Mexican Street Corn Elote Cup
Mexican Corn In a Cup is a less-mess way of serving elote with all its toppings. This DIY fiesta dish is a guaranteed crowd pleaser for everybody from the guy who wants it blazingly spicy, to a kid who just wants a plain cup of corn.
With over 300,000 page views, my elote salad is one of the most popular recipes on this site. Many people have left reviews along the lines of “I loved this recipe and brought it to a party where everyone else loved it too.”
However, I’ll be the first to admit, it’s actually somewhat polarizing for some parties! Some people think cilantro tastes like soap. Others can’t eat onions. Then there are those who think that even mild green chiles are too spicy.
So, I took everything I knew about elote salad and decided that the best solution was to build a DIY bar and let everybody make their own Mexican corn in a cup.
Put a big bowl of corn in the middle, and let each guest grab a cup and fill it with corn, any amount of creamy sauce they prefer, and the toppings they like best. Everybody gets what they want, and everybody is happy!
Why you’ll love this Elotes in a Cup Recipe
- It’s really fun and interactive for a party!
- It’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser for people of all ages, from somebody who wants it blazingly spicy, to a kid who just wants a cup of corn.
- Once you put together the whole spread, it’s an Instagram-worthy party!
What is Elote?
Elote is a popular street food in Mexico. It’s simply corn on the cob (usually boiled or grilled), coated with condiments such as mayonnaise, cheese, lime juice and spices.
Let your guest customize their own Elote Cup
Rather than serving a composed salad, it’s more of a crowd pleaser to serve everything separately, and let party guest assemble their own Mexican Street Corn Salad experience
For those who just want corn, they can stop after that first bowl. But the ones who like it spicy can add green chiles or jalapeños or hot sauce (or all three!).
The ones who want it creamy can add my homemade elote dressing. The ones who want to skip the onions can pass those right on by. In the end, everybody can have exactly what