This Street Corn-Inspired Slaw with Spicy Tahini is one you are going to want to pair with everything this grilling season!
ThisStreet Corn-Inspired Slaw with Spicy Tahini is inspired by the flavors of elote and your favorite slaw typically piled on a street taco. Since the base is cabbage, even with the creamy tahini sauce it stands up great in the fridge, doesn’t get soggy, and doesn’t wilt. So perfect to make ahead for summer hosting!
The flavors pair great with just about anything from grilled chicken thighs, skirt steak, grilled prawns or even simple burgers making it great to bring to a summer potluck too.
One note on tahini sauces: depending on the brand of tahini you use, it can be thick or thin. When blending tahini with another liquid, it tends to seize up. If this happens to you, keep streaming in a bit of warm water and it should thin out just fine.
Street Corn-Inspired Slaw

Ingredients
For the Spicy Tahini Dressing:
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 small jalapeno roughly chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped chives
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 tsp. lime zest
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tbsp chipotle hot sauce I like Siete Foods brand
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp fresh cracked pepper
- Warm water as needed some tahini can be thicker than others. If your dressing is too thick, add warm water ¼ cup at a time until you have a texture you can drizzle but is still thick.
For the Corn:
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 4 fresh corn cobs – husks removed
- For the Slaw:
- 4 cups finely shredded purple cabbage
- 4 cups finely shredded green cabbage
- ¼ cup pickled onions sub thinly-sliced red onions
- 5 radishes thinly sliced
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup toasted and salted pepitas
- ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese omit for dairy free
For Serving:
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Make the Spicy Tahini Dressing:
- In a high-speed blender or food processor, add the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, chives, tahini, lime zest and juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Depending on how thick your tahini is, add your warm water 1 tbsp at a time then blend on low to start to chop up the garlic, jalapenos, and herbs. Slowly increase the speed to medium and blend until creamy and completely smooth. Transfer to a jar and set aside.
Grill the Corn:
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (about 375-425). Allow to heat while you prep the corn.
- In a small bowl, mix the oil, honey, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Using a pastry brush, coat the seasoning on all sides of the corn, making sure all the kernels are coated.
- Once the grill is hot, transfer the corn to the grill. Cook, rotating every 2-3 minutes, until the corn is cooked through and a bit charred, about 12 minutes total. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.
Assemble the Slaw:
- Once corn is cool enough to handle, carefully cut the kernels off of the cob and place in a large bowl.
- To the large bowl add both cabbages, the pickled onions, radishes, cilantro, and cotija. Add your desired amount of dressing and toss until well combined. Serve with lime wedges.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
13 Comments
Becky
September 7, 2022 at 11:55 pmI am going to make this for our TCU tailgate this weekend for 20 plus. How could I use frozen corn instead of roasting that much corn and getting it off the cob?
Alex
September 12, 2022 at 3:16 pmyes– frozen, roasted corn would be best!
Olivia
July 27, 2022 at 3:21 pmDo you have a tahini substitute? Sesame allergy and would love to try this. Thanks! Love your recipes.
Alex
September 15, 2022 at 7:32 pmHi!! You could do with greek yogurt and it would be delicious!
Taylor
July 25, 2022 at 6:34 pmHi Alex! How would you recommend making this ahead of time for a summer party?
Rosemary
July 6, 2022 at 7:22 pmWe made this for Fourth of July & it was absolutely PHENOMENAL! This is an absolutely perfect side dish for Summer & I will definitely using it on top of tacos in the near future!!
Erin
July 6, 2022 at 1:25 pmThis was so good and even better the next day! My ears if corn were small so I would probably do more than 4 next time. I also want to try it with shrimp or fish inside a taco. Highly recommend!!!
Taylor
July 3, 2022 at 10:47 pmThis recipe was an absolute hit at our BBQ!! Thank you so much for this awesome and flavorful recipe!
Patty
June 28, 2022 at 1:56 pmif I do not have a grill to grill the corn how do you suggest cooking the corn?
Alex
July 6, 2022 at 12:50 amyou can roast the corn in the oven! i would do 425 for about 20 mins!
Beth
June 28, 2022 at 1:38 amOh my gosh, this was fantastic! Thanks so much!
Sarah Liuzzi
June 25, 2022 at 4:03 amWe made this tonight and it was delicious! We added diced avocado to the slaw mixture and it was so yummy. I would highly recommend that addition. It makes a ton of slaw. In my opinion you could feed up to 10 people! We made your rosemary shrimp from your original cookbook to go with it and it was perfection!!
Your recipes are always spot on! Thank you!
Alex
June 26, 2022 at 9:55 pmSo glad you enjoyed it!! and love the avocado addition!!!