Name: Spicy Mexican Corn (Using Leftover Corn)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 cups cooked corn (roughly 4 ears); 3 tablespoons butter; 1 teaspoon garlic, crushed; 1 lime, both juice and zest; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

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The next time you have leftover corn on the cob you have to try this spicy Mexican corn recipe. It’s a buttery and spicy side dish that takes very little time to make. The sweet corn and zesty lime go great together.

You might also like this rainbow Mexican corn salad recipe!

closeup of an orange pan with spicy Mexican corn with cilantro and a big spoon — This post contains affiliate links. For more information visit our policies page.

(Update) Yesterday we celebrated my father in law’s birthday and I ended up with lots of corn on the cob leftover. I remembered this old recipe and decide to redo it.

I am so glad I did make this spicy Mexican corn because it was sensational. It’s not low carb but it is crazy good. It has plenty of butter but also spices like cumin and garlic. Then there is the lime zest and cilantro which give it a brightness to go with the sweet corn. You’ve got to try this one.

Ingredients I Used

As I mentioned I used cooked corn on the cob from the night before. You can use fresh if you prefer or even frozen. It just has to be cooked. The other ingredients are butter, garlic, paprika, chili powder, cumin, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, salt & pepper.

Let’s Make Some Spicy Mexican Corn!

Start with a large skillet and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Once it has melted add your garlic, lime zest and spices and mix well, reserving the last tablespoon of butter for the end. Then add in your corn and sauté for about a minute or two making sure the corn is heated through.

Lastly add the rest of the butter and mix well. Turn the heat off the corn and squeeze the lime juice and sprinkle some cilantro and you are ready to serve.

2 variations of this spicy Mexican corn dish

While I love this dish just the way it is, here are 2 more variations you might want to try.

I had some leftover cajun shrimp from our birthday feast and so I added it to this corn dish for my lunch. It went great and made it more like a meal. So if you wanted you can add cooked shrimp at the end and mix it well.
Another idea is you can make this a cold corn salad. It would be great for a picnic or cold summer side dish. I would not use a pan at all. Just mix olive oil (2 tablespoons) instead of butter. Mix it with the lime juice, lime zest, garlic and spices so it’s like a dressing. Toss the dressing with the corn and add a lot of cilantro. Refrigerate the corn salad before eating.

Recipe Tips And Notes

This is a great recipe for leftover corn but you can also use fresh or frozen. Just make sure it is cooked before you add it to the pan.
While this is spicy it is not spicy hot. If you wanted some heat too, you could add a diced jalapeno, or just add some cayenne pepper or even hot pepper flakes.
I also had leftover cajun shrimp which I chopped up and added. It was really delicious so keep that in mind. I have a cilantro lime shrimp recipe that would go great with this dish.
This is a great summer side dish and would make a great corn salad for a picnic. I would use olive oil instead of butter and mix it with the garlic, spices and lime juice before mixing with the cooked corn. Then add the cilantro and mix well.