Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)

By James Kimble April 11, 2024 4 mins read 264 Views

An easy, homemade Mexican Street Corn topped with a flavorful, creamy dressing, spices, cilantro and more. This crowd pleasing dish is sure to be a hit at your next cookout! Serve alongside grilled and smoked meats. They are a great option for the vegetarians in your group.

Mexican street corn is a hands-down happiness-inducing experience! We’ve served these elotes in different ways, including grilled, smoked, and even cut and skewered. So, how exactly do you make one of the most delicious Mexican side dishes? It’s super easy, and our recipe calls for easy to find ingredients.

What is Mexican Street Corn?

Mexican street corn, called elotes, are shucked, grilled hot and fast then rolled in a creamy, spicy dressing, and topped with cilantro and cotija cheese. This fantastic method is a far better alternative to boring old boiled corn.

Ingredients

8 ears of corn (fresh sweet corn recommended!)
Mexican Crema: Look for crema in the dairy aisle in your grocery store near the sour cream.
Mayonnaise (use the real stuff for the best overall flavor)
Garlic
Cotija (or use favorite crumbled cheese: feta cheese, queso fresco, parmesan cheese, etc.) Look for cotija cheese in your cheese aisle. Some stores, will stock Cotija, crema, and similar items in the same area.
Cilantro (leaves only) If you are not a fan of cilantro, you can top your grilled corn with flat-leaf parsley.
Mexican Chili Powder (guajillo and ancho chili powder)
Fresh lime juice and Limes
Salt and Black Pepper

How to Make Mexican Street Corn

Combine crema with mayonnaise, lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, and minced garlic in a bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Reserve the other 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder for dusting. Cover mixture and place it in the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before using it.
Crumble the cheese, chop the cilantro leaves, and quarter the limes. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to use.

Grilling and Serving Elotes

Prepare your grill for high temperature, direct cooking. Aim for 450 degrees F.
Shuck corn by removing husks and silk, exposing the corn kernels.
Brush corn with a little oil (optional), and place them on the grill and cook for 6-8 minutes, rotating every 2 minutes.
Once the corn is nicely brown and cooked, remove them from the grill and place them onto a large platter or baking sheet. Let cool for a few minutes.
Transfer crema dressing to a large plate. Spread the mixture out to roughly the size of the corn cobs.
Grip the one ear of corn with clean tongs and roll it into the dressing. Transfer the corn to a serving platter. Repeat the process with the remaining corn. Next, sprinkle the corn with the reserved 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, crumbled cheese, and cilantro. Serve immediately alongside tacos or smoked meats.
If you’d like your Mexican street corn to be dressing heavy, double the recipe for the crema sauce.

Variation

Want your Mexican street corn to be a little smokier? Follow our Smoked Corn recipe guide for the cooking portion, then dress the elotes as instructed in the recipe. The added smokiness makes this recipe pop!

Grilled Corn on the Cob (4 Ways to Maximize Flavor)

Mexican Street Corn

This Mexican grilled corn is topped with a flavorful creamy sauce, cotija, cilantro, and spices. Serve with tacos, or smoked meats like brisket, ribs, and more!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword elote, mexican corn

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 200kcal

Author Derrick Riches and Sabrina Baksh

Ingredients

8 ears of corn
1 cup Mexican Crema softened (not melted)
1/2 cup mayonnaise crumbled
1/2 cup cilantro leaves chopped
1 tablespoon Mexican chili powder (ancho and guajillo chili powder)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup cotija cheese (or your favorite crumbled cheese like queso fresco or feta)
2 limes, quartered

Instructions

Combine crema with mayonnaise, lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, and minced garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Reserve the other 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder for dusting. Cover mixture and place into the refrigerator 20 minutes before you're ready to use it.
Crumble the cheese, chop the cilantro leaves, and quarter the limes. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Prepare your grill for high temperature, direct cooking. Aim for 450 degrees F.
Shuck corn by removing husks and silk, exposing the corn kernels.
Place corn onto grill and cook for 6-8 minutes, rotating every 2 minutes, until the kernels are slightly charred (medium brown color) on the kernels.
Once corn is nicely brown and cooked, remove from grill and place onto a large platter or baking sheet. Let cool for a few minutes.
Transfer crema dressing to a large plate. Spread the mixture out to roughly the size of the corn cobs.
Grip the one ear of corn with clean tongs and roll it into the dressing. Transfer the corn to a serving platter. Repeat process with the remaining corn.
Next, dust the corn with the reserved 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, crumbled cheese, and cilantro.
Serve immediately.
If you'd like your corn to be dressing heavy, double the recipe for the crema sauce.