How to Make Elote with Canned Corn

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This Elote in a cup tastes just like its fresh off the grill. When cooked on the stove top and by adding fresh lime juice and garden chopped cilantro this corn in a cup tastes just like authentic Mexican street corn.
Elote Mexican street corn in a cup made with canned corn.

Elote, also known as Mexican street corn, is a crowd favorite that began being sold in the streets of Mexico during festivals. When served on the street, Elote is usually served on a stick or in cups. In those cups, the roasted corn is seasoned with an aromatic blend of spices, mixed with mayonnaise, sour cream, Cotija cheese, and topped with fresh cilantro.

Elote is creamy and rich in flavor and mostly enjoyed when it is freshly squeezed with lime juice and sprinkled with chili lime salt. When serving this dish to a crowd the cup tends to disappear fast!

Mexican street corn is a side dish that can be enjoyed in summer months while outside barbecuing. The savory sweet flavor goes great with Mexican street tacos or grilled chicken tacos.

Mexican street corn in clear cups with spoons inside each cup of canned corn elote.
To spice up this elote recipe with canned corn, top it with some crushed hot Cheetos.

A few Mexican inspired main dishes that serve well with this corn are.

  • Enchiladas
  • Cilantro Lime Rice
  • Mexican Tostada
Two cups of elote Mexican street corn garnished with lime.
This Elote in a cup is a mess free way to enjoy Mexican street corn.

Recipe Highlights

  • This elote recipe features canned corn so it’s easy to make on the stove. No messy corn-on-the-cob to husk or outdoor grills to fire up.
  • Save time when you’re ready to assemble the corn cups by preparing the “dressing” beforehand. You can also chop the cilantro and slice the lime ahead of time.
  • This popular Mexican side dish is a great way to use fresh cilantro from the garden.
  • Recipe yields 6 individual elote (Mexican street corn) cups.

Tips for Making Elote with Canned Corn

Two cups of elote Mexican street corn garnished with cotija cheese, cilantro and lime.
I love serving Mexican street corn in a clear cup so you can see all the golden corn and delicious toppings.

One of the most convient ways to cook fresh corn on the cob is by grilling.

Mexican corn is a popular summer side dish that is known for being roasted over an open pit and topped with a creamy “dressing” sprinkled with a Mexican blend of spices. When served Elote is usually made using fresh corn on the cob.

However, Elote can still be enjoyed using canned or frozen corn and the taste is similar when being compared to grilled corn.

If using frozen corn, make sure to defrost your corn by placing the bag in a bowl of warm water. Drain any liquid from corn and once thawed, add to your pan with no oil or butter.

Mexican Corn seasoning: If you make foods like chili or tacos often you should have most of these seasonings on-hand. Authentic Mexican corn is made using cumin, chili powder, and chili lime salt. To have your canned corn taste similar to this festival food, add a hint of chipotle powder, and top with lime juice and freshly chopped cilantro.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Ingredients to make elote Mexican street corn in cups using canned corn.
It’s easy to make elote with canned corn when you can’t get fresh corn.
  • Canned Corn or Frozen Corn
  • Mayonnaise
  • Sour Cream (I recommend Playero)
  • Cotija Cheese or Parmesan Cheese
  • Chili Lime Salt (I recommend Tajin)
  • Chili Powder
  • Fresh Chopped Cilantro
  • Fresh Lime Juice

Playero: I highly recommend using Playero as part of your sour cream mixture when making this Mexican street corn. This brand of sour cream can be found in the ethnic section of most grocery stores or you can order this product online.

The difference between American sour cream and this Mexican sour cream in taste is that the Mexican style sour cream is thinner in texture and rich in flavor.

Playero has changed the way I enjoy Elote forever. You have got to get your hands on this product and see for yourself.

This dish is best served with Cotija cheese, but if you cannot find Cotija cheese at your local grocery store, this meal can still be made using a cheese substitute that is similar in taste.

What is Cotija Cheese?

Cotija cheese is an aged grated cheese blend that is best compared to Parmesan cheese. The difference between the taste of grated Parmesan cheese and Cotija cheese is that Cotija cheese has a slightly creamier texture packed with a rich taste when compared to Parmesan cheese.

You absolutely can use Parmesan cheese if that’s what you have on-hand, some people even use Crumbled feta cheese. However, I find that when cooking this Mexican style corn on the cob, Cotija cheese is the best brand of cheese you can use if you want that authentic taste straight from Mexico.

When making Elote, it’s usually made with fresh corn on the cob cooked on a grill. But what if you do not have access to a grill? If you are looking for that roasted taste, you may pan- grill your corn.

What is Pan-Grilled?

Pan- Grilled is a method of cooking with a pan on a stove top.

For this recipe, it’s how we’re going to give the canned corn a fire-roasted grilled taste.

When pan-grilling corn all you need to do is add it to a hot skillet with a little melted butter.

Don’t add any liquid. The goal is to get a caramelized taste.

You may also use frozen corn, but it needs to be thawed and patted dry with a paper towel before grilling.

In my opinion, canned corn produces a better result and is crisper than thawed frozen corn kernels.

Assembling Mexican Canned Corn in a Cup

Making the mayonnaise sauce for Mexican street corn.
This easy recipe for Mexican street corn in a cup combines equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream to add to the canned corn.

To save time, you can prepare the mayo/sour cream mixture and chop the fresh cilantro ahead of time.

Once the corn is cooked here is what you do.

  1. Combine the grilled canned corn with the mayo/sour cream mixture. If you prefer, you can serve the corn with a scoop of the sauce on top instead of mixed in.
  2. Place the canned corn into clear cups.
  3. Layer on the cotija cheese, chili powder and chili lime salt.
  4. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a lime wedge.
  5. Be sure and squeeze some lime juice on before eating.

For more Mexican-inspired corn recipes, check out Elote with Hot Cheetos (Cheelotes) and Mexican Corn on the Cob.

Elote in a cup made with canned corn, Mexican spices, cotija cheese and lime.

Elote with Canned Corn

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Easy recipe for authentic Mexican street corn. This elote tastes just as if it was freshly grilled and can be cooked all from the convenience of your kitchen. The best part about this dish is you can use canned or frozen corn.

Ingredients

  • 3 canned corn, 11 oz. each
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 3/4 cup cotija cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili lime salt
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
  • 1 lime

Instructions

  1. Drain canned corn.
  2. Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add single layer of corn to skillet and grill for 3-4 minutes until corn begins to turn golden brown. Depending on size of skillet, you made need to repeat this process. Divide butter if corn is grilled in multiple turns.
  3. Allow corn to cool. Meanwhile, stir together mayonnaise and sour cream in a small bowl. Chop cilantro, slice lime into six wedges. Set aside.
  4. Once the canned corn has cooled stir the mayonnaise/sour cream sauce into it.
  5. Assemble the Mexican Street Corn in a cup by evenly dividing corn into six cups. Top the elote with cotija cheese, chili powder, chili lime salt and cilantro. Garnish each cup with a fresh lime wedge.

Notes

Assembling Elote with Canned Corn

  • Elote Mexican Street Corn can be prepared and served as directed in the recipe or served with toppings on the side.
  • To enjoy all the flavors throughout, the canned corn and toppings can be layered into the cups.
  • Optional Toppings: Crushed hot Cheetos or hot sauce
  • Mild Variation: Mild Cheetos

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 199Total Fat: 8.04gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 11.8mgSodium: 676.56mgCarbohydrates: 31.02gFiber: 3.28gSugar: 5.90gProtein: 5.93g

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