Mexican street corn (also known as elote) is a delicious corn on the cob loaded with a cheesy sauce that's elevated with cilantro and lime. It's creamy, cheesy, spicy, and flavorful. You can typically find this popular side dish at a Mexican street corn vendor, but it tastes just as good when you make it at home. Plus, it's easy to make on the grill, in the oven, or on the stovetop. Either way, once you try it, you will know why it's so popular!
Why You’ll Love Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Loaded corn on the cob. Fresh, sweet corn is delicious without anything on it. Just add butter, salt, and pepper, or make Garlic Butter Corn on the Cob, and your corn is next level. Now, turn it into an elote, and you’ve reached the pinnacle of corn on the cob.
- It’s easy and fun to make. My favorite way to serve Mexican street corn is to create an elote bar and let my guests build their own elote. This way, they can customize their corn to the cheese and spice level they prefer. Plus, it’s a lot of fun for both adults and kids.
- It has all the textures and flavours. Creamy, spicy, cheesy, savoury, crunchy—with elote, you don’t have to choose. Calling Mexican street corn delicious is an understatement. Plus, corn is high in fibre, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, making it a good addition to your diet in moderate amounts.
Ingredients and Substitutions
To make delicious grilled Mexican street corn, you need the following ingredients (full quantities in recipe card below):
- sweet corn on the cob
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- seasoning - garlic powder and paprika. Add in a little chili powder for some extra spice, if desired. You can also substitute the seasonings with with use chipotle powder.
- cilantro
- lime juice + zest
- salt and pepper
- cotija cheese - If you don’t have cotija cheese, feel free to substitute with feta cheese or Parmesan.
How to Make the Best Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Make the sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir well until smooth and evenly mixed. Set aside for 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to infuse into each other.
- Grill the corn. Place the corn on a preheated grill at 400 F and grill for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked through. Set aside on a plate.
- You can also roast the corn in the oven at 400 F for 25 minutes or cook in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. However, grilling yields a sweeter and creamier taste.
- Assemble and serve. Spread and brush the sauce evenly over the corn and top with Parmesan. Drizzle with extra lime juice if desired
Storing Instructions
Mexican street corn is meant to eat fresh off the grill, so I wouldn't recommend preparing the elote in advance. You can prepare the sauce in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to spread on the corn. If you do happen to have leftovers, I would suggest storing the corn separately and assembling when it is ready to serve.
How to Serve
Serve Mexican street corn on their own as a snack or make it a fiesta with all of our favorite Mexican recipes such as:
Shrimp Tacos with Lime Crema Slaw
Pico de Gallo
Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
Guacamole
Black Bean Nachos
Crispy Refried Bean Tacos
More Corn Recipes
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Recipe
Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 corn on the cob
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Mexican street corn (elote) is a delicious corn on the cob loaded with a cheesy sauce elevated with cilantro and lime. Creamy, cheesy, spicy, and flavorful.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 medium sweet corn on the cob, husks removed
- ¼ cup Parmesan or cotija cheese, crumbled
- chili powder (optional, for a spicy kick)
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to 400 F, about 5-6 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir well until smooth and evenly mixed. Set aside for 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to infuse into each other.
- Place the corn on the grill and grill for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally until nicely charred and cooked through. Set aside on a plate.
- You can also roast the corn in the oven at 400 F for 25 minutes or cook in boiling water for 10-15 minutes. However, grilling yields a sweeter and creamier taste.
- Spread and brush the sauce evenly over the corn and top with Parmesan (or cojita cheese). Drizzle with extra lime juice, cilantro, and a sprinkle of chili powder, if desired.
Notes
How to store: Mexican street corn is meant to eat fresh off the grill, so I wouldn't recommend preparing the elote in advance. You can prepare the sauce in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to spread on the corn. If you do happen to have leftovers, I would suggest storing the corn separately and assembling when it is ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Mexican
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