Mouthwatering Mexican Street Corn slathered with spicy mayo, sprinkled with cotija cheese and cilantro, and drizzled with lime juice.
August is peak season for sweet corn in Minnesota, and the local corn on the cob stands are everywhere! Once you’ve had your fill of the traditional buttered corn on the cob, switch things up by making Mexican Street Corn.
In This Post
Ingredients Needed
Choosing The Best Corn On The Cob
- The number one way to find the best sweet corn is to buy the freshest corn on the cob you can find. As soon as the corn is picked, the sugars start slowly turning to starch, so the fresher, the better. Visit farm stands or farmer’s markets.
- The corn on the cob husks should look fresh and green. They should be tightly wrapped around the corn. Avoid the wilting, shriveling, dry-looking ones.
- Look for the ears of corn with sticky brown silks and skip the ones with dry black silks.
Mexican Mayonnaise Ingredients
Mexican mayo is a spicy, tangy mayonnaise that is perfect for this street corn recipe!
- Mayonnaise: For this recipe, we use full-fat mayonnaise such as Hellman’s or Dukes for the best flavor and texture. We do not recommend Miracle Whip since it has added ingredients that would alter the flavor.
- Sour Cream: We also added sour cream for an extra creamy spread.
- Chipotle Seasoning: This recipe calls for chipotle seasoning, which is a seasoning blend. Using a seasoning blend makes things easy!
- Lime Juice: We added a little lime juice for extra tanginess.
How To Make Mexican Street Corn
First, shuck the corn on the cob and remove the silks.
Next, cook the peeled corn on the cob directly on the grill over medium heat for about 14 minutes, turning every couple of minutes.
See Grilled Corn On The Cob Peeled for more detailed instructions. Or, to grill with the husks, see How To Grill Corn On The Cob With The Husks.
Make The Mexican Mayonnaise
To make Mexican mayo, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and chipotle seasoning in a small bowl.
Now that the corn is done cooking slather the hot, grilled corn on the cob with the spicy Mexican mayonnaise.
Sprinkle the elote corn with cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Finally, squeeze lime juice over the top.
Mexican Street Corn Recipe FAQs
Cotija cheese is a hard, crumbly Mexican cheese with a salty flavor. It is somewhat like Parmesan cheese, so grated Parmesan cheese can be used instead of cotija cheese in this elote corn recipe.
Try chili powder and/or cayenne pepper to taste. Or stir in some hot sauce.
Grilling the corn on the cob gives it a nice smoky flavor that goes perfectly with the other flavors. To get that without a grill, you can broil the corn briefly or use metal tongs to hold it over the stovetop flames of a gas oven.
Yes! Visit my post for lots of ideas on How To Cook Corn On The Cob.
Elote is Spanish for corn cob. Mexican elotes are a popular street food in Mexico sold from street carts. The charred corn on the cob is covered with mayo, seasonings, and cotija cheese.
More Ways To Make It
You can use these ingredients to make other dishes with the same flavors as this elote corn recipe! Try Mexican corn salad, street corn nachos, corn in a cup, or Mexican street corn walking tacos. Here are a couple of additional ways to make it.
Street Corn Pizza
Why not turn this street corn recipe into a pizza?!! This delicious variation is so good and totally shareable.
- Cut the grilled corn off of the cob. Set aside.
- Prepare your pizza dough and shape it into 6-8 inch circles. Then, brush the dough rounds with olive oil and minced garlic.
- Partially grill the pizza crusts and then remove them from the grill so that you can add the toppings.
- Lightly brush each crust with Mexican mayo. Then, top with shredded mozzarella cheese, grilled corn kernels, and a sprinkle of crumbled cotija cheese.
- Return to the grill to finish cooking.
- Top with chopped cilantro and additional cotija cheese. Serve with lime wedges.
Mexican Street Corn Dip
Need a tasty dip for your next party? Make Mexican street corn dip!
- Cut the grilled corn off of the cob and put it in a bowl.
- Stir in the mayo, sour cream, cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and chipotle seasoning.
- Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips.
More Corn On The Cob Recipes
- Corn Salad only takes a few minutes to mix up and can also be served as a party appetizer as a dip with chips.
- Microwave Corn On The Cob is the easiest way to make corn for a couple of people.
- Corn Dip is a mouthwatering appetizer that can be served cold or hot!
- Corn Poppers are deep-fried, stuffed cheese balls that everyone loves!
- If you bought too much corn, you can freeze it for later! See our How To Freeze Corn on the Cob post for detailed instructions.
Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients
- 4 ears corn on the cob
- 4 tablespoons cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 4 lime wedges
Mexican Mayonnaise
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ teaspoon chipotle seasoning
- ½ tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Peel the corn on the cob and remove the silks. Cook the peeled corn on the cob directly on the grill, over medium heat for about 14 minutes, turning every couple of minutes.
- Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and chipotle seasoning. Slather the grilled corn with the Mexican mayonnaise.
- Sprinkle with cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Amy says
This is the first recipe I’m going to make as soon as the corn in my garden is ready1 Yum!