High-Protein Street Corn Dip: Game-Day Flavor, Real Protein

Street corn is my love language — my family goes feral for it every summer. So when Marlyn Benitez dropped a street corn DIP with real protein in it, I stopped scrolling. This is the game-day dip that doesn't make you choose between the foods you love and your protein goals.

Why it works

The char is everything. Frozen corn goes into a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat and gets blackened in spots — that's where the smoky street-corn flavor comes from, no grill required. Then the protein trick: a whole container of cottage cheese, blended until completely silky, stirred right into the hot corn off the heat. It turns creamy without any heavy cream. Cotija, jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro bring the classic elote toppings; Elote seasoning, Tajín, and fresh lime juice finish it. Serve it warm and watch it disappear.

The recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen corn (or 3 ears fresh)
• 1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded + minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp Everything But The Elote seasoning (Trader Joe's)
• 1 tbsp Tajín seasoning
• Juice of 2 limes
• Tortilla chips, for serving

Steps

1. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the corn and cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until blackened in spots.
2. Blend the cottage cheese until completely smooth and creamy.
3. Turn off the heat. Stir the blended cottage cheese into the charred corn until warmed through.
4. Fold in the red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice.
5. Stir in the Elote seasoning and Tajín. Taste and add salt if needed.
6. Top with crumbled cotija and serve warm with tortilla chips (or veggie sticks).

Here's the card — save it for next time:

Here's the card — save it for next time:

Want the printable version? Get it here: High-Protein Street Corn Dip

Credit: Marlyn Benitez (@marlynbenitez_)

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— Dad