Charred sweet corn adds texture and great flavor to this easy Corn Guacamole. A fresh and festive choice for your appetizer menu.
I love adding stuff to guacamole. Sometimes I go big with my Fully Loaded Guacamole. But, when summer sweet corn is at its peak, I love to char those golden, sweet kernels of goodness, fold them into freshly made guacamole and top it off with a little crumbled cotija cheese. This is flavor, friends!
In addition to serving Corn Guacamole with tortilla chips, it is absolutely delicious as a topping for tacos or burrito bowls.
Ingredient Notes
- Corn – You’ll need the kernels from two ears of corn. Yellow corn stands out a bit more but you can use white corn or even bi-color corn is great if you can find it.
- Olive oil
- Avocados – See below for my tips on how to choose the best avocados.
- Lime juice – Not only does lime juice add flavor, the citric acid helps slow down the process of the avocado browning. It’s an absolute requirement for proper guacamole.
- Red onion – Finely diced.
- Cilantro leaves – Remove any thick stems.
- Jalapeno – Seeded as desired and finely diced.
- Kosher salt
- Crumbled cotija cheese – This is completely optional but I love to garnish Corn Guacamole with little cotija cheese. It looks gorgeous and it adds a nice, salty bite.
Choosing the Best Avocados
- For avocados you’ll use within a day or two – Select avocados with dark green to black skin with a slightly bumpy texture. When you apply gentle pressure to the avocado, you should feel a little give but it shouldn’t feel mushy or leave an indentation.
- For avocados you’ll use in 3 days or more – Choose firm, green avocados with smooth skin. Within 3 to 5 days, they will ripen and be ready to use.
To speed up the ripening process, place the avocados in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana, close the bag, and let it rest. Within a day or two, the gas produced by the fruit will help to ripen the avocados more quickly.
Charring the Corn
To get a nice char on the corn you can pop it on the grill or if you’re not grilling, you can get a good result by cooking it in a skillet.
Skillet Corn Guacamole
Cut the kernels from the cob. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring, for several minutes until lightly charred. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Allow to cool completely before assembling guacamole.
Grilled Corn Guacamole
Lightly brush the corn with olive oil and grill over medium-high heat, turning frequently, until charred. Remove from the grill and set aside to cool. Slice the kernels off of the cob and transfer them to a mixing bowl.
Can I Use Frozen or Canned Corn?
When fresh corn on the cob is not available, I have made this Corn Guacamole recipe with frozen corn with a good result. If using frozen corn, be sure it is fully thawed and drained well. For canned corn, rinse it well with cool water and let it drain. Follow the skillet method for charring the corn or you can skip this step altogether, if you’d like.
How to Make Guacamole with Corn
- Place the avocados in a medium bowl and lightly mash the with a fork or potato masher.
- Squeeze the juice of the lime over the top and mash to the desired consistency.
- Add the charred corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and salt and gently fold together. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a little cotija cheese.
Storage Tips
As soon as you slice open an avocado, it will begin to oxidize from the oxygen in the air and within a few hours, it will turn from green to brown. Guacamole that has turned brown is safe to eat as long as it has been stored properly, but it’s not quite as appetizing. If you have leftovers, follow these steps to prevent it from browning.
- Use the back of a spoon to flatten the top layer of guacamole.
- Squeeze lime or lemon juice over the top in a thin layer.
- Cover the container with a sheet of plastic wrap, pressing it down on to the surface of the guacamole to press out any air. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 to 2 days.
- When ready to eat, pour or scrape off the juice and stir the guacamole.
More Easy Dips You’ll Love
- Easy Corn Salsa (Chipotle Copycat)
- Mango Avocado Corn Salsa
- Southwestern Ranch Dip
- French Onion Dip from Scratch
Corn Guacamole
Ingredients
- 2 ears sweet corn, or 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed for corn
- 3 large ripe avocados
- 1 lime, juiced
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- crumbled cotija cheese, optional and to taste
- tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
For Grilled Corn
- Lightly brush the corn cobs with olive oil and grill over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, turning frequently, until charred. Remove from the grill and set aside to cool. Slice the kernels off of the cob and transfer them to a mixing bowl. Alternately, you can cook the corn in a skillet as detailed below.
For Skillet Corn
- Slice the kernels off the cobs and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over MEDIUM heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring, for several minutes until lightly charred. Remove from the heat and transfer to a mixing bowl. Allow to cool completely before adding to the guacamole.
Make the Corn Guacamole
- Place the avocados in a medium bowl and squeeze the juice of the lime over the top. Mash with a fork to the desired consistency. Add 1 cup corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and salt and gently fold together. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a little cotija cheese.
- Serve with tortilla chips for dipping or as a topping for tacos or burrito bowls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Easy Appetizers
