This Mexican Street Corn recipe is the best way to serve corn on the cob. The cheesy, salty, and spicy topping perfectly balances out the natural sweetness of the corn.
Produce displays full of sweet corn at the grocery mean that summer is definitely here. Growing up in Wisconsin, a big corn-producing state, the phrase “knee-high by the Fourth of July” always comes to mind when I see those green husks stacked in tall piles. I never quite understood the phrase, because most fields I remember were far higher than knee-high by July 4th. Because the phrase is catchy, even though it doesn’t make much sense, I still associate July 4th with corn.
One of my favorite ways to prepare corn is Mexican street corn, or elotes. My first time trying Mexican street corn was from an East Nashville favorite, Mas Tacos Por Favor. As the name implies, their tacos are amazing, but my favorite menu items are elotes and maduros (plantains) with sweetened condensed milk drizzled on top. I got the elotes so many times that I decided it was finally time to make it at home.
Mexican street corn is so easy to make, whether you’re grilling outside or stuck inside on a rainy summer day. Start by cooking the corn, either boiling or grilling. Prepare the topping by mixing cotija cheese with cilantro, cumin, and chili powders. Cotija cheese can usually be found in the cheese section or a refrigerated case in the Hispanic or International section of the grocery store. If you can’t find cotija cheese, try substituting Romano or Parmesan. Brush the corn with mayonnaise to get the topping to stick and sprinkle the cheese mixture onto the corn, patting down a bit with your fingers.
If you try this recipe, leave a review and comment below to let me know what you think!
Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients
- 4 ears of sweet corn
- 4 oz cotija cheese crumbled
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne chili powder optional
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
- Cook the corn. On the stove you can bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the corn and boil for about 10 minutes. Or if you’ve got a grill going, then add the corn to the grill.
- While the corn is cooking, mix together the cheese, cilantro, cumin, and chili powders in a small bowl.
- Allow the corn to cool for a few minutes, then brush the mayonnaise on the corn using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the cheese mixture onto the corn, patting down a bit with your fingers to get it to stick.
This looks incredible! I have never tried anything like this, but I really want to now! It is time to up my sweet corn game!
YUM! Looks so delicious and perfect for hosting or BBQ parties!
AH!! I’ve never had cheese on my corn before. We love making corn at home and my favorite is with sriracha but this sounds like my kinda treat too. Can’t wait to try.
Well you are talking my love language as I am Mexican and I was used to eat this grilled corn when living in Mexico, many great childhood memories. Your version sounds really yummy with the ancho chile.
I love street corn and this recipe looks fantastic. And the plantains sound delicious too! Lovely photos!
I also grew up in WI and remember the saying… was there last week and had to check in! 🙂 Recipe looks great – thanks for sharing.
I can’t even believe I haven’t made this yet… and there are SO many versions too! This one looks spectacular though! As soon as I get more corn…
This is the perfect summer side! So easy and so flavorful!
Now this is a recipe worth trying! This Mexican Street Corn looks ABSOLUTELY delish! Saving!
We made this last night at our BBQ and it was a huge success! Couldn’t find cotijo cheese, so used parmesan and worked fine. Nice burn and fun flavors. Highly recommended!
Thanks, Kristi! I’m glad you enjoyed it and that it worked out with the parmesan substitution!