My New Favorite Elote Recipe {Mexican Street Corn On The Cob}

Cooking the sweet corn in a milk bath makes all the difference in this elote recipe. Of course the chili-lime sauce, cotija cheese, and avocado crema don’t hurt either. You’ve landed in Mexican corn paradise and you’re going to love every bite.

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I was honored this month to have a recipe feature in the July/August 2023 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. The recipes I developed were for slushies—in my opinion, the best thing you can make when it gets scorching hot outside in the summer.

The other food article I was especially excited about was the 4th of July menu from one of my favorite cooks, Amy Thielen. The piece included a recipe for sweet corn where you simmer them in a mixture of water, milk, and sugar. Oh, and no salt because Thielen says it toughens the corn. I was totally intrigued.

Growing up in Iowa, all we ate in the summer was sweet corn, sweet corn, and more sweet corn. And never once in my life had I seen anyone simmer it in a sweet milk bath or not add a decent handful of salt to the water.

So of course I had to give it a try, and truly, I’m never making sweet corn any other way again. It was tender, juicy, accentuated the sweetness of the corn and I’ll admit this was regular ‘ol grocery store corn. Definitely not fresh-picked.

With my perfectly-cooked corn I knew there was only one thing left to do—make elote!! Summer isn’t the same without it.

Ingredients

• Mayonnaise: For making the chili-lime crema. I like using half-and-half mayo and sour cream.
• Sour cream: Or Mexican crema.
• Arbol chili powder: Or cayenne pepper.
• Lime juice: Fresh squeezed please.
• Kosher salt: I always use Morton kosher salt unless otherwise noted.
• Whole milk: For the milk bath. I haven’t tried it but I’m assuming other types of dairy milk would work. I%, 2%, etc.
• Granulated sugar: To add a little sweetness to the milk bath.
• Sweet corn. To check for freshness, poke one of the kernels with your fingernail, milky liquid should squirt out.
• Epazote: Optional but I always add epazote to my corn-cooking liquid. Adds a wonderful anise flavor.
• Butter: For brushing on the corn.
• Cilantro: For sprinkling.
• Lime wedges: For serving.
• Cotija cheese or parmesan cheese or feta cheese.

How To Make This Recipe

step one

Make the chili-lime crema. Combine mayo, sour cream, chile powder, salt, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth.

step two

Shuck corn. Remove the corn husks and silk from the corn and rinse under cold water to remove any stray corn silk.

step three

Prepare milk bath. Fill a large pot with water, add milk, epazote (if using) and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. It’s okay if the milk solids separate. If this bothers you, skim them off with a bamboo skimmer.

step four

Cook corn. Add corn and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 1 minute for super fresh corn and 3 minutes for older corn. Remove from heat, cover and let sit anywhere from 5-30 minutes.

step five

Add sauce. Take an ear of corn out of the milk bath. Brush with softened butter and sprinkle salt all over corn. Cover with the chili-lime crema, sprinkle with Cotija, and squeeze some avocado crema on top (if using).

step six

Enjoy! Eat right away while still warm. Squeeze a lime wedge over the corn and serve with lots of napkins.

Elote Recipe FAQ’s

Can I grill corn instead of boil? Yes. I like to grill the corn in the husks until the husks have a nice char on all sides. Then pull back the husk and add the toppings.

How do I roast the corn? Husk the corn and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Brush corn with oil. Heat the broiler to high. Place corn in the oven and broil until lightly charred on all sides. Watch carefully and turn often. Add the toppings as directed above.

How do I make eating this less messy? In Mexico they insert a wooden skewer through the bottom of the ear of corn before brushing the the sauce and other toppings. This also makes it way easier to eat.

More Side Dish Recipes You’ll Love:

• Vegan Refried Beans
• Cilantro Lime Slaw
• Coconut Cilantro Rice
• Crock Pot Borracho Beans
• Arroz Blanco {Mexican White Rice with Vegetables}
• Best-Ever Canned Black Beans
• Sofrito Black Beans

Try This Elote Recipe And Taste The Difference

If you’ve never cooked corn in a milk bath, give it a try. The flavor is out-of-this-world good! Let me know when you make it by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

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