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Take advantage of corn season and make these epic Mexican corn fritters with creamy avocado cilantro sauce. You'll be amazed at how easy and delicious this side dish is!
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What makes this dish special
When I just started as a private chef, one of the first items I put on the menu was corn fritters. I made them once for myself and loved how the fresh sweet corn shone. Paired with a cilantro-lime aioli, it was a great first starter. Event after event, everyone raved about the corn fritters. They've been such a hit that I still make them now, almost ten years later!
Today I wanted to put a little spin on my original recipe by making Mexican corn fritters with an avocado cilantro sauce. It's a little different with spices mixed into the fritters, but I might even like these more than the original! Plus, they pair so well with a variety of dishes, including beef birria tacos and coconut chile lime shrimp.
Ingredients
- Avocado: Used in the avocado cilantro sauce, providing a rich, creamy texture and a fresh, mild flavor.
- Greek yogurt: Adds a tangy flavor and creamy consistency to the avocado cilantro sauce.
- Corn: Fresh corn kernels are the main component of the fritters, providing a sweet, juicy crunch that is essential for the texture and flavor of the dish.
- Cotija: Adds a salty, tangy flavor and crumbly texture.
- Scallions: Add a fresh, mild onion flavor to the fritters.
- All-purpose flour: A binding agent in the fritter batter, helping to hold the ingredients together and providing structure.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the fritter batter, ensuring the fritters are tender and not too dense.
Substitutions and variations
- Dairy-free: Use dairy-free yogurt for the avocado cilantro sauce and substitute milk with coconut milk, soy milk, almond milk, or any other non-dairy milk. Replace cotija with another dairy-free cheese or omit it.
- Spicy: Add extra chili powder or minced jalapeno to the corn fritter mixture.
- Gluten-free: Substitute all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour.
- Herbs: You can swap the scallions for basil or cilantro.
- Vegetables: You can add roasted peppers to the batter or top the fritters with roasted tomatoes. The options are endless!
Recipe
Mexican Corn Fritters
Ingredients
Avocado cilantro sauce
- 1 medium avocado pit and skin removed
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- juice of ½ lime
- salt and pepper
Mexican corn fritters
- 1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons cotija plus extra for topping
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Make avocado cilantro sauce. Blend together avocado with cilantro, juice of ½ lime, yogurt, and water until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Make corn fritter batter. Combine corn with cotija, chili powder, scallions, egg, flour, milk, baking powder, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Scoop ¼ cup of corn mix into hot oil to make a fritter. Repeat with remaining batter, cooking until golden brown on both sides.
- Serve Mexican corn fritters with avocado cilantro sauce and garnish with cotija and cilantro.
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make avocado cilantro sauce
What I love about these Mexican corn fritters is that they're not deep-fried. Instead, they're pan-fried in just a bit of oil, making them easy to make and healthier. I mean, the sauce even has avocado, so let's go ahead and say these are healthy.
Since the fritter batter comes together quickly, let's make the avocado cilantro sauce first.
Make the avocado cilantro yogurt sauce by blending the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set it aside.
Feel free to make the sauce the day before. In fact, it tastes better as it sits.
Step 2: Prepare corn fritters
To make these fritters, you have to use fresh corn. There's no sugar-coating it, canned or frozen corn will not do. They may make an okay fritter, but fresh corn makes a huge difference in the texture and overall taste.
Season the corn just like how you would elote corn, with cotija and chili powder, and add scallions, egg, and the dry ingredients.
At this point, you can hold the batter in the fridge until ready to cook. When you're ready to cook the fritters, give the mixture a stir and proceed with the recipe.
Step 3: Cook fritters
Heat oil in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat and place about ¼ cup of the corn fritter batter into the pan. You can make them smaller, but I wouldn't make them any bigger. The bigger the fritters are, the harder it will be to flip them over.
Be careful while these are cooking because the corn can pop.
Flip the fritters once they become browned and cook on the other side. These cook quickly, so don't step away from them for too long! Remove them from the pan and serve them with avocado cilantro sauce and lime wedges.
Hello, Flavor Town! These Mexican corn fritters have it all. A little spice, sweet, savory, and creamy, all wrapped into one.
For another flavorful side dish, check out these oven baked shawarma spiced fries!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: The avocado cilantro sauce and corn batter can be prepared the day before. You can also cook the fritters ahead of time and reheat them in the air fryer or the oven until hot.
- Store: Keep the sauce in a separate container from the fritters. Hold in the refridgerator for up to 3 days.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use canned or frozen corn if fresh corn is not available. The results won't be the same as using fresh corn, but the fritters will still be good. If using canned corn, be sure to drain and rinse it well. If using frozen corn, thaw it completely and pat it dry to remove excess moisture before adding it to the batter.
Ensure the batter is well combined and not too wet or dry. If the fritters are falling apart, you can add a little more flour to help bind them. Also, make sure the oil is hot enough before adding the batter to the pan; this helps form a crispy crust that holds the fritters together.
Mexican corn fritters can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or even a main course. For a complete meal, consider serving them alongside mole salmon, chile chicken tostadas, or sheet pan shrimp fajitas.
More corn recipes
Looking for more dishes featuring corn? Try these:
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