This Vegan Elote is a perfect grilled vegetable to eat. It’s salty, fresh, and buttery. It’s easy to make and quick to do. It calls for only a handful of ingredients to make this delicious grilled Mexican street corn.
I first tried this delicious treat in Mexico. It was delicious and I wanted to make it myself. Elote is the Mexican word for corn. But this is not any corn. It’s grilled, then coated in queso fresco and cotija cheese. It is then sprinkled in chili powder or sriracha. Squeeze the juice of a lime on top and it’s gorgeous.
While not traditional, this recipe is my version of the elote I had tried. It is easy to make and so flavorful. The charred marks give an extra interesting twist.
Check it out below!
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Ingredients
- Corn. Freshly shucked corned is best for this. It won’t be too dry. The fresher the better.
- Vegan Cheese. Traditional Elote uses cotija cheese which is kind of like feta cheese. But you can also use a vegan parm. My favorite is the crumbled Follow Your Heart Parmesan.
- Butter. Any type of vegan butter will do. Just melt it and add the flavorings. It will keep the corn moist and plump while in the oven. It also gives flavor.
- Mayonnaise. For this recipe, you will make an Aoili, which is basically mayonnaise with flavorings. Use your favorite vegan mayo to make it.
- Lime Juice
- Garlic. Both Garlic powder and garlic cloves will be used.
- Ancho or Guajillo chili powder. To give a little kick. You can also use paprika.
How to grill this Vegan Elote
The traditional way to cook elote would be to throw it onto some hot coals, but some people can’t do that.
If you don’t have a grill, you can always bake them in the oven and then finish it with a blast under a broiler. This should give a charred look, but be sure to not burn it and ruin your hard work.
You can also get a grill pan. It’s a cast iron pan with raised lines. Once it gets hot, it creates grill marks. A pseudo grill if you will.
I went over with a kitchen torch to create extra char on top. But this is optional.
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Vegan Elote
Equipment
- cast iron or grill pan or grill
Materials
- 3 ears of shucked corn
Garlic butter (for basting)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt (to taste)
Aoili Topping
- 2 tbsp mayonaise
- 1 tsp nutrional yeast
- 1/2 tsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
To finish…
- 1/4 cup finely crumbled vegan parmesan, feta, or 2 tbsp nutrional yeast
- chopped cilantro (for garnish)
- ancho or guajillo chili powder
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Cooking the corn
- If your corn isn't shucked, remove the husks and rinse under cold water to clean it. Pat dry. If using an oven, preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Melt the vegan butter in the microwave or a small saucepot. Mix with garlic powder and minced garlic clove. Mix with a pinch of salt.
- Lay your corn in a cast-iron skillet or grill pan and brush with the garlic butter. Bake for 10 minutes. Take out and turn corn. Brush with garlic butter and bake for another 10 minutes. Repeat until all sides are cooked. should take a total of 30-40 minutes. Make sure to leave a little for the end.
- To get char marks, leave under the broiler for an additional ten minutes. I also used a kitchen torch to help the color, but this is optional.
Finishing Touches
- Make the Aoli and leave it to rest.
- Brush corn with remaining garlic butter on all sides. Brush Aoli on top and sprinkle vegan cheese of choice on top. Garnsih with cilantro and chili powder.
- Enjoy warm with a squeeze of lime on top
I hope you try this recipe. If you tried this recipe, let me know in the comments below.
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Comimos este maiz o elote juntas en Monterrey y tambien con papi. Es tan grande que con un elote comimos tres!