Last Updated May 5th, 2022 at 10:17 am by Lisa
Authentic Mexican street corn aka elotes is fire grilled and brushed with a creamy cilantro sauce sprinkled with Cotija cheese and dusted with chile powder.
Traditional elotes are served by street vendors and off food trucks all over Mexico and sprinkled with toppings. You hold the corn by the husk handle as you enjoy every delicious, slightly spicy, creamy sweet, and crunchy bite...
Authentic Mexican Street Corn Recipe "Elotes Mexicanos"
- 6 ears of sweet fresh corn (silks removed, husks tied)
- ¼ cup Cotija cheese (to sprinkle on top)
- 1 pinch of chile powder (or hatch or pinch of cayenne pepper)
- creamy mayonnaise cilantro sauce
- garnishes: lime wedges and chopped cilantro
creamy cilantro sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ serrano chili fine diced, seeds removed-these are hot!
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- In a food processor, blend the creamy mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, serrano chile, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt.
- Blend until well combined, place in a small bowl, and chill until ready to use.
Elote Variations
All of the ingredients for Mexican corn are easy to find in your local grocery store. To make a more authentic elote recipe, use Mexican crema, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
- serrano chiles are usually very hot, only use ½ of a serrano in this recipe. You could also substitute a jalapeno.
- for the non-cilantro fans, you can substitute flat-leaf parsley in place of cilantro
- you can swap out Mexican crema for mayo although mayo is commonly used
- you can swap out mayo for American sour cream, but it won't be as creamy
- sprinkle of chili powder - use chile de árbol (hot), hatch chile (hot), paprika, or a tiny pinch of spicy cayenne if you like it hot!
- good substitutes for fresh Cotija cheese are either feta cheese, parmesan cheese, or Romano.
- drizzle hot sauce from Mexico of your choice, like Tapatio or Cholula
Prep The Elote (Corn)
- Remove all the silks of the corn under running water but not the husks. Pull the husks back from each ear of corn.
- Tie with cotton kitchen string and or a long piece of husk to hold the husks back from the corn kernels.
- Dip or briefly soak the corn with tied husks in water, to help prevent husks and cotton string from burning on the grill.
Grill The Elote
- Preheat your grill, gas, or charcoal, to 500 degrees so the flames are at medium high heat. That means It is hot enough when you can hold your hand above the grill for only one second.
- Grill corn 2 minutes per side, about 8 minutes total. Rotate until all sides have char marks. If the husks burn, just move till the flame goes out. Keep the lid open so you can keep an eye on them and rotate.
- Remove from the grill onto a platter, and brush the cilantro sauce all over the corn. Sprinkle with cotija cheese, and a pinch of chile powder. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges. It's nice to squeeze a lime over the corn too!
Mexican Corn Elotes FAQ
Elote translates to corn in Spanish. Elotes are one of the most popular street foods in Mexico. Corn on the cob is fire-grilled over high heat, then topped and brushed with a mayonnaise and lime sauce and then rolled in crumbled cotija cheese and chile powder.
Over the years, elote has achieved such popularity that it is no longer just sold on the streets of Mexico. You will find it in restaurants, and sometimes served in cups, this is known as elote en vaso.
For a taste of real authentic Mexican street food, the charred corn can be cut off the cob and served in a cup. En vaso translates glass cup, whereas Mexican elotes is the same recipe served on the cob.
You can serve it at room temperature, and adjust the proportions of lime juice, to the mayo/crema, Cotija cheese, and cilantro along with a generous mix of spices. Eat esquites with a fork!
You will find it sold at street fairs and people love to eat it while walking and seeing the sights. This popular Mexican street food dish is usually held by the corn husk handle and consumed with hands.
It is best fresh right off the grill, and you eat it down the rows just like any corn on the cob.
Cotija cheese gets its name from the city of Cotija in the state of Michoacán Mexico. It is the most popular cheese topping for the iconic elote dish in the Mexican culture.
Cotija is available in small wheels or large blocks and is a dry grating cheese made with raw cow's milk. It is easy to find in United States grocery stores and this salty Mexican cheese is typically aged at least 100 days.
