Street Corn Recipe
This street corn recipe makes authentic, flavorful Mexican-style corn on the cob with smoky, cheesy, tangy toppings. Perfect summer side dish!
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn on the cob husked and cleaned
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream or Mexican crema
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika optional, adds depth
- 1 garlic clove minced (optional, but adds nice flavor)
- ⅓ cup cotija cheese crumbled (or feta if needed)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the corn (5 minutes).
- Husk your corn and remove all silk. Rinse and pat dry.
- Preheat grill (10 minutes).
- Heat your grill to medium-high or high heat. You want it hot enough to char the corn.
- Grill corn (8–10 minutes).
- Place corn directly on the grill grates. Rotate every 2–3 minutes until all sides are lightly charred and cooked through.
- Make the sauce (2 minutes).
- In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream (or crema), garlic, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble (3 minutes).
- Brush or spoon the creamy sauce over each grilled ear of corn.
- Top (2 minutes).
- Sprinkle generously with cotija cheese and fresh cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over the top.
- Serve immediately.
- Serve hot with extra lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- Don’t overcook corn or it will get mushy—pull it off the grill when kernels are tender but crisp.
- Mayonnaise and sour cream spread best at room temperature.
- Those grill marks = maximum smoky flavor.
- Street corn tastes best hot and fresh, so serve right away.
- Cut kernels off the cob for a street corn salad version that stores well for up to 4 days.
- Variations: vegan (use dairy-free mayo and cheese), spicy (add hot sauce or chili flakes), cheesy upgrade (parmesan instead of cotija).