This grilled Mexican street corn is no ordinary corn on the cob. This addictive side dish or snack is chargrilled till tender, then smothered in a spicy and creamy sauce mixture. Hot off the grill, add a generous topping of chopped cilantro and cotija cheese!
If sinking your teeth into flavor-packed fresh sweet corn doesn’t get your mouth watering, I don’t know what will! Thrill your taste buds with this simple and delicious side dish! It takes only a few minutes to prepare!
Enjoy your Mexican street corn on the cob as a snack or a side dish with something like Mexican rice, copycat Chipotle steak, or any other Mexican food when you get family and friends around for a backyard barbeque. You can also easily double this recipe when feeding a crowd.
Jump to:
What is grilled Mexican Street Corn?
Mexican Street Corn on the cob or “Mexican elote” (which is short for “elotituti”, directly translated from Spanish to mean “tender cob”), has roots in early Latin American culture. It was used as a term to describe the readiness of a crop for transportation and bartering in Mexico and Central America.
As maize cultivation spread to North America, so too did the popularity of the hand-held Mexican Street Corn snack which has now become somewhat of a mobile food delicacy!
While some mobile street vendors insert wooden sticks into the cob for ease of eating, you should still definitely be prepared to get messy when enjoying this snack with its generous coating of creamy mayo sauce, chopped cilantro, and cheese…. It’s totally worth it, though! The grilled Mexican street corn recipe we’re sharing today is basically grilled corn on the cob that is slathered with a spicy sauce and then jazzed up with tangy, flavorful toppings.
🌽 Ingredients:
- Olive oil: Used to coat the corn cobs and enhance flavor, also prevents sticking when the ears are on the grill. Substitute vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Fresh sweet white corn: The main ingredient and star of the dish. Best during peak corn season with fresh corn. You can also use fresh yellow corn. Peel back a bit of the husk and check for kernels that are evenly sized, plump, and fresh.
- Lime juice: Provides a tangy and citrusy taste.
- Lime zest: Adds a vibrant citrus flavor.
- Cayenne pepper: Adds subtle heat and spice to the mayonnaise dressing.
- Smoked paprika: Provides a smoky flavor to the sauce.
- Cumin: Adds a warm and earthy note.
- Crema Mexicana: A creamy Mexican sauce that adds richness and tanginess, very similar to sour cream, though quite a bit thinner. Substitute sour cream if crema is not available – I find it in the ethnic food refrigerated section in my local grocery store.
- Mayonnaise: Adds creaminess and richness to the sauce.
- Cilantro, chopped: Adds freshness and a hint of herbaceous flavor. If you love cilantro like I do, this is going to be a must on your grilled street corn recipe.
- Cotija cheese, crumbled: A salty and crumbly cheese that adds a savory element and some creaminess.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
- Chili powder: Sprinkle a pinch of chile powder over the corn for an extra kick of heat.
- Tajín seasoning: A popular Mexican seasoning blend of chili powder, lime, and salt. Sprinkle it over the corn for a tangy and spicy flavor.
- Fresh lime wedges: Serve the corn with lime wedges on the side for squeezing fresh lime juice over the corn.
- Chopped fresh herbs: In addition to cilantro, you can garnish the corn with chopped fresh herbs like parsley or mint for added freshness.
- Hot sauce: For those who enjoy more heat, serve the corn with your favorite hot sauce on the side.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t have Mexican crema, a good alternative is sour cream, although it’s slightly thicker than Crema.
- Not everyone is familiar with Cotija cheese. If it’s not available, Queso Fresco makes a good substitute or use feta cheese or parmesan cheese.
- Make this Mexican Street Corn vegan by using vegan mayonnaise, a nut-based Crema or sour cream, and vegan crumbled cheese.
- Melted butter: Drizzle a little melted butter over the grilled corn before adding the sauce for added richness.
- Create a flavored butter for grilling: Instead of solely using olive oil to coat the corn for grilling, consider mixing it with melted butter and/or adding some additional seasonings like garlic powder, ancho chili powder, or a sprinkle of Tajín seasoning. This adds richness and enhances the flavor of the corn.
- Get creative with toppings: While cilantro and Cotija cheese are classic toppings, you can explore other options as well. Consider adding a sprinkle of chopped green onions, a drizzle of hot sauce, a dash of Tajín seasoning, or even some crumbled bacon for additional texture and flavor.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Preheat a charcoal grill to high heat, approximately 400°F.
Step 1: Remove the husks from each ear of corn. Drizzle olive oil over the corn cobs, ensuring they are evenly coated. Optional: Also brush grill grates lightly with oil.
Step 2: Place the corn cobs on the grill and rotate them every 3 minutes until they are cooked and starting to char, about 20 minutes in total.
Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, Crema Mexicana, and mayonnaise to create the sauce.
Step 4: Brush the sauce generously onto the grilled corn, ensuring all sides are coated. A pastry brush works well here.
