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Mexican Street Corn, also known as Elote, is a summertime staple! Juicy grilled corn topped with a tangy, creamy sauce and cheese, you’re going to want to make this all summer long!
This Mexican Street Corn recipe is a perfect appetizer or side dish for any outdoor gathering where a grill is involved! It doesn’t take a lot of time to make and it is always a crowd-pleaser. Elote, or just “street corn,” is essentially corn on the cob smothered with a sauce made by mixing mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and tajin. What’s not to love about it?!
Do you know how to perfectly cook corn? Check out my post on How to Cook Corn different ways! You can also try my Avocado Corn Salad and Mexican Street Corn Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Elote Recipe
- It’s so flavorful! There’s nothing more flavorful than the combination of buttered corn, mayo, cheese, and tajin seasoning. I’m drooling just thinking about it!
- It’s easy. It doesn’t take a lot of work to put this together. You can quickly put this together within minutes.
- It’s a crowd-pleaser. Whenever I make this, there is NEVER any left. It gets cobbled up and my kids are always reaching for a second elote.
What You’ll Need
- Corn on the cob: fresh summer corn is ideal for this Mexican street corn. Luckily it’s always available whenever grilling season starts!
- Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter as we are adding salt to the sauce already and cotija is salty.
- Cotija cheese: cotija is a type of Mexican cheese that is made from cow’s milk. It is salty in flavor and crumbly in texture. It also doesn’t melt a lot which makes it perfect on top of the corn.
- Cilantro: gotta have fresh herbs!
- Tajin seasoning: tajin seasoning is made out of a blend of chilies powder and sea salt.
- Sauce: for the sauce, I use tajun, mayo, Mexican-style cream, salt, paprika, cilantro, and lime juice.
How To Make Mexican Street Corn
- Preheat the grill to medium heat.
- Make the sauce: Mix together the sauce ingredients and set it in the fridge until you are ready for it.
- Grill the corn: Melt the butter and brush the corn cobs with it. Wrap in aluminum foil wrap and grill for about 15-18 minutes until cobs are blistered, flipping them around every 3-5 minutes or so.
- Top with the sauce: Remove from grill and unwrap. Remove from the wrap and add to a plate. Let the cobs cool for a few minutes and then brush the sauce mixture on them. Top with cotija cheese, some more tajin sauce, and chopped parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Tips and Notes
- I recommend using fresh lime juice as bottled lime juice just doesn’t taste as fresh!
- If cotija isn’t available, you can swap for grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese instead.
- If you don’t have a grill, you can bake the corn instead. Check out my post on How to Cook Corn to find the instructions for baked corn on the cob.
- Make this a little spicier by adding some chili powder on top of using tajin!
- Don’t skip the mayo. It acts as the base of a creamy dressing. While some may think mayo is unhealthy, it really isn’t! Make sure to use a mayo without filler ingredients.
FAQs
For the best corn, squeeze the corn on the cob, it should feel firm. The husk of fresh corn should be tightly wrapped, slightly damp, and bright green in color. Avoid any corn where the husk has brown holes in them.
The easiest way to shuck corn is to split the top side of the husk in half and peel the husk down, like peeling a banana!
I like grilling my corn in tin foil as the foil protects the corn over direct heat to evenly cook it without burning it!
Skip topping the corn until you are ready to eat. However, if you have some with the topping on it that’s uneaten, simply add it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, you can bake in a 350F oven until the corn is warmed through or microwave the corn.
Want Some Salads To Go With Grilled Corn?
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Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
Ingredients
- 4 cobs sweet corn, peeled
- 3 tbsps. butter, melted
- ¼ cup cotija cheese, grated
- chopped cilantro, optional for garnishing
- tajin spice , for garnishing, optional
Sauce
- ¾ tsp. tajin spice
- 3 tbsps. mayo
- 3 tbsps. Mexican style cream
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. paprika
- 2 tbsps. chopped cilantro
- ½ whole lime, juiced, about 1 tablespoon
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients and set it in the fridge until you are ready for it.
- Melt the butter and brush the corn cobs with it. Wrap in aluminum foil wrap and grill for about 15-18 minutes until cobs are blistered, flipping them around every 3-5 minutes or so.
- Remove from grill and unwrap. Remove from the wrap and add to a plate. Let the cobs cool for a few minutes and then brush the sauce mixture on them. Top with cotija cheese, some more tajin sauce and chopped parsley.
- Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
- I recommend using fresh lime juice as bottled lime juice just doesn’t taste as fresh!
- If cotija isn’t available, you can swap for grated Parmesan or crumbled feta cheese instead.
- If you don’t have a grill, you can bake the corn instead. Check out my post on How to Cook Corn to find the instructions for baked corn on the cob.
- Make this a little spicier by adding some chili powder on top of using tajin!
- Don’t skip the mayo. It acts as the base of a creamy dressing. While some may think mayo is unhealthy, it really isn’t! Make sure to use a mayo without filler ingredients.
Always enjoy this dish when made to share with friends!
I just made this for Labor Day dinner with friends. It was a big hit! Everyone first ate the corn, then used the secret sauce on burgers and salads 😋
Hey Linda!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for leaving a review.