I tried this recipe for elotes, or grilled Mexican street corn, while at Kingsford University and I was in love! This traditional Mexican street fare is typically made with mayonnaise, chili powder and Cotija cheese. Pair that with the taste of sweet, crunchy summer corn and it’s a match made in heaven.

I’m always looking for ways to enjoy my food while keeping it healthy, too, so I was excited to see that this particular recipe decreases the fat and amps up the flavor by cutting the mayonnaise with yogurt and lime juice, and it uses a seasoning blend of chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper.

As I’ve explored recipes for elotes, I’ve also learned just how important corn is in Mexican cuisine as well as other cultures within the region. Our Grill Girl taco correspondent Uncle Chico shared his recipe for corn riblets and had this to say:

“Corn is sacred in Mexican culture and is considered a ‘gift from the Gods,'” he said in his blog. “A sign of rebirth, it’s an important crop and utilized in so many Mexican dishes like tamales, tortillas and sopes.”

He also reminisced on heading to the beach in Southern California in the early morning hours with his family to grab a fire pit to cook up ears of buttery corn. If that’s not a great summer memory I don’t know what is!

With summer just around the corner (or, if you’re in Florida, it’s been here!), I know we’ll be adding lots of boiled and grilled corn to our outdoor cookouts. While we all have our favorite go-to recipes, you should definitely give these elotes a shot if you’ve never tried it before. Your friends and family will definitely be asking for seconds!

A big thank you to Uncle Chico for sharing his great photos with us, and to Chris Lilly from Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ and Kingsford Charcoal for sharing this awesome (and lower calorie!) version of grilled Mexican corn, street-fare style.

Elotes (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)

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• Author: Robyn
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 5-6 main courses or 10-12 sides 1x

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Ingredients

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• 6 to 8 ears corn
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 5 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 cup Cotija cheese, grated fine
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt

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Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise and lime juice. In another small bowl combine the Cotija cheese, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin and salt.
2. Build a charcoal fire for direct grilling using Kingsford® charcoal. While the grill is heating, remove the corn from the husks.
3. Grill the corn cobs directly over the hot coals (approximately 450˚F) for 6-7 minutes, turning every two minutes until kernels start to soften.
4. Remove the corn from the grill and apply a light coat of the yogurt mixture to each cob.
5. Sprinkle each corn cob liberally with the Cotija cheese mixture and they are ready to serve!

Notes

Thank you to Rico “Uncle Chico” Gubernick for sharing his elote photos!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 6-7 minutes

Want more corn recipes? Check these out!