Char the corn for extra flavor: Once the corn is cooked and starting to char on the grill, you can take it a step further by holding each cob with tongs and directly charring the kernels over the flames for a brief moment. This intensifies the smoky flavor and adds an extra layer of caramelization.
Step 5: Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and crumbled salty Cotija cheese over the sauced corn. Serve the Mexican Street Corn immediately and savor the flavors!
Tips For Making Mexican Street Corn
- Soak the corn: Before grilling, you can soak the corn cobs in cold water for about 10-15 minutes. This helps to keep the corn moist and prevents it from drying out during grilling.
- This recipe makes enough sauce to cover up to 12 ears of corn. It is served as a side dish. I don’t recommend decreasing the amount of sauce as this will make it tricky to measure the spices.
- You can make the sauce the day before to store in the refrigerator as a way to reduce overall recipe time when making your Mexican Street Corn.
- Select high-quality corn from local farmer’s markets and fresh produce stores. It will definitely elevate the taste of this dish!
- Customize the sauce: The sauce for Mexican Street Corn is versatile, so feel free to adjust the spice level, tanginess, or creaminess to suit your taste. You can add more cayenne pepper for heat, a squeeze of fresh lime juice for extra tang, or adjust the ratio of crema and mayonnaise for desired creaminess.
Recipe FAQs
This Elote corn recipe is a great side option for your next backyard BBQ or any other Mexican-inspired main dish, especially when feeding a crowd. Here are some tasty ideas to pair your Mexican street corn with:
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Crockpot Carnitas
Mexican Ceviche Recipe
Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl
If you have any leftover corn, you can easily store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days to be reheated and added to other dishes in the following days. You can then reheat your leftover corn using these two methods:
1. Reheat in the microwave, covered, for 20 seconds straight followed by 10-second intervals until warm;
2. Reheat in the oven (covered with aluminum foil) at 350℉ for about 6 minutes.
You could also opt to cut the corn kernels off the cob and use that as an ingredient in other recipes such as tacos, quesadillas, salsa or even to make a Mexican street corn salad!
Yes, you can! While I love any excuse to get outdoors and make use of my charcoal grill for recipes such as this grilled Mexican street corn, you could quite easily make these in an air fryer. You obviously won’t get that chargrilled look to your corn when cooking in the air fryer but if you aren’t concerned about that, then follow these steps:
1. First, make sure that your air fryer is preheated to 400℉, and then prepare your corn as you would in step 2 of my recipe directions.
2. Place the corn in the air fryer basket to cook for 10 minutes, turning your corn over every few minutes to ensure an even cook on all sides.
3. While the corn is cooking in the air fryer, prepare your sauce as directed in step 4 of my recipe.
4. When the corn is done cooking, remove it from the air fryer and apply the sauce mixture over the corn on all sides. Then continue with step 6 by sprinkling the chopped cilantro and Cotija cheese.
And that’s it! Simple and quick.
Now, you’re all set to prepare the perfect side dish for your next backyard cookout! You’re going to love this flavor explosion!
More Mexican-Inspired Recipe
If you tried this Grilled Mexican Street Corn or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Grilled Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ears corn sweet, white
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon cumin
- ⅓ cup Crema Mexicana
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 oz. Cotija cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Heat charcoal grill to 400°F.
- Remove husks from corn cobs. (Soak corn in water for 10-15 minutes to add moisture; this step is optional.)
- Drizzle olive oil over the corn cobs and use your fingers or a pastry brush to rub the oil over the corn.
- Grill corn on the preheated grill, turning every 3 minutes, until corn is cooked on all sides and beginning to char (about 20 minutes total).
- Meanwhile, whisk together lime juice, zest, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin, crema, and mayonnaise.
- Brush sauce mixture generously over the grilled corn on all sides.
- Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and cotija cheese. Serve immediately.
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Soak the corn: Before grilling, you can soak the corn cobs in cold water for about 10-15 minutes. This helps to keep the corn moist and prevents it from drying out during grilling.
- This recipe makes enough sauce to cover up to 12 ears of corn. It is served as a side dish. I don’t recommend decreasing the amount of sauce as this will make it tricky to measure the spices.
- You can make the sauce the day before to store in the refrigerator as a way to reduce overall recipe time when making your Mexican Street Corn.
- Select high-quality corn from local farmer’s markets and fresh produce stores. It will definitely elevate the taste of this dish!
- Customize the sauce: The sauce for Mexican Street Corn is versatile, so feel free to adjust the spice level, tanginess, or creaminess to suit your taste. You can add more cayenne pepper for heat, a squeeze of fresh lime juice for extra tang, or adjust the ratio of crema and mayonnaise for desired creaminess.
Nutrition
Make this recipe?
Share it with me on Instagram @girlinspired1 and follow on Pinterest for more!
Leave A Reply!