Elote Bowl (Esquites)

Do you love elote, the charred Mexican street corn that's coated in mayonnaise, cotija cheese, lime juice, and spices? This elote bowl, commonly known as esquites, will provide all of the flavor with none of the mess.

Jump to:

• What You'll Need
• How to Make Esquites
• Variations
• FAQ
• Expert Tips
• How to Store
• How to Make a Meal
• Recipes You'll Love
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Born and raised in California, I have always been a huge fan of Mexican food. In Los Angeles, where I've lived the past 14 years, there are street vendors who sell elote. It is addictively good - creamy, salty, citrusy - and kind of messy, too.

Esquites is the same dish: earthy, sweet roasted corn, tangy cheese, bright lime juice, and a little bit of spice from cayenne or chili powder. It's just in a bowl.

To make this recipe even easier, use roasted frozen corn. This will eliminate the need to cut the corn off of the cob and makes this recipe available to you year-round!

So if you're in the middle of winter and need some warm summer flavor, give this recipe a try. I can't say you'll be instantly transported to the beach, but it will be extremely tasty.

What You'll Need

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• Corn To make your life easier, I recommend buying roasted frozen corn kernels. I've found this at many local grocery stores.
• Mayonnaise You can pick up your favorite jarred version, or make your own easy homemade mayonnaise.
• Crema Mexican crema is a creamy condiment similar to sour cream. If you can't find crema, you can use a bit of sour cream.
• Cotija Cheese This is an aged Mexican cheese made from cow's milk. It crumbles easily and is similar to a mild feta. If you can't find cotija cheese, the most common alternatives are feta, queso fresco, or parmesan.
• Lime If fresh limes aren't available, you can use bottled lime juice.
• Cilantro Fresh cilantro here is best. I would not recommend substituting with dried. If you can't find fresh, feel free to omit.
• Garlic Powder You could also cook a bit of fresh, minced garlic with your corn.
• Cayenne A bit of cayenne is my preference here, but you could also use some chili powder.
• Kosher Salt I always recommend kosher salt when cooking. It coats food more evenly, and is less concentrated than table or sea salt, making it harder to oversalt your food.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil I use olive oil, but you could use butter too.

How to Make Esquites

Step One Place a pan on medium heat, add olive oil, then add your frozen corn. Sauté until the corn is defrosted and heated through. Season with garlic powder, cayenne, and salt.

Step Two Remove the corn from the pan, place in a bowl, and mix with mayo, crema, the cotija cheese, lime juice, and some of the cilantro.

Step Three Serve right away, topping with additional cilantro leaves, another dash of cayenne, and lime wedges.

Variations

Sour Cream If you can't find crema, try using some sour cream in its place. It will be a bit tangier.

On the Cob For a more traditional Mexican elote recipe, grill a whole ear of corn and baste your sauce ingredients on the exterior of the corn.

Different Cheese If you can't find cotija, try a bit of feta or some grated parmesan instead.

FAQ

Expert Tips

• If you can't find crema and feel that sour cream is too tangy, try thinning sour cream with a bit of cream. Alternately, just add a bit more mayo. I've made it this way on vacations and everyone has loved it.
• There is no need to thaw your corn before tossing it in the pan. It will come to temperature fairly quickly.
• Be sure to add your seasoning to the corn after it has heated for a while so that any melting ice on the exterior doesn't wash away those flavors.

How to Store

It is definitely my preference to eat this Mexican-style street corn right after it has been prepared.

However, you can store this in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container. I recommend waiting to add the cotija until you are ready to eat. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before you would like to serve to come to room temp.

Alternately, you can store your cooked corn and the remaining ingredients separately. When ready to serve, reheat the corn in a pan with a bit of oil, then add the mayo, crema, cheese, cilantro, and lime juice.

I don't recommend freezing. As with many dairy products, the texture becomes strange. No one likes weird reheated dairy.

How to Make a Meal

Mexican street corn is a fantastic side for all sorts of meals. Here are some ideas to try:

Carne Asada Quesadilla Top the quesadilla with some Pineapple Pico de Gallo, Pineapple Habanero Salsa or Chipotle Southwest Sauce with a super flavorful meal.

Quesabirria Stack This would be a perfect side for this delicious Quesabirria Stack!

Steak Make some of this ranchera meat to serve with your elote corn recipe and some rice.

Tacos Try serving alongside these Spicy Potato Soft Tacos and add Pineapple Habanero Sauce for some extra kick!

Enchiladas Make some Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas and Spicy Pickled Onions to serve with your Mexican corn.

Chicken This would be an amazing side for these breaded Italian Chicken Cutlets

Pork Try this amazing smoked pork butt!

Recipes You'll Love

Try these other flavorful sides:

Crispy Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes

Sautéed Sweet Potatoes

Calabrian Potatoes

📖 Recipe