Vegan Elote [Mexican Street Corn| Nut-Free]

Transform your corn this summer into delicious vegan elote (Mexican street corn) in under 20 minutes - made with a creamy vegan mayo-lime-chili sauce (nut free!), vegan parmesan, and cilantro!

Creamy, Spicy, Summery Vegan Elote ‘Mexican Street Corn’

If you’re looking for a new favorite summertime side dish, let me introduce you to this vegan elote (aka vegan Mexican street corn). With a combination of sweet corn (also smoky when grilled), a creamy sauce, spicy chili powder, tangy lime juice, and salty vegan parmesan/feta, this Mexican corn recipe is a treat for your taste buds and perfect at summer BBQs and potlucks!

You can use whole ears of corn with or without the husks and prepare this simple Vegan Mexican street corn recipe in just 20 minutes for the perfect way to dress up corns of cob this summer (and ever!).

What Is Elote?

There are two main types of Mexican street corn, esquites, and elote.

Esquites (also called ‘elotes en vaso’) refers to a snack of corn in a cup. In comparison, Elote (meaning ‘tender cob’ and pronounced eh-loh-tay) is a Mexican street corn dish using grilled corn on the cob.

The combination of sweet, savory, salty, tangy, smoky, and spicy makes for an impressive, crowd-pleasing summertime side dish. And the snack is so popular that it’s sold in street carts on almost every street.

Unfortunately, if you’re vegan, this dairy-heavy side dish may seem unattainable. Still, with just a few simple ingredient swaps, it’s easy to make delicious vegan elote at home and enjoy this Mexican corn recipe whenever you’d like! Unlike many other vegan Mexican street corn recipes, this version is 100% nut-free, too!

The Elote Ingredients

This vegan street corn is made up of just 7 simple ingredients.

• Corn on the cob: You can use corn in the husks (and prepare them yourself) or buy pre-shucked corn cobs to save time, though the fresher, the better.
• Vegan mayonnaise: Use your favorite vegan mayonnaise (or make your own).
• Lime juice: Use fresh lime juice for the best flavor. Optionally add lime zest, too.
• Chili powder: Use a milder/hotter variety if preferred. Tajin chili powder (a combination of chili and lime) also works for this vegan elote OR ancho powder for a smoky, sweet, yet mildly spicy flavor.
• Salt: Adjust the amount to taste.
• Vegan parmesan: If you don’t have vegan parmesan cheese, vegan feta would also work, or even vegan shreds in a pinch.
• Minced cilantro: If you’re not a fan of cliantro, parsley will work in a pinch.

What Else Could I Add?

• Vegan mayo/sour cream: Instead of using 100% vegan mayo, you could use a 50/50 combination of vegan mayo and vegan sour cream.
• Vegan butter: If you love buttery corn as much as I do, brush some melted vegan butter over the cooked corn before adding the remaining ingredients.
• Garlic: Add a small amount of garlic powder or minced garlic to the vegan cream sauce.
• Cumin: You can add a small amount of cumin to the Mexican crema.
• Cayenne: Add some cayenne powder to the vegan elote recipe for extra spice.
• Chipotle powder: For a bit of heat plus an extra layer of mild smokiness.
• Chamoy: To drizzle over the prepared Mexican corn on the cob.

How to Make Vegan Elote (Mexican Street Corn)?

Preparing Vegan Mexican Elote is very simple and follows just 4 steps.

• 1) First, cook the corn using your preferred method (grilled, steamed, and boiled methods below).

After cooking the corn, leave it to cool for a short while. Otherwise, the vegan mayonnaise sauce is more likely to slide right off.

• 2) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the vegan mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, and salt, and stir well.

• 3) Combine the vegan parmesan and minced cilantro in a separate bowl (or large plate).

• 4) Brush (with a pastry brush) each corn cob with the vegan cream mixture, then generously cover it with (or roll it in) the vegan parmesan mixture. Repeat with all the remaining corn, then enjoy warm!

Sprinkle the vegan street corn with a further dash of chili powder for color and extra flavor if desired before serving.

How To Cook Corn On The Cob?

Traditionally, Mexican street corn recipes usually use grilled corn, but you can boil or steam it, too.

Boiled corn on the cob: First, remove the husks and silks from the cobs. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully add the corn and cook for 3-6 minutes, or until the corn is tender and bright yellow.

Steamed corn on the cob: Using a tiered steaming pan or filling a pan with a couple of inches of water and adding a steamer above will work for this method. Heat the water over high until boiling, then add the shucked corn cobs and a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 4-7 minutes until tender and bright yellow.

Grilled corn on the cob

You can grill the corn in or out of the husks (soak the corn first for 15 minutes if doing the latter, so the husks don’t catch fire). I prefer to remove the silk and the outer layers of the corn husks, then fold the remaining husks back over the corn. This will help it char but not overly so.

Preheat your grill to high (around 550F/288C). Then add the corn cobs and cover the grill. Allow the corn to cook, occasionally turning, until it’s completely charred on all sides (around 15-20 minutes).

Grilling the corn within the husks helps to keep it from drying out and overly charring while also giving it a nuttier flavor.

However, you can also cook it directly on the grill by brushing them with oil and cooking, occasionally turning, until each side is browned and lightly charred.

You can also use a grill pan on your stovetop using the same method over high heat.

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• Serve with or without a stick: A skewer can help make the vegan elote easier to eat without a mess. Otherwise, leave the stem intact to hold on to.
• Have leftover vegan cream sauce? You can thin it with liquid and use it as a salad dressing.
• Turn it into elote salad: After cooking the corn, slice away the kernels, mix the sauce/toppings into the corn, and serve as a corn salad! You could add pasta.
• If you don’t have a pastry brush/basting brush: You could add the sauce to a tall glass and hold it at an angle as you twist the corn within to thoroughly coat the cob.

Serving Recommendations

You can enjoy this vegan elote as an appetizer or a side dish with almost any Mexican-inspired meals like:

• Butternut squash burritos
• Walnut meat tacos
• Jackfruit tostadas

More so, it’s a wonderful addition to any cookout/BBQ, potlucks, special occasions (like a 4^th of July party), and dinner parties. Either way, get ready to watch this Mexican corn disappear in minutes!

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make ahead: If you plan to grill the corn, you can remove the silk and several layers of the husk and leave them to soak in water for several hours before grilling.

You could also cook the corn and store it covered in the fridge separately from the toppings for 3-4 days. That way, you can reheat it gently and add the toppings when needed.

Store: Once assembled, it’s best to enjoy the Vegan Elote immediately or within a day of preparing it.

Reheat: If the Vegan Elote is fully assembled, I recommend reheating them in the oven at 350F/180C until warm.

More Vegetable Side Dishes

• Crispy roasted sweet potato wedges
• Air fryer asparagus
• Air fryer potato wedges
• Cheesy Hasselback potatoes
• Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes
• Air fryer butternut squash

If you try this easy vegan elote recipe, I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla