Elote Bowl (Esquites)

Overhead shot of an elote bowl surrounded by halved limes, cilantro, a cup of beer, and a white linen.

Ready in just 15 minutes, this elote bowl combines the ingredients for Mexican street corn--earthy, sweet roasted corn, tangy cheese, garlic, bright lime juice, and a touch of spicy cayenne--and removes the mess by serving it in a bowl instead of on the cob. The name for elote in a bowl is esquites! Try it with all of your favorite Mexican dishes.

5 from 49 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 177kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Corn

15 ounces roasted frozen corn kernels
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne plus more for garnish
kosher salt to taste

Sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoons crema or sour cream
½ cup cotija cheese
1 tablespoon lime juice from about 1 lime, plus wedges for serving
2 tablespoons cilantro plus more for garnish

Instructions

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.
Remove the corn from the pan, place in a bowl, and mix with mayo, crema, cotija cheese, lime juice, and the cilantro.
Serve right away, topping with additional cilantro leaves, another dash of cayenne, and lime wedges.

Notes

This recipe is best served right away. However, you can store this in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container.
You can make ahead by preparing the mayo, crema, cotija, and lime juice in a bowl and leaving in the fridge until ready to eat. Heat your corn with the olive oil and seasonings, mix everything together, add the cilantro, and serve.
I don't recommend freezing.
There is no need to thaw the corn before making this recipe.

Nutrition