Vegan Mexican Street Corn (Elote)

This vegan Mexican street corn recipe is my new favorite summer grilling recipe. Inspired by the classic grilled elote, this street corn recipe is a delicious plant-based version of a Mexican street food staple.

Course Side

Cuisine Mesoamerican, Mexican, Vegan

Keyword mexican, street food, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Servings ears of corn

Calories 110kcal

Author Michael Kahn

Cost $10

Equipment

Barbecue Grill
Skewers
Parmesan grater
Mixing bowl
Tongs
Culinary torch

Ingredients

The Sauce

3 tbsp Butter Plant Based
2 parts Cumin Finely ground
1 part Coriander Finely ground
2 parts Chili powder Finely ground
2 cloves Garlic Minced fine or pressed
1 Red radish Thinly sliced
4 sprigs Cilantro Chopped
2 tbps parmesan Vegan, Non-grated, hard plant-based varieties only

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Vegan Crema

Start small when mixing in the cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Adjust to your own personal preference, and keep the ratios consistent. I begin with a couple big pinches and build up from there, based on who I'm serving and their tolerance for spices.
Add the plant-based butter, cumin, coriander, chili powder, garlic, and vegan parmesan to a mixing bowl. Melt with your favorite heat source, whether microwave, stove, or the barbecue, until butter is melted. Stir ingredients together.
Add in minced garlic, thinly sliced radishes, and chopped cilantro.
Set aside until corn is ready. This will be poured on top of the ears of corn once served.

Garnish and Pizzazz

Chop some more cilantro to sprinkle on top of the sauce once corn has been served.
Slice some more of those radishes cause they are delicious and you'll probably want some more.

Grilled Corn (Elote)

Gently peel back the husks and remove as much of the stringy stuff as you possibly can. Don't remove the husks to the end completely.
Put the husks back into place, pat each corn, and tell it how good it is.
Soak the husk-covered corn for at least 20 minutes. If you soak the corn longer because you are way better at prepping fun meals than me, then great!
Meanwhile, heat your grill or barbecue to 400 degrees.
Skewer your corn, leaving enough room and balance to hold the corn up, and also hold the skewer in one hand.
Place the corn, husk on, onto the grill. Rotate 1/4 every 3 minutes.

Culinary Torch Pizzazz

As mentioned above, grilling with the husk on retains so much more flavor. However, if you're looking for that slightly charred look to impress your guests with, you're going to need to go the extra mile.
Turn the grill off and carefully peel back the husks. You may need to tie them, using either culinary string or the husks themselves.
Fire up the flamethrower, I mean culinary torch, and gently run it over the corn until they blister. It only takes a hot second, pun intended, for a kernel to turn.

Serve

Place the finished corn on a serving platter, add more radish and cilantro to taste, then gently douse the corn with the Vegan Creme. If your guests are like mine for this recipe, douse will turn into soak. Grate some more vegan cheese on top.
For those of you like myself with an aversion to messy foods, you can use the skewer to balance the corn upright and cut the corn off the cob and into a bowl. Pour some of that sauce on top and now you've turned this into a vibrant salad.

Nutrition