Mexican corn dip, also known by “crack corn dip” is a cheesy, melty and delicious way to whip up the perfect Mexican appetizer, and is hands down the BEST dipping side dish you can make.
Perfectly balanced medium heat, this is the cheesy sweet heat dip recipe that you have been waiting for to dial up your football party dip!
This dip is made to be served hot so you get all the melty cheese in every bite. Because of that, its also easy to keep warm in a crockpot or slow cooker so you can scoop and dip all day.
Reasons why you will love this dip
It’s easy to prepare – just pop open a package of cream cheese and slice some veggies while waiting for the oven to preheat. The result is a delicious appetizer that everyone loves. And best of all, there’s no need to heat up the house because it only takes about 20 minutes to cook.
Easy prep time – This dish requires minimal effort before baking. All you need to do is chop up some veggies, combine the ingredients, and spread them into a baking dish. Afterward, place everything inside the oven and wait for it to finish cooking. That’s it!
Quick results – Once baked, this dish comes together quickly, so you won’t spend hours working away in the kitchen. In fact, most people find this is one of the best party dips that can be ready when you need it with very little planning.
Delicious flavors – There’s nothing quite like eating something warm straight off the pan. But when you pair crunchy dipping veggies, like celery, with cheesy Philly cream cheese, you end up with a mouthwatering combination that tastes incredible.
Excellent snack – You don’t necessarily need to serve this at a big gathering; however, it’s great served during game day celebrations or any event where guests might enjoy snacks between courses.
Easy cleanup – When serving this at home, you’ll likely be cleaning up after yourself anyway. One bowl, one baking dish. Done! It can be served right out of the baking dish, so it keeps it easy and clean.
Ingredients
You need the following combination of ingredients to get started – for full measurements, scroll to bottom of the post for a full recipe card with measurements and a helpful way to PRINT this recipe to make it easy in the kitchen!
- corn, drained – canned or thawed frozen corn is fine
- diced green chilies – these come in tons of flavors and feel free to dial up the heat by adding a flavor.
- diced onions – make sure these are diced tiny for bite sized flavor
- cream cheese, softened – full fat works best.
- sour cream – full fat
- garlic powder – minced garlic is also fine
- shredded mozzarella cheese
- shredded pepper jack cheese
- Choice of Chips: tortilla chips, Fritos corn chips, Ritz crackers, bagel chips
How to make Crack Corn Dip
If you want to make this dip kid safe (basically minus the heat), you can leave out the jalapenos/chilies and exchange the pepper jack cheese for Monterey jack cheese.
The shredded cheeses, along with the smooth cream cheese, give this appetizer a creamy texture and is oh-so-delicious! It’s slightly spicy and can also be made with Fiesta corn Rotel tomatoes for color and add extra flavor.
Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 and grease a small casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add corn, green chilies, diced onions, cream cheese, sour cream, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Mix well until combined.
- Stir in mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese.
- Spread your corn mixture into the prepared pan and top with the remaining 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese.
- Bake corn dip for 20 minutes until bubbly. Broil the top of the dip for 2-3 minutes to crisp and brown the cheese on top if you like.
What to serve with cracked out hot corn dip?
1. Tortilla Chips: I love serving my guests some crunchy tortillas as an accompaniment to their creamy goodness. You could use store-bought but homemade ones taste better than anything else. If you don’t want to bake or air fry them yourself, then buy some from the grocery store. Here is our homemade corn tortilla chips recipe and our air fried tortilla chips recipe.
2. Guacamole: A great addition to this snack would be guacamole. It’s super simple to make at home too. Simply mash avocados with lime juice, and season with salt & pepper. Add chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapenos and mix thoroughly. Serve alongside crack corn dip.
3. Salsa: Another option would be salsa. Make your own fresh salsa using ripe tomatoes, red peppers, bunch of cilantro, onions, and kosher salt. While we do not have a traditional salsa recipe on this page, we do have an amazing Air Fryer Salsa Verde (green salsa) made with all fresh air-fried vegetables.
Variations
There are a handful of ingredients that can really change up this recipe. Aside from essential ingredients like corn and Philadelphia cream cheese, another way to make this dip perfect for parties is to make it your own.
- Add proteins: Add shredded chicken breast or cooked ground beef.
- Mix up the Veggies: Add other vegetables such as bell peppers, red onions, jalapenos or green chilies, all providing amazing flavor., depending on what you have available in your kitchen.
- Bring on the Cheese: If you want to get fancy, use different shredded cheese (like cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend), spices, herbs, or even hot taco sauce to give a deeper flavor.
- Toppings: Top with crushed tortilla chips, sliced black olives, crumbled bacon bits, grated Parmesan cheese, or diced green onions (my favorite).
- Sweet corn: Use raw fresh corn on the cob, grilled, air-fried, canned corn kernels, or frozen. As long as it’s cooked and drained of excess moisture, it can be used.
Related Recipes
Need more dip recipes?: You can never have too many dips! Make sure you grab a few bags of Frito’s and serve along side Enchilada Dip, Black Bean & Corn Salsa, Queso Dip, Fiesta Corn Dip (cold) and Taco Dip.
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