Textual Chef

Elote (Grilled Street Corn)

Classic Mexican street corn grilled to charred perfection and slathered with a creamy, tangy mixture of mayonnaise, lime, cotija cheese, and chili powder. This popular street food makes an irresistible summer side dish.

25 minEasyServes 4210 cal/serving

MexicanSideGrillVegetarianGluten-FreeNut-Free

Ingredients

  • 4 ears of corn, husks and silk removed
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 lime, juiced and zested, plus wedges for serving
  • 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. 1

    Preheat your grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F or 204°C). Clean and oil the grill grates.

  2. 2

    Prepare the elote sauce: In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sour cream, juice and zest from 1 juiced and zested, plus wedges for serving lime, 1 minced garlic clove, and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well and set aside.

  3. 3

    Brush 4 husks and silk removed ears of corn with 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter.

  4. 4

    Place the corn directly on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the kernels are tender and charred in spots.

  5. 5

    While the corn is still hot, brush each ear generously with the prepared sauce, coating all sides.

  6. 6

    Sprinkle each ear with 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese, making sure it adheres to the sauce.

  7. 7

    Dust each ear with 1 tsp chili powder to taste.

  8. 8

    Garnish with 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.

  9. 9

    Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing over the corn.

  10. 10

    For easier eating, you can insert wooden skewers into the ends of each corn cob to use as handles.

Cook it with the batch dial

Textual Chef is a plain-text cooking reference of 2,009 recipes. In the app, this entry scales itself — half, standard, or double batch, every quantity recomputed inside the step that uses it — and the ingredient list files itself into an aisle-ordered shopping list. No ads, no life stories, no photos of somebody else's dinner.

Open the appThe first 30 days are free.