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Home Blog Course Side Dishes

Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 05/22/20 Updated: 01/18/22
5
/5
2 Comments
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GF Gluten Free LC Low Carb VG Vegetarian

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Elote is Mexican street corn on the cob, our very favorite way of eating corn! This recipe slathers grilled corn in a garlicky mayonnaise and rolls the sweet corn on the cob in cotija then sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder. Elote is a hit at every BBQ and is the perfect side dish for grilled meat or tacos!

Elotes on a plate

Elote, or Mexican street corn, is cheesy, absolutely deliciously seasoned corn on the cob. If you’ve only eaten regular corn, you may never go back after this recipe. A staple of Mexican street vendors and a super popular snack, elote is creamy, crunchy, and totally addictive.

My take on elote uses butter and garlic mayo with a splash of lime and is the perfect side for other Mexican dishes or at barbecues. For even more authentic street corn, serve it on a wooden skewer.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Corn – Six ears of corn, shucked (I’ll teach you how to do it down below!).
Butter – Recommended to me by some Mexican friends. It’s optional, but I love how rich it makes the elote.
Mayonnaise
– Use good quality mayo that doesn’t have a strong taste or, for a more authentic flavor, use Mexican mayonnaise. If it already has lime juice, you can leave off adding more.
Cotija
– The powdered style of cotija (see the top tips if you can’t find any), which is a hard cheese that originates from Mexico.

How To Make It

The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!

Mix together the mayo, garlic, and lime juice in a small bowl. Once it’s well combined, put it to the side.

Pour the powdered cheese onto a plate and spread it out. Put that to the side, too.

Brush your grill grate with vegetable oil and heat the grill to high.

Grill the corn, making sure to turn it occasionally. You want it to be cooked and a little charred, but not burned. This takes about 10 minutes. As soon as you take the corn off the grill, brush it with butter (if you’re using it), and then the garlic mayo.

Roll each ear of corn into the cotija until they’re well coated, and then sprinkle with chilli powder, salt, and the cilantro.

Squeeze a little lime juice over each piece of corn and serve right away, with more lime wedges on the side.

Chef’s Tips

  • You can also use Tajín, the Mexican spice blend, to sprinkle on after the cotija instead of chili powder and lime juice.
  • If you can’t find powdered cotija, you can just use powdered parmesan cheese.

How To Shuck Corn

  1. Grab the husk at the top of the ear of corn and separate it into two halves.
  2. Pull the husks all the way down to the bottom, so you can see the corn inside. If you have any big chunks of husks left, pull those down, too.
  3. Rip the husks off from the bottom of the ear, or where the stem is.
  4. Use your fingers to pull out any little bits of silk that are left between the kernels. That’s it! Your corn is now ready to cook.
Close-up of elote

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  • Best Vegan Queso (Ever)
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Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

5 from 1 vote

Elote (Mexican Street Corn)

Prep:5 minutes
Cook:10 minutes
Total:15 minutes
Elote is Mexican street corn on the cob, our very favorite way of eating corn! This recipe slathers grilled corn in a garlicky mayonnaise and rolls the sweet corn on the cob in cotija then sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder. Elote is a hit at every BBQ and is the perfect side dish for grilled meat or tacos!
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6

Ingredients

  • 6 ears corn shucked
  • ¼ cup butter melted, optional
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup powdered style cotija cheese
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
  • kosher salt
  • 2 limes cut into wedges

Equipment

  • Grill

Instructions 

  • Combine mayonnaise, garlic, and the juice of ¼ lime in small bowl. Mix until well combined, set to the side. Spread cheese on a plate and set aside.
  • Brush grill grate with vegetable oil and heat grill to high. Grill corn. Turn occasionally until cooked and lightly charred, about 10 minutes.
  • Immediately brush the corn with butter, if using, then the mayonnaise. Roll corn in cotija cheese. Sprinkle with chili powder, salt, and cilantro. Squeeze lime over corn and serve immediately, with more lime wedges.

Notes

  • Seasoning: Can use Tajín instead of chili powder and lime juice.
  • Cheese: Use powdered parmesan cheese if you can’t find powdered cotija.
 
Recipe yields 6 ears of corn. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines, and reflect information for one ear of corn. Macros may vary slightly depending on specific types and brands of ingredients used.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1ear of corn, Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Sodium: 332mg, Potassium: 44mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 501IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 73mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 3g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

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Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

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  1. Victoria says

    Posted on 12/2/22 at 6:46 am

    I just cooked my corn in the microwave then brushed on the mixture and it was fabulous. Better than any restaurant. Well done.5 stars

    Reply
    • Molly | 40 Aprons TeamMolly | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 12/2/22 at 10:00 am

      So glad you enjoyed, Victoria! Thanks for the review!

      Reply

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