This Mexican street corn recipe gives you smoky, charred kernels coated in a creamy lime and garlic sauce, then finished with salty Cotija cheese and chili powder. Cooking the corn in a hot skillet instead of boiling it helps the kernels brown and keeps the surface dry enough for the creamy coating to actually stick.
The sauce combines mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, lime, chili powder, and smoked paprika, while Cotija goes on at the end so it stays crumbly rather than disappearing into the sauce. Serve the corn hot alongside homemade chili, classic coleslaw, sloppy joes, or baked beans for an easy cookout side with much more flavor than plain buttered corn.
Ingredients
- 6 ears fresh yellow corn, husked and silks removed
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sour cream or Mexican crema
- 1 small garlic clove, mashed to a paste
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, plus more for finishing
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (60 g) crumbled Cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Mix the coating: Stir the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic paste, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt in a small bowl until the mix looks even and thick enough to sit on a spoon without running. Taste it: you should get garlic and lime, not a thin sour dressing. If it looks loose, add another spoon of mayonnaise instead of more lime. Set the Cotija and cilantro in separate bowls so they are ready the moment the corn comes off the heat.
- Heat the skillet: Set a 12-inch cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until a drop of water sizzles and vanishes. Rub the husked ears with the oil so they are filmed, not dripping. A pool of oil in the pan will fry the kernels and spit; the thin coat on the corn is enough to brown them.
- Char the first batch: Lay 3 ears in the skillet in a single layer. Leave them alone for 2 to 3 minutes, until the underside shows brown blistered spots and the kernels look a little wrinkled. Turn with tongs and repeat until all sides have color, 8 to 10 minutes total. The corn is ready when a kernel pressed with a thumbnail is tender and the cob smells sweet and toasty, not grassy.
- Char the second batch: Move the first 3 ears to a platter. If the skillet looks wet, wipe it out so the next batch doesn’t steam. Repeat with the remaining 3 ears, same heat and turning, another 8 to 10 minutes. Crowding all 6 at once traps steam, and wet kernels won’t hold the mayo later.
- Coat the ears: Work while the corn is still hot enough that you need a towel or tongs to hold it. Brush or smear a thin, even layer of the mayo mix over every side; you should still see kernels through it, not a white blanket. Press the crumbled Cotija onto the wet coating so it sticks in a crust. If you dump the ears into a bowl of sauce and roll them, the cheese melts into a paste and most of it ends up on the platter.
- Finish and serve: Dust with a pinch more chili powder and the cilantro. Put lime wedges on the side and squeeze them at the table, not over the whole platter in the kitchen, so the juice doesn’t thin the coating you just put on. Serve while the ears are still hot; if an ear sat long enough for the mayo to look dull and wet, give it a fresh pinch of Cotija before it goes out.
What I set this corn next to
- A pot of homemade chili – the lime and chili powder on the corn cut through the beef and beans without adding another starch.
- Sloppy joes on a cookout table, when you want a side that isn’t another bun and can be eaten standing up.
- Baked beans, because the sticky-sweet pan needs something salty and charred next to it, not more brown sugar.
- A bowl of classic coleslaw for cold crunch against the hot, creamy cob.
Char now, coat at the table
- The mayo mix can sit covered in the fridge up to 24 hours; stir it before you use it, because the lime settles to the bottom.
- Husk the ears in the morning and keep them wrapped in the refrigerator, and don’t salt them ahead or they weep onto the towel.
- Char the ears close to serving, because dressed corn weeps as it sits and the crust goes slack.
- If the skillet is busy, grill husked ears over medium-high heat, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until blistered, 8 to 10 minutes, then coat the same way.
- If you have to hold the corn, wrap the charred ears in a towel and dress them at the table so the mayo doesn’t sit on hot cobs for half an hour.
Storage
Let leftover dressed ears cool, then refrigerate them in an airtight container within 2 hours; they keep about 3 days in the fridge. Eat them cold, or cut the kernels off the cob and warm them in a skillet over medium heat until they are steaming hot. Mayo and dairy put a clock on a cookout platter, so don’t leave the ears out through a long afternoon. USDA leftovers and food safety has the 2-hour rule.
FAQ
Can you make Mexican street corn without a grill?
A heavy skillet over medium-high heat gives you the same dry char without a grill, and it keeps the grate free for meat. Film the ears with oil, cook 3 at a time, and turn when you see brown spots, about 8 to 10 minutes per batch. The coating sticks the same way as long as the kernels are dry and blistered, not boiled.
Can you use canned or frozen corn?
Canned corn turns this into an off-the-cob skillet salad, not ears you can hold. Drain it, pat it very dry, and toast it in a hot pan before you stir in the mayo, the same dry-heat idea as the cobs. Frozen corn on the cob stays watery as it thaws, so it steams instead of browning and the coating slides. Fresh ears are what this method is built on.
What can I use instead of Cotija?
Finely crumbled feta is the closest swap: salty, dry, and it presses into a crust. Use the same ½ cup and press it on while the mayo is still wet. Parmesan will work in a pinch, but it’s nuttier and less crumbly, so use a little less. Skip shredded melting cheese; it turns greasy on hot corn and won’t give you that sandy crust.
