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An ear of elote sprinkled with cilantro and cheese
Kate Ramos

My 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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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 8 -10 ears of corn
Course: corn
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 81
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Equipment

Method
 

  1. Make sauce. Combine mayo, sour cream, chili powder, salt, lime juice. Stir until smooth and set aside.
  2. Prepare milk bath. Fill a large pot big enough to hold the ears of corn about 3/4 of the way full with water. Add milk, sugar and epazote. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
  3. Cook corn. Add corn and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute for super fresh corn and 2-3 minutes for older corn. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit anywhere from 5-30 minutes.
  4. Coat with toppings. Remove the corn from from the pot one ear at a time. Shake off excess liquid and spread soft butter on all sides. Season with salt. Cover with chili-lime sauce, I use a small spatula to spread the sauce on pretty thick. Sprinkle with cheese all over then sprinkle with cilantro. Drizzle with avocado crema, if using.
  5. Enjoy! Serve with lime wedges and lots of napkins.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 81kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 193mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4g

Notes

  1. Chili-lime crema: The sauce will taste spicy and strong by itself but the corn will mellow it out.
  2. Epazote: Epazote is an herb commonly used in Mexican cooking. It has a tart anise flavor. Look for it in Latin markets.
  3. Make-ahead. If you are cooking this corn for a crowd. Just leave the corn covered in the milk bath for up to 30 minutes before you are ready to serve.
  4. Wooden skewers. Make eating easier by inserting a wooden skewer through the bottom of each ear of corn before coating in toppings.

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