This Healthy 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.
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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.
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
Recipe FAQs
Cotija is a hard, crumbly cheese with a strong, salty flavor. It is commonly used as a topping or a garnish in Mexican cuisine, adding a rich and savory taste to dishes like tacos, tostadas, and elote. Queso fresco, on the other hand, is a soft and mild cheese with a slightly tangy flavor. Despite their differences, they both taste good in this corn elote bowl.
No, but 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.
Elotes are grilled corn on the cob coated with a mixture of mayonnaise, cheese, lime juice, and chili powder. Esquites, on the other hand, are a street food dish made from kernels of corn that have been removed from the cob and cooked in a seasoned broth, typically flavored with ingredients like lime juice, chili powder, mayonnaise, and cheese. While they share some common ingredients, the main difference lies in the presentation and preparation of the corn. This Elote dish is very similar to esquites!
More salads with corn
Elote bowl
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn
- 4 large radishes diced
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 jalapeno diced small
- ¼ cup mayo
- ½ tbs. chili powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. salt
- 2 green onions chopped
- 2 oz. queso fresco or cotija
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition
TRINITY F GORZ says
Another great summer salad idea! Must get some corn! not only to try this but to start making corn off the cob for the freezer for fall and winter!
Sarah says
My mom just mentioned that she's going to do this. I need to get to it too!