Crema de elote, also sometimes known as crema de maíz, is a cream of corn soup commonly served in Mexico. This version is garnished with roasted corn, diced poblano chile, cotija cheese and crema Mexicana.
This post is part of a compensated campaign with Maseca, but all opinions and the recipe are my own.
Crema de elote is a hearty soup that can serve as a meal on its own, or can be divided into four portions for an appetizer or small first course. This soup is thickened with whole milk and Maseca instant corn flour.
Many crema de elote recipes call for butter or oil, but in an effort to be healthier, this one does not. Many other recipes also include a clove of garlic (sometimes roasted to mellow it out a bit), but I really prefer this soup without garlic so the sweetness of the corn can shine through.
The diced roasted poblano chile as a garnish gives it just a little bit of heat, and the optional sprinkle of crumbled queso cotija lends a a salty bite to complement the sweet corn.
Perfect for cold days, crema de elote will stick to your ribs and keep your belly full, similar to my hearty black bean chipotle soup. And if you consider soup a comfort food, this one is right up there with sopa de fideo in my book.
What kind of milk should be used in crema de elote?
It’s best to use whole milk in this recipe for the ideal creamy texture. However, if you’re counting calories, you can swap the whole milk for 2%. I do not recommend using 1% or skim milk because it will make the soup too thin, and it won’t have the correct creamy consistency.
If you find that the soup is a little too thick for your liking, you can thin it with more chicken broth if necessary, in ¼-cup increments. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
This recipe is gluten-free, and also vegetarian-friendly if you substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
If you like vegetable-based soups that can also be made vegetarian, you should also try tomato chipotle soup with estrellitas, sopa de poro y papa (potato leek soup) or sopa de tortilla.
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Crema de elote
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 meal or 3 small appetizer servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Crema de elote is a hearty, Mexican version of cream of corn soup. Garnished with roasted corn, diced chile poblano and topped with a swirl of crema mexicana and a sprinkle of queso cotija, this soup is perfect for chilly days.
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups frozen corn
- 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups whole milk
- ¼-inch slice of a large white onion
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- ¼ cup Maseca instant corn flour
- 3 tablespoons crema mexicana
- 1 medium poblano chile, roasted, seeded, peeled and diced
- Optional: 1 tablespoon grated queso cotija
Instructions
- Roast the poblano chile on your stove and place it in a plastic bag to sweat. Set aside.
- Spread the frozen corn on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and put under the broiler on high for 10-12 minutes. Corn should start to roast but should not turn completely brown. Remove from broiler and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Set aside ½ cup of the corn for garnishing and put the remaining 3 cups of roasted corn in a blender or food processor.
- Add chicken broth, whole milk, onion and salt to the blender and run on high until completely smooth.
- Transfer soup to a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Whisk in ¼ cup Maseca instant corn flour and stir frequently. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, until heated through.
- Move saucepan to a back burner, cover with a lid and allow to cool slightly.
- Peel, seed and dice the poblano chile.
- Divide the soup between two bowls. Use a spoon or small chef’s squeeze bottle to drizzle a swirl of crema mexicana on the top of each bowl of soup.
- Garnish with roasted corn and diced poblano chile. Sprinkle ½ tablespoon of queso cotija over the top of each bowl. Serve.
Notes
You can substitute Trader Joe's pre-roasted corn to make this recipe a little easier.
Violeta says
This Crema de elote looks amazing, I love it and want to try it soon.
Samantha Raygoza says
This looked so good, I made it immediately lol. I added some potatoes, celery and left it a little chunky but overall it was the best corn soup (chowder for us) I've attempted! I served it with a baquette and the fambam loved it. Thanks for the recipe and your amazing noggin. 🙂
Marcia says
I thought this soup was wonderful. If you have a Vitamix blender you can roast your corn and the poblano Perrier but everything else is down in blender with the soup button and wow did it turn out great!