This loaded elote (aka Mexican Street Corn) is so simple to make and perfect for summer nights! Pair it with a Corona for the perfect meal with friends!
We originally wrote this recipe as a partnership with Corona! Because what goes better with a summer-time beer than a summer-time dish like loaded elote?! But, we have updated it a little bit to be a little more helpful on exactly how to make homemade elote.
What exactly is elote?
Elote is essentially grilled corn on the cob (yum) slathered in mayo, creme, chili powder, and cheese. Helloooo, delicious dairy.
It’s also known as Mexican Street Corn because it’s a pretty popular snack sold by street vendors in Mexico. America sells hot dogs, Mexico sells loaded corn on the cob. Need a ticket to Mexico, please!
What do I need to make elote?
Luckily, making elote doesn’t really require a lot of tools or appliances. Here are some you need and some that are just really nice to have.
- Grill Pan. Depending on your living situation and/or the weather situation. You can grill (see below) or use this wonderful grill pan (it’s only $20!) for inside. We use ours to “grill” veggies inside all the time, it’s also great for asparagus!
- Grill. Obviously, the top choice to grill this corn. We have this Weber Charcoal Grill that is wonderful and just $165. Luckily, we live somewhere now where we can have a grill! We didn’t have one for three years (booo).
- Rubber Spatula. These are my absolute favorite rubber spatulas. They are great because they are just one solid piece of rubber instead of two pieces where they can get mold under the rubber piece.
- Cute Bowls + Containers. Much to Joel’s joy, I constantly am buying little bowls for sauces and toppings. I have many… like dozens and dozens. Sorry I’m not sorry because they come in handy when making loaded elote. Here are three cute options here, here, and here!
How do you make elote?
Welp, it’s pretty darn easy. That’s part of the reason it’s something that street vendors serve at festivals and events!
First, keep the husks on. It creates a handle for your street corn. Sometimes they serve elote on a stick but if you have the husk, no need for a stick!
Then, you just grill it straight on the grill or inside on a grill pan. Remove it, slather with mayo and toppings.
Done and done. Seriously, so simple and SO delicious.
What is elote made of?
Well, Mexican Street Corn typically consists of grilled ears of corn topped with mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder, and crema. But, we opted to add a few more ingredients.
Here are the toppings that we added to our loaded elote bar, would love to see what else you would add!
- Mayo. This is the main topping for elote. You slather it on the cooked corn to get all your toppings to stick.
- Mexican Crema. No, this isn’t sour cream! It’s magical and thin-ish and my favorite.
- Chorizo + Bacon. This isn’t usually a topping here, but thought why not add something meaty. Chop it up fairly small so it’s easy to eat off the cob.
- Spices. We chose flaky sea salt, paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Don’t use those all at once though. Might be weird.
- Cilantro. Again, chop this one pretty fine so you don’t eat chunks of cilantro.
- Cotija Cheese. A traditional topping! Plus, who doesn’t want to add more cheese to anything and everything.
- Melted Butter. If mayo isn’t your fav thing, you can do melted butter instead. It’s a great substitute.
- Lime. A nice little spritz of lime juice is the perfect final touch.
When do you serve loaded elote?
That answer is … always. But, actually there are some really great moments to enjoy this loaded elote and most of them occur during the summer.
- Memorial Day. The official kick off to summer! My family has a lake house so we will probably alternate between eating corn and going on the boat!
- Summer Birthdays. My birthday is June 30th and there is always cookout food involved.
- Weekend Family Cookouts. It doesn’t have to be a birthday to enjoy a family cookout, just make sure you bring this recipe.
- 4th of July. While this is a Mexican dish, it should definitely be enjoyed on America’s birthday!
- Labor Day. Sigh, the end of summer. A last hurray to enjoying corn on the cob.
Other summer-time recipes.
While this loaded elote is probably the best summer recipe, here are some additional recipes that you should enjoy by the pool this July!
- Pina Colada Cupcakes. While a Pina colada would be ideal, these cupcakes are a great option too. They are coconut cupcakes topped with pineapple frosting and they are delightful.
- Indoor S’mores. While you can definitely whip up s’mores outside, you can still get the deliciousness without the mess with this recipe.
- Turkey Burgers. These healthy turkey burgers are a great swap from regular burgers. Topped with a jalapeño slaw that is seriously addicting.
Homemade Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup Mexican crema
- 1/2 stick of butter melted
- 1 cup bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 cup chorizo cooked and chopped
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1 Tablespoon flaky sea salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
- Husk your corn, keeping as much of the stalk as possible to use as a handle for eating.
- Prepare grill or warm a cast iron skillet/grill pan to medium heat.
- Cook corn for 2-3 minutes on each side, until it looks charred and starts to “pop,” about 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Prepare elote by using a rubber spatula to spread mayo on corn. Then, add cotija cheese followed by additional ingredients. Finish with a drizzle of crema.
- Serve with a lime wedge and a cold Corona Light!
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