Make authentic Mexican corn on the cob in your home with our fast and easy elote recipe! Take your corn on the cob up a notch when you season it with a tangy, homemade lime dressing, garnished it with cotija (a Mexican parmesan), and serve it all on a stick! Once you try it, it will be easy to see why this 20-minute Mexican street corn recipe is a popular one that is always a WHOLE LOTTA YUM.
Mexican Corn on the Cob Recipe
Growing up, we always topped our corn on the cob in a traditional way, with butter and salt. It wasn’t until many years later that a new, more flavorful option was brought to our family and from the first bite we were hooked.
If you have never tried Mexican corn on the cob, let’s just say you are missing out! Not only is this Mexican corn on the cob recipe bursting with flavor, but it’s also so easy to prepare.
While the corn is cooking, simply whip up the homemade lime dressing and grab your seasonings, and be ready to make the best side dish for all of your summer gatherings.
This easy Mexican street corn recipe is a festive summer side dish from May to September. Serve it at a summer BBQ, potluck, for Cinco de Mayo, or with any of your favorite summer meats like grilled chicken, oven baked baby back ribs or instant pot country style ribs.
Why You’ll Love This!
- Ready in just 20-minutes, Mexican corn on the cob takes no more time to prepare than traditional corn on the cob.
- With the amazing flavors of lime, chili powder, and cotija, your Mexican corn on the cob recipe is anything but boring.
- Our Mexican street corn recipe is perfect for anyone looking to stick to gluten-free or vegetarian lifestyles, as well as those looking to steer clear or processed carbs.
- Impress your family and guests with a recipe that only looks and tastes complicate, but is actually super easy to prepare.
If you are looking for even more ways to prepare corn, but sure to check out our 15-minutes Mexican street corn salad, air fryer corn on the cob, and pressure cooker corn on the cob recipes.
On Keto? Grab our FREE keto foods list here OR Snag our Keto Binder HERE
Ingredient Notes
Don’t be swayed by the ingredients, or nervous about using something new or different. There are plenty of tastes and flavors you are familiar with in our Mexican corn on the cob recipe.
- corn on the cob – husks removed
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- lime juice – fresh squeezed
- sea salt
- cotija – Mexican Parmesan cheese, crumbled
- red onion – finely minced
- cilantro – chopped
- chili powder
- butter for brushing
- Optional Garnishes– lime, cotija cheese, cayenne pepper, chili powder
*** Note: Authentic Mexican street corn uses epazote instead of cilantro, which is an herb that can be found in Hispanic markets.
Variations
- Cotija Cheese – If you are unable to find cotija cheese, or simply looking for a substitute, you can use feta cheese instead.
Diet Variations
- Sugar-Free – To make your Mexican corn on the cob sugar-free, simply make sure your mayo does not contain any added sugar.
Step by Step Instructions
Making Mexican street corn on the cob is truly so easy. You make a simple mayo, sour cream, lime dressing, prep the other ingredients while the corn cooks, and then drizzle the elote recipe dressing and toppings over the hot corn and serve.
Make the Dressing
**The dressing can be made while cooking the corn.
To make the Mexican street corn dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, juice of one lime, cotija cheese, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
Prep the garnishes by crumbling the cotija cheese, mincing the red onion, and chopping the cilantro.
Cook the Corn
To cook the corn on the cob, you have 3 easy options:
- Grill the corn for 15 minutes.
- Cook on the stovetop in boiling water for 5-7 minutes.
- Cook corn in a pressure cooker for 2 minutes.
For full stovetop directions, see our boiled corn on the cob recipe. For full pressure cooker directions, see our Instant Pot corn on the cob recipe.
Assemble
Brush melted butter on the warm corn on the cob.
Drizzle with half of the Mexican street corn dressing. We use about half of the dressing to drizzle and then I serve the rest on the side.
Sprinkle the Mexican corn on the cob with the cilantro, chopped red onion, more cheese, more salt, and chili powder. Adding a sprinkle of cayenne pepper is put down as an optional item since not everyone likes spice (which is me!), but just a tiny bit really does give the Mexican street corn recipe a nice kick.
