be boiled or roasted for an extended period before it goes in the blender so the total cooking time is significantly shorter than a lot of other soups.
It only takes 30 minutes to get this soup on the table so is perfect is you're in a hurry. If you're someone who always has a bag of frozen corn in the fridge this is a dish you can make spontaneously. It's likely you'll have most of the ingredients on hand and if not you'll find some can be substituted.
Key ingredients & possible alternatives:
- Corn - frozen or tinned are both fine for the soup. If you're using frozen corn for the roasted corn topping make sure it's fully defrosted first and that you remove as much of the moisture as possible before it goes in the oven.
- Sour cream - single cream is a good alternative and you could also use a small amount of double cream.
- Vegetable stock - homemade, readymade or cubed all are all fine. I always have Bouillon powder on hand so mostly use that.
- Lime juice - added at the end to bring a subtle tanginess to the soup that contrasts the sweetness of the corn
- Seasoning - Mexican style flavours are brought to the corn soup with smoked paprika, cumin and a very small amount of cayenne pepper.
Other additions to try:
- Add meat - my recipe is vegetarian. I've not tried adding chicken or chorizo sausage to the soup yet, but I'm sure they would be yummy. I tend to eat this soup for lunch, but the addition of meat would certainly justify a dinner.
- Tortilla chips - break into small pieces and add as a topping or serve them as a side and dip them in the soup.
- Bread - I often serve my corn soup with a couple of slices of toasted sourdough.
How to make Mexican Style Corn Soup:
Grab a few key ingredients and follow some simple steps and your sunny bowls of Mexican delicious-ness will be ready to eat in 30 minutes.
1. Roast the corn:
Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius / 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place ¾ cup of corn to a roasting dish, remove any moisture with kitchen paper, and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 10-15 minutes
2. Fry the onions and garlic
Meanwhile, fry the onions in oil on a medium/low heat until soft. Then add garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and cayenne pepper.
3. Add corn and stock
Add corn and vegetable stock to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Puree
Puree using a countertop or hand blender.
5. Add cream and lime juice
Add the pureed soup back to the pan and add sour cream, lime juice, salt and pepper.
6. Serve the Mexican Style Corn Soup with toppings
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with roasted corn. Additional toppings take the textures and flavours of the soup to a new level. I highly recommend adding some or all of the following.
- Cheese - adds cool saltiness to the soup that contrasts the sweetness of the corn
- Fresh jalapeños - add heat and crunchiness. Avoid if you are sensitive to spice.
- Chopped coriander - brings a bittersweet taste that complements a lot of the flavours in the soup. It will also calm the heat of the jalapeños.
Is Mexican style corn soup spicy?
No, but the cayenne pepper does give it some heat. Omit it if you are sensitive to spice. If you're after a hotter soup add more cayenne and top with fresh jalapeños.
How long does Mexican style corn soup keep for?
You can refrigerate the soup for up to 3 days and freeze for up to 3 months. It's ideal for batch cooking and meal prep.
More Mexican inspired vegetarian recipes:
Mexican Style Corn Soup
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4 large bowls 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A thick and creamy corn soup with a Mexican twist.
Serves 4. Use the scaling buttons below to double or triple the quantity.
Ingredients
Roasted Corn:
- 100g (or ¾ cup) defrosted frozen corn
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Corn soup:
- 1 white onion - finely chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 600ml (or 2 ½ cups) vegetable stock
- 650g (or 23 oz) frozen corn
- 1 lime - juice
- 60ml (or ¼ cup) sour cream
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
Optional toppings:
- Grated cheddar or similar hard cheese
- Coriander
- Jalapeños
Instructions
Roasted Corn Topping:
- Heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Gently remove all moisture from the corn with some kitchen paper and add it to a baking tray
- Add olive oil, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix until the seasoning is evenly distributed
- Place on a high shelf in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Turn the corn with a spoon half way.
- When the corn starts to turn brown remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Soup:
- Place your pan on a medium heat, add oil and gently fry the onions until soft
- Add the paprika, cumin, cayenne and garlic and fry for a further two minutes
- Pour in the vegetable stock, add the corn and simmer on a low/medium heat for 10 minutes
- Puree the soup with a countertop or hand blender
- Pour back into the pan and add the cream, lime juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary or add more a little water if the soup is too thick.
- Ladle into bowls, add roast corn and other toppings.
Notes
Nutritional information is for 1 bowl of soup without toppings.
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 387mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 5g
Keywords: Mexican Style Corn Soup
I have just finished eating my first bowl of this. So delicious, satisfying and simple. All the Mexican flavours I’d hope to have, yet in a soup. I can’t wait until ‘leftovers’ tomorrow. This will be a winter regular for sure. I would give this more stars if I could. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Thank you for commenting, Nikki. I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed the Corn Soup. It's a regular in our household too!