The aging causes its texture becomes crumbly, dense, and a hard cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Grilled Corn Recipe
Make Grilled Corn On The Cob the easy way, it takes just 15 minutes to prep, requires no boiling water, and grills in 10 minutes. There are endless flavor options using spices you have like bbq rub, seasoning salt, or just as good with a little salt and pepper.
This easy recipe is delicious for BBQs and cookouts. A great summer side to make ahead or whip up even at the last minute, everyone loves hot buttered corn...
And receive a free recipe ebook as our thank you.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes
Is there anything better than Mexican food? Here are some of my top favorite recipes. I live just over the border in Southern California, these are ones I have made over and over.
Mexican Pickled Red Onions are an easy recipe with no canning skills needed and ready in 30 minutes. This tasty condiment for Mexican food is just like what they serve you in restaurants for street tacos.
There are so many different ways to make guacamole, this is an Authentic Guacamole recipe with fresh lime juice, grated onion (one of my top secrets), chopped tomato, hot sauce, and spices.
It can be made in a molcajete (a traditional ancient cooking tool) or in any bowl with just a couple of forks. Avocado Salsa (aka Taco Sauce) is a great side dish to drizzle on Mexican foods like tacos, burritos, taquitos, or served with tortilla chips as a dip.
Micheladas are light, refreshing clamato juice (tomato juice) and are Mexican beer cocktails. The rim of the glass is salted with usually Tajin or seasoned salt. The michelada is a popular drink in Mexico and is often enjoyed on hot days or as an easy recipe the morning after a wild night out.
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Mexican Street Corn Recipe (Authentic Elotes)
Ingredients
elotes
- 6 ears fresh corn silks removed, husks tied
- 1 cup creamy cilantro mayonnaise sauce
- ¼ cup Cotija cheese to spinkle on top
- 1 pinch chile powder or cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro garnish
- 2 limes sliced for garnish
creamy cilantro sauce
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ serrano chili fine diced, seeds removed-THESE ARE HOT!
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
creamy cilantro sauce
- In a food processor, blend the mayonnaise, cilantro, lime juice, serrano chile, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt.
- Blend until well combined, place in a bowl and chill until ready to use.
prep the elote
- Remove all the silks off the corn under running water. Pull the husks back from each ear of corn.
- Tie with cotton kitchen string and or a long piece of husk to hold the husks back from the corn kernels.
- Dip or briefly soak the corn with tied husks in water, to help prevent husks and cotton string from burning on the grill.
grill the elote
- Preheat your grill, gas or charcoal, to 500 degrees so the flames are at a medium high heat. That means It is hot enough when you can hold your hand above grill for only one second.
- Grill corn 2 minutes per side, about 8 minutes total. Rotate until all sides have char marks. If the husks burn, just move till the flame goes out. Keep the lid open so you can keep an eye on them and rotate.
- Remove from the grill onto a platter, and brush the cilantro sauce all over the corn. Sprinkle with cotija cheese, and a pinch of chile powder. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges. It's nice to squeeze a lime over the corn too!
Notes
corn
Be sure to buy nice fresh sweet corn, I prefer a light yellow summer sweet corn. Be sure to clean the corn well, remove all the silks, and keep the husks on. You will want to dip the husks in the water right before grilling to reduce the chance of them burning on the grill over the fire.Elote Variations
All of the ingredients for Mexican corn are easy to find in your local grocery store. To make a more authentic elote recipe, use Mexican crema, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.- swap out mayo for Mexican crema, although mayo is commonly used
- you can swap out mayo for American sour cream
- serrano chiles are usually very hot, only use ½ of a serrano in this recipe. You could also substitute a jalapeno.
- for the non-cilantro fans, you can substitute flat-leaf parsley in place of cilantro
- sprinkle of chili powder - use chile de árbol (hot), hatch chile (hot), paprika, or a tiny pinch of spicy cayenne if you like it hot!
- good substitutes for fresh Cotija cheese are either feta cheese, parmesan cheese, or Romano.
- drizzle hot sauce from Mexico of your choice, like Tapatio or Cholula
We unearthed the grill to make these and we are so glad we did. These elotes totally brought life back to taco night and the cilantro lime sauce with the cotija and hatch chili powder toppings made me feel like I was on vacation. I can imagine eating these as a summer side to all kinds of bbq meals. Yum!