Serve more dressing, cheese, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro, and lime slices on the side. Serves 4 Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- The recipe calls for the juice of one lime, this can vary based on the weight and size of a lime. Try to find a heavier lime, it means it has more juice in it. The lime used in the recipe juiced about 2 Tbsp of lime juice.
- Tajin seasoning it can be substituted for the chili pepper and salt.
- We often drizzle half of the sauce over the corn and serve the remainder on the table so people can add more to taste. Feel free to coat the entire batch of cotija sauce on the corn if preferred.
Common Questions
You can serve your Elotes at a summer BBQ or potluck, for a festive Cinco de Mayo, or with any of your favorite summer meats like grilled chicken, oven baked baby back ribs or instant pot country style ribs. And for the adults, you can also include some of these keto margaritas.
Absolutley! If you would prefer to serve a Mexican street corn salad, simply cook 4 ears of corn and cus the kernels from the cob. Mix the dressing in a separate bowl, then combine that with the corn kernels.
While there isn’t a true substitute for this Mexican parmesan, you can use feta cheese or queso fresco in place of the cotija.
More Mexican Recipes
Looking for more Mexican recipes?
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Mexican Corn on the Cob (Elote Recipe)
Mexican corn on the cob (also known as elotes) is an easy and tangy way to make your corn go wow! With a creamy and tangy lime dressing, this elote recipe makes an ideal summer side dish, BBQ recipe, and is impressive at a potluck.
The Mexican corn recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, refined sugar free and contains no processed carbs.
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Juice of one lime (about 2 Tbsp fresh lime)
- 1/2 cup cotija (Mexican Parmesan cheese), crumbled
- 1-2 Tbsp red onion, minced
- 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- Garnishes- lime, cotija, cayenne pepper, chili powder
Instructions
Making Mexican street corn on the cob is truly so easy. You make a simple mayo, sour cream, lime dressing, prep the other ingredients while the corn cooks, and then drizzle the elote recipe dressing and toppings over the hot corn and serve.
Make the Dressing
**The dressing can be made while cooking the corn.
To make the Mexican street corn dressing, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, juice of one lime, cotija cheese, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside for later.
Prep the garnishes by crumbling the cotija cheese, mincing the red onion, and chopping the cilantro.
Cook the Corn
To cook the corn on the cob, you have 3 easy options:
*Grill the corn for 15 minutes
*Cook on the stovetop in boiling water for 5-7 minutes
*Cook corn in a pressure cooker for 2 minutes
Instant Pot Street Corn Option
4 ears of corn, with husks removed
1 cup cold water
Insert the instant pot rack inside of the instant pot corn on the rack. Add 1 cup of water.
If you have smaller ears of corn you may be able to fit them directly into the pot. Otherwise break them in half.
Set your instant pot to pressure cook on two minutes. It will take about 7 to 8 minutes to come to pressure.
No need to do a slow release for this recipe! Once the corn has cooked for 2 minutes, instantly turn your pressure cooker to quick release and turn off your instant pot.
Once the pressure cooker valve has dropped, you can open the lid.
Assemble
Brush melted butter on the warm corn on the cob.
Drizzle with half of the Mexican street corn dressing. We use about half of the dressing to drizzle and then I serve the rest on the side.
Sprinkle the Mexican corn on the cob with the cilantro, chopped red onion, more cheese, more salt and chili powder. Adding a sprinkle of cayenne pepper is put down as an optional item since not everyone likes spice (which is me!), but just a tiny bit really does give the Mexican street corn recipe a nice kick.
Serve more dressing, cheese, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro and lime slices on the side. Serves 4 Enjoy!
Notes
If you can't access cotija cheese or are looking for a substitute you can make it with feta cheese instead.
The recipe calls for the juice of one lime, this can vary based on the weight and size of a lime. Try to find a heavier lime, it means it has more juice in it. The lime used in the recipe juiced about 2 Tbsp of lime juice.
Authentic Mexican street corn uses epazote instead of cilantro, which is an herb that can be found in hispanic markets.
We often drizzle half of the sauce over the corn and serve the remainder on the table so people can add more to taste. Feel free to coat the entire batch of cotija sauce on the corn if preferred.
If you have Tajin seasoning it can be substituted for the chili pepper and salt.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 213Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 23mgSodium 1114mgCarbohydrates 22gNet Carbohydrates 19gFiber 3gSugar 5gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 7g
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