• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Thai Caliente
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Mexican Recipes

    Mexican Street Corn- 2 Ways

    Published: May 21, 2021 · Modified: Aug 25, 2022 by Renee · Leave a Comment · This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe

    Mexican Street Corn or Elotes, is a popular street vendor snack in Mexico. Serve it on the cob or shave the corn to serve in a cup for Esquites.

    2 ears of corn on a white plate with a glass on the side of shaved corn.

    Nothing compares to fresh picked corn in the Summertime. But do you know how you take sweet Summer corn to the next level? Making it into Mexican Street Corn!

    The flavor of the corn changes from sweet to tangy, creamy, and a hint of spice! Making it the perfect snack or side dish to go with your Summer cookouts!

    How to Cook the Corn

    For the best flavor, use fresh corn and cook it on the grill. Remove the husk off the corn right before cooking for optimum freshness.

    I love the smell of corn cooking on the grill!

    Overhead view of 2 Ears or corn on a white plate with 2 lime wedges on the side.

    However, if you are short on time, then use corn that's already been shucked and boil it for about 5 minutes or until the kernels are a bright yellow.

    Another option is to roast the corn in the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating it half way.

    How to Make Elotes

    Traditional Mexican street corn is made with boiled/steamed corn, then slathered with mayonesa, cotija, chili powder, and a squeeze of limon.

    However, you can customize the ingredients to what you have on hand or your preference.

    Sauce- Not a fan of mayonnaise? Then use Mexican Crema, Sour Cream, or even plain Greek Yogurt.

    Or do a combination like I did, half Mayo and half Greek Yogurt.

    Close up of corn on the cob.

    Cheese- I went with parmesan cheese instead of cotija. Another option is feta cheese or queso fresco.

    Chili- My favorite is a chili lime salt or Tajin, but you can also use chili powder or paprika to give the corn some spice and smokiness.

    How to Make Esquites

    Esquites is basically all the components of elotes but in a cup. Making it easy to eat and portable to walk around with.

    The corn can be Grilled, Roasted, Boiled, or shaved off the cob and cooked in a skillet.

    Shaved corn on a glass with a spoon.

    Once you have the cooked corn shaved into a cup, mix your base of either mayo, sour cream, crema, yogurt or a combination. Then add your cheese, chili, and lime. Mix and top with more cheese if you like.

    This is also a better way to store any leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

    Both prepared elotes and esquites are best eaten immediately. If you do have leftovers, get them stored as soon as possible since they have mayo or crema.

    2 ears of corn with lime wedges on the plate and a glass of shaved corn.

    Try this Thai coconut corn that tastes like a dessert

    Here are some recipes to pair with Mexican Street Corn:

    Cilantro Lime Chicken

    Carne Asada Tacos

    Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos

    2 Ears of corn with skewers on a plate with lime wedges on the side.

    Mexican Street Corn

    Renee
    Mexican Street Corn or Elotes, is a popular street vendor snack in Mexico. Serve it on the cob or shave the corn to serve in a cup for Esquites.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Servings 4 Corn

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 Ears of Corn
    • ½ Cup Mexican Crema, Mayonnaise, Sour Cream, or Greek Yogurt. Or a combination of two.
    • ¼ Cup Cotija Cheese Parmesan or Feta Cheese work too
    • 1 teaspoon Chili Lime Salt Chili Powder or Paprika
    • 1 Lime Cut into 4 slices

    Instructions
     

    • Grilled Method: Remove husks from corn just before grilling. Place corn cobs directly on hot side of grill for a few minutes on each side, till slightly charred.
    • Boiled Method: Place shucked corn in a pot and bring to a boil for about 7 minutes or until kernels are slightly tender.
    • Remove corn and allow to cool a couple minutes. Using a pastry brush, spread crema or mayo on corn. Use a much or as little as you like. Then top with cheese of choice, chili powder, and squeeze lime all over. Serve immediately.
    • To serve in a cup, shave cooked corn off the cob into a cup. Or Shave uncooked corn and cook in a skillet. Then mix with crema or mayo, cheese, chili powder, and lime. Top with more cheese or chopped cilantro for garnish. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.

    Video

    Notes

    Once the sour cream, crema, or mayonnaise is added to the corn, serve immediately. Otherwise wait to dress the corn until you are ready to serve it. 
    Recipes to Pair With:
    Cilantro Lime Chicken
    Carne Asada Tacos
    Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos

    Nutrition

    Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 14mgPotassium: 260mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 177IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and depends on ingredients and amounts used. Thai Caliente makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

    Keyword Elotes, Esquites, Mexican Street Corn
    Tried this recipe?CLICK HERE To Tell Us!

    More Mexican Recipes

    • Three chili rellenos in a dish covered in baked cheese and salsa.
      Baked Chile Rellenos
    • Chicken Milanese on a plate with white pasta and sliced avocado.
      Milanesa de Pollo (Fried Chicken Cutlets)
    • Three Mexican fruit cups topped with chamoy and tajin.
      Mexican Fruit Cups
    • Four pieces of shrimp on pasta garnished with red pepper flakes.
      Creamy Chipotle Pasta with Shrimp
    1.7K shares
    • Facebook

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome to Thai Caliente where I share Thai Recipes, Mexican Recipes, and Easy Recipes for busy families like mine. Take a look around and try cooking something new! About Me

    Watch My YouTube Videos Here

    Popular Recipes

    • Blue plate with custard in a white ramekin with a strawberry on the side.
      Jericalla- Mexican Custard Dessert
    • Feature image of spicy skinny margarita.
      Skinny Spicy Margarita
    • Hand holding a piece of steak being dipped into a spicy sauce.
      Crying Tiger- Steak with Thai Dipping Sauce
    • Overhead view of laab gai on a round white plate.
      Laab Gai- Thai Ground Chicken Salad

    Footer

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Thai Caliente

    1.7K shares