Name: Grilled Mexican Corn with Mayo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 ears corn; 1 tablespoon neutral oil (grapeseed, vegetable, sunflower — or substitute olive oil); 3 tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice; 1/4 teaspoon chili powder; 1/4 teaspoon cumin; Kosher salt; Fresh ground pepper; Cilantro, for garnish

Tangy lime juice complements the rich mayonnaise and fiery chili powder perfectly in this easy grilled Mexican corn with mayo recipe.

Having lived in Indiana for a 15 years now, I can confidently say that corn is the main thing. Like clockwork, roadside stands selling fresh Indiana sweet corn and other seasonal goodies pop up each summer, and our local farmers market sells ears of corn by the dozen. If you’re someone who put salt and butter on your sweet corn every time, you need to give this Mexican grilled corn with mayo a shot. Keep reading for the recipe!

Corn with mayo?

Also known as elote, Mexican grilled corn is essentially charred sweet corn that’s been slathered with tangy chili lime mayo. Authentic elote recipes use Mexican crema as the base for this spread which is a bit like sour cream. However, many recipes use mayonnaise instead!

This Mexican corn with mayo is seriously tasty and deserves a spot in your summer meal rotation. The tangy lime juice complements the rich mayo and fiery chili powder perfectly in this Mexican grilled corn recipe without making the corn taste sour.

Step it up a notch!

To take this simple Mexican corn with mayo recipe up a notch, add a little garlic to the chili-lime mayo. You can also roll the corn in Cotija cheese, which is a delightfully crumbly Mexican cheese. However, Cotija can be tricky to find, so crumbled feta can be used instead for a similar effect.

To be perfectly honest, we don’t think this recipe needs anything extra. Alex and I prefer to keep our recipes as simple as possible, and the combination of slightly smoky sweet corn with the chili-lime mayo hits the spot every time!

How to cook corn on the cob on the grill

If grilling corn intimidates you, don’t panic. At first, it seems like there is some kind of secret formula to grilling corn. Some people swear by the “in the husk” method, but when we tried it we experienced some fire safety issues (don’t worry, we’re both still in one piece).

However, we were happy to find this video from Mark Bittman that shows how you can just shuck the corn and stick it right onto the grill. Yes, it’s that easy! Here are the main steps:

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.
Shuck the corn, but keep a handle: Shuck the corn by peeling down the outside layers one at a time and keeping them attached. Then use kitchen twine or string to tie the leaves together. Rub the corn with oil.
Grill on the grates: Place the corn on the grill and cook until it begins to blacken, then turn. Cook about 12 to 15 minutes total, until blackened on all sides.

Looking for more easy corn recipes?

Outside of this Mexican corn with mayo, here are a few other corn recipes we love:

This Mexican corn with mayo recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.