This Mexican Street Corn recipe is packed full of fresh, bright, and amazing flavors. It is a great way to spice up any BBQ or dinner table.
What to Gather
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this Mexican street corn. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Fresh Corn – Although self explanatory, you do need to use fresh ears of corn rather than corn off the cob for this elote recipe. However, I do have a Mexican Corn Salad recipe that provides the same flavors but uses corn kernels instead.
- Crema mexicana – This is where the corn starts getting good. This is a creamy sauce that gives a tart flavor to this great recipe. You can either make your own or buy it at any major grocery store.
- Queso cotija – This is a crumbly Mexican cheese found in most grocery stores. However, you can use queso fresco if your store doesn’t carry it.
- Butter
- Limes
- Mexican chile powder
- Fresh cilantro
Perfect Pairings
You can serve this street corn with just about anything you’d like to! I like to serve mine with other Mexican food like tacos, burritos, fajitas or something else similar.
I also like to serve with other sides like spanish rice, homemade guacamole and cheese dip. Tortilla chips are always a plus too!
If you love this recipe as much as I do, you can also make my Mexican Street Corn Salad by making this recipe and taking it off the cob and into a bowl for easy eating! You can even use it in my Mexican Chicken Casserole.
5S Philosophy 👩🏻
- Salt – If you used unsalted butter, you might need to add a pinch of salt. I like to use kosher salt.
- Seasonings – Add a little spice to this mexican street corn recipe by adding some cayenne pepper into the mix.
- Sauces – If you aren’t able to find or make mexican crema, you can always use sour cream mixture instead. Some people even use a garlic mayo. Simply mix mayonnaise with minced garlic and use in place of the mexican crema.
- Swaps – If you can’t find queso cotija, any crumbly cheese such as feta cheese will work. I’ve even seen people use parmesan cheese too.
- Senses – Mexican street corn is smoky, creamy, and tangy, with the scent of charred corn and zesty lime. Each bite bursts with sweet kernels, rich mayo, crumbly cotija, and a kick of chili spice.
Mexican Corn on the Cob
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ears corn
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 cup crema mexicana
- 6 limes quartered
- 1 cup queso cotija or queso fresco crumbled
- 1 tablespoon chile powder
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill the corn inside the husk for 45 minutes, rotating halfway through.
- Allow the corn to cool so you can handle, then husk the corn. You can also wear gloves if you don't have time to allow them to cool fully.
- Place the whole stick of butter into a long dish, roll each corn cob in butter and sprinkle with chile powder. Return to the grill to create a char, anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
- Remove and spritz the corn with fresh lime. Place the crema Mexicana in long dish, roll each corn cob. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese, cilantro and additional chile powder.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Nutrition
Storage and Freezing
Fresh sweet corn is always best when eaten right away. But you can store your easy Mexican street corn in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to five days.
Freezing this corn is not recommended, but you can reheat in either the microwave or oven.
More Corn Recipes
Corn is such a versatile ingredient! From side dishes to soups, these are some of our favorite corn recipes.
That looks so yummy. Thank you for sharing a great recipe!!
This is the best way to enjoy corn, love everything about this!
I absolutely love to add fun stuff to my corn on the cob for the grill, but your recipe includes things we have never tried before. Adding to the list!
I really need to eat those RIGHT NOW! OH my, I can’t wait to make these.
Mmm, this mexican corn looks so delicious! I still have not tried mexican corn – I need to!
We love grilling corn on our grill! This sounds like a yummy recipe.
That corn looks amazing!Perfect summer veggie!
Another great recipe for me to try when my corn is done growing!
This is one of my daughter and her husband’s favorite recipes! It’s so delicious.
We love this recipe! We use parmesan cheese.