Elote Bowl

This Elote Bowl combines the flavors of traditional Mexican street corn and turns it into a salad. Begin with fresh, in season corn grilled and cut right off the cob, combined with flavor-packed ingredients like radishes and jalapeños, and then coated in a bit of mayo and flavorful add ons like chili powder, cotija cheese, and lime. 

I’m going to be honest with you, when I made this, I tasted it to make sure everything came together well. Then I quickly took pictures and my husband and I immediately started eating it right off the serving dish, switching the fork back and forth between us. It was that good. 6 ears of corn and the 2 of us finished it in one night!

This is such a great summer salad. It can be enjoyed as a side dish or individual salad.

What is elote?

Elote is a popular Mexican street food made from grilled corn on the cob. The corn is typically coated with a mixture of mayonnaise, cheese, lime juice, and chili powder, giving it a delicious and savory flavor. It is often served on a stick and enjoyed as a handheld snack.

This elote bowl takes all of those delicious components, and makes them into something you can eat with a fork. This deconstructed elotes is very similar to esquites. 

It is a great side dish for grilled meats and the perfect potluck or bbq dish. 

Why you'll love this recipe

• Healthy: There's only a little bit of mayo and lots of fresh veggies!
• Crowd Pleaser: You will get nothing but rave reviews for this salad. It's a little spicy, a little different, and totally delicious.
• Easy: Besides a bit of chopping, this dish is simple to make.
• Customizable: Add or remove ingredients as needed to suit your tastes.
• Make-ahead: Put this salad together right before serving or the day before, it will be delicious either way.
• Full of Flavor: Radishes for crunch and bite, jalapeños for heat, green onions for subtle onion-y flavor. Oh, and lots of lime!

Ingredients

• corn
• radishes
• lime
• jalapeno
• mayo
• chili powder
• garlic powder
• cumin
• salt
• green onions
• cotija or queso fresco
• cilantro
• limes 

How to Make an Elote Bowl

To grill corn, remove the husk and place on preheated grill. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning periodically, until corn is tender and slightly charred.

Once corn has cooled, using a very sharp knife, cut off the kernels from the cob.

In a large mixing bowl, add corn, radishes, jalapeno, and green onions. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, mix together mayo, spices, and lime juice.

Stir to combine until the mayo mixture coats the corn mixture.

Place in serving bowl, and top with crumbled cheese and cilantro. Serve with additional lime wedges.

Recipe Tip

Chop everything up in small and uniform pieces for a consistent look and taste. This helps you get a little bit of everything in each bite. 

While grilling the corn is not 100% necessary, it really adds a nice authenticity to the dish! You can also cut cooked sweet corn corn off of the cob and brown it in a skillet, if you would prefer. 

Variations and Substitutions

• Add ¼ cup of melted butter for a richer, buttery taste.
• Add ¼ cup of sour cream for more of a "dressing." You can also make these street corn elotes bowls without mayo by using all sour cream.
• In a pinch, sub in 3-4 cups of frozen or canned corn. If you are using that, brown the corn with a bit of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat for a few minutes to get some color and flavor on the kernels. 

What to serve with elote corn salad?

This corn salad is really flavorful but it goes with just about anything. It screams summer to me! Here are some great dishes and meats to pair with it. 

• ensenada chicken platter
• air fryer salmon
• chicken enchiladas with red sauce
• mexican sweet potatoes with chicken

More salads with corn