This flavorful grilled Mexican Street Corn (elotes) is topped with a creamy sauce, spices, cilantro, and crumbled cheese. This delicious corn on the cob is great served alongside grilled and smoked meats, and they are a wonderful option for the vegetarians in your group. Give this popular Mexican street corn recipe a try at your next cookout or tailgating event.

What is Mexican Street Corn?

Mexican street corn, called elotes, are shucked, grilled hot and fast then rolled in a creamy, spicy dressing, and topped with cilantro and cotija cheese. This fantastic method is a far better alternative to boring old boiled corn.

Mexican street corn is a hands-down happiness-inducing experience!

We’ve served these elotes in different ways, including grilled, smoked, and even cut and skewered.

So, how exactly do you make this delicious Mexican Street Corn? It’s super easy, and our recipe calls for easy to find ingredients.

Ingredients:

8 ears of corn
Mexican Crema: Look for crema in the dairy aisle in your grocery store near the sour cream.
Mayonnaise
Garlic
Cotija (or use favorite crumbled cheese: feta, queso fresco, etc.) Look for cotija cheese in your cheese aisle. Some stores, will stock Cotija, crema, and similar items in the same area.
Cilantro (leaves only) If you are not a fan of cilantro, you can top your grilled corn with flat-leaf parsley.
Mexican Chili Powder (guajillo and ancho chili powder)
Fresh lime juice and Limes
Salt and Black Pepper

How to Make Mexican Street Corn:

Combine crema with mayonnaise, lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, and minced garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Reserve the other 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder for dusting. Cover mixture and place into the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before you’re ready to use it.
Crumble the cheese, chop the cilantro leaves, and quarter the limes. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Prepare your grill for high temperature, direct cooking. Aim for 450 degrees F.
Shuck corn by removing husks and silk, exposing the corn kernels.
Place corn onto the grill and cook for 6-8 minutes, rotating every 2 minutes.
Once the corn is nicely brown and cooked, remove them from the grill and place them onto a large platter or baking sheet. Let cool for a few minutes.
Transfer crema dressing to a large plate. Spread the mixture out to roughly the size of the corn cobs.
Grip the one ear of corn with clean tongs and roll it into the dressing. Transfer the corn to a serving platter. Repeat the process with the remaining corn. Next, dust the corn with the reserved 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, crumbled cheese, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
If you’d like your Mexican street corn to be dressing heavy, double the recipe for the crema sauce.

Variation:

Want your Mexican street corn to be a little smokier? Follow our Smoked Corn recipe guide for the cooking portion, then dress the elotes as instructed in the recipe. The added smokiness makes this recipe pop!