Elote, or Mexican street corn, is one of my family’s favorite 4th of July sides. It’s creamy, zesty, spicy, and sweet—everyone always wants seconds!
When I host my family’s 4th of July cookout, I always serve fresh corn in some form. Sweet, juicy, and vibrant yellow, it’s one of my favorite summer vegetables (if not my favorite vegetable, period). I can’t imagine a July 4th meal without it.
Corn salads have made appearances, as has simple boiled corn on the cob. But the corn dish that my family absolutely can’t get enough of is this Mexican-inspired elote recipe.
Here’s why we love it:
- It’s so easy. I’m talking 6 ingredients and 30 minutes! Just make classic grilled corn on the cob, then add all the fixings.
- The flavors are fantastic. I slather the ears with zesty lime mayo, then sprinkle on chili powder, cilantro, and Cotija cheese. The combination is creamy, crunchy, sweet, smoky, and bright. Corn on the cob doesn’t get better than this!
- Everyone can assemble their own. Between my sister’s immediate family and mine, we have three kiddos and several spice skeptics. So it works out well that everyone can decide what they want on their corn. It’s a fun party activity too—I love getting everyone involved in the cooking!
I can’t wait to make (and eat!) this recipe at our 4th of July celebration on Friday.
If you want to serve it at yours too, make sure to buy double the corn you think you’ll need. Everyone will want seconds!
L&L reader Crystal agrees: “I have never tried elote before and this was the only way to get it without traveling. YUM! Next time we will buy more corn so everyone can have seconds!”
Get the recipe:
Want to make this elote recipe? Here are a few tips:
- Buy the freshest corn you can. The sweeter and juicier it is, the better. If possible, get local corn from a farm stand or farmers market. If you’re shopping at the grocery store, choose fresh corn in the husks instead of small ears wrapped in plastic.
- Make it extra-creamy. For simplicity’s sake, I brush my elote with just mayo and lime. But if you’d like to make it even creamier, you can use a mix of mayo and Mexican crema or sour cream. Mayo and Greek yogurt would work well too!
