Grilled Elote Mexican Street Corn Recipe on the Cob

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Grilled Mexican street corn takes ears of corn along with 5 additional simple ingredients to create the perfect grilled summer side dish. This elote recipe requires minimal dishes and is cooked completely on the grill saving you time and energy on clean up after cooking.

This is a great grilled corn recipes to add to your summer menu for your next cookout. It is great to serve at any barbecue but can be especially good for Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day barbecues. This elote corn recipe is an easy side dish making it perfect to make when entertaining guests. It really is the perfect side dish any time of year.

This was inspired by my easy BBQ Grill Jalapeno Poppers on this site, and pairs well with this Steak Sandwich with horseradish sauce.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Mexican Street Corn Recipe Tasting Notes
Equipment
How to Store Grilled Mexican Street Corn
Top Tip
FAQ
Related
Pairing
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💬 Comments

Ingredients

Along with each ear of corn you will also need mayonnaise, cotija cheese and fresh cilantro in order to make this delicious elotes recipe. Garlic and metled butter are also used to help the corn cook on the hot grill to give it that extra char adding flavor to this summer corn recipe.

ears of sweet corn
butter
garlic cloves
cotija cheese
mayonnaise
fresh cilantro

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Step 1: Chop the cilantro. Grate the fresh garlic with a microplane or use a garlic crusher. Husk the corn.

Step 2: Melt butter and garlic. This can be done in the microwave or on the grill in a small cast iron skillet.

Step 3: Place corn on the grill on medium high heat. Baste the corn with garlic butter. Turn every 2-3 minutes while continuously basting with garlic butter.

Step 4: Remove the corn from the grill once the corn is cooked with a slight char. Spread mayonnaise evenly on corn kernels. Sprinkle cotija cheese and cilantro so it sticks to the mayonnaise. Serve immediately.

Hint: continuously baste the corn with the garlic butter. This will help the corn not only cook faster but will help develop that slight char on the corn. This adds so much flavor to the dish and also assures your corn cooks well.

Substitutions

Mayonnaise - instead of mayonnaise, use Mexican crema, sour cream or greek yogurt. A little fresh lime juice can also be added to the mayonnaise to make a tangy sauce to add to the corn
Cotija Cheese - use queso fresco instead. Pecorino Romano is also a good substitute even though it is not traditional
Butter - coat the corn in mayonnaise instead of butter prior to grilling, this will help the corn grill and char the same way butter would

Variations

Spicy - add a sprinkle of chili powder or cayenne pepper on top of the corn to add a little heat to the corn. Mix hot sauce in with the mayonnaise before spreading on the corn to add some extra heat
Deluxe - add diced onions and jalapenos for a crunch on top and a little lime zest for extra flavor
Mexican Street Corn Salad - deconstruct this recipe and remove the corn off the cob to create a Mexican corn salad
Corn Dip - try this hot and cheesy corn dip served with tortilla chips

See this cheesy corn dip recipe on my website!

Mexican Street Corn Recipe Tasting Notes

When tasting this recipe, the creaminess of the mayonnaise and the salty cotija cheese will be the forefront in the flavor profile. This creamy to salty ratio along with the smoky char from the corn packs a ton of flavor into every bite.

Equipment

This recipe requires a gas grill or charcoal grill. The corn can also be charred in a cast iron skillet inside if you do not have access to a grill, but this will not achieve the smoky grill char that a grill is necessary for.

To make this recipe, a basting brush is needed to baste the butter onto the corn while grilling. A small cast iron sauce pan is also very helpful to melt the butter right on the grill. This makes it much easier to baste the corn when grilling. Grilling tongs are also helpful. To chop the fresh cilantro a sharp knife and cutting board are needed.

How to Store Grilled Mexican Street Corn

Store Mexican elote grilled corn in til foil or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven or on the grill before serving. Add additional cheese and cilantro after reheating if necessary.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top Tip

Do not just put the corn on the grill with nothing on it. In order to get that charred flavor and for the fresh sweet corn to cook, you need to add a fat to the corn. In this recipe butter is used. You can also use oil, such as vegetable oil or avocado oil, or mayonnaise.

FAQ

What is the best way to cook the corn if a grill is not available?

If you do not have access to a grill, a grill pan on the stove can be used. This will still help you get some nice char and grill marks, especially if you are cooking on a high heat.

What is the best time of year to make this recipe?

This recipe is definitely a summer staple. Summer is also corn season so you will get delicious, juicy corn that is perfect for fresh street corn. You also get a certain sweetness of fresh corn that you can't get as much in the winter months.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Mexican street corn on the grill:

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