Grilled Elote

Ingredients

• 6 ears Corn kernels, husked
• 3 tbsp Olive oil mayonnaise
• ⅜ cup Plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 2 Lime
• 1 ½ tsp Chili powder
• ½ tsp Smoked paprika
• 1 clove Garlic, grated
• 3 oz Queso fresco, crumbled fine
• ⅜ cup Cilantro, chopped
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt

Method

1. Get the grill hot — you want real char, not gentle browning.
2. Whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt, the juice of one lime, garlic, half the chili powder and the salt into a loose crema.
3. Grill the corn 8-10 minutes, turning every 2, until blistered black in patches on all sides. Those black spots are the flavor; pale grilled corn is just boiled corn that took longer.
4. Brush each ear with crema while it is still hot enough to melt into it.
5. Roll in the cheese, then dust with the rest of the chili powder and the paprika. Cilantro and the second lime, cut into wedges.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Crumble the cheese as fine as you can so it sticks. A coarse crumble falls straight into the plate.

🧒 For the kids

Cut the ears in half for smaller hands, and hold the chili powder on theirs — the crema and cheese alone is plenty.

🌿 From the garden

Corn picked the same morning is a different vegetable. If a farm stand is within driving distance in August, this is the recipe that proves it.

🥡 Leftovers

Cut the kernels off leftovers and stir them into a bowl of the crema for esquites, which is the same thing eaten with a spoon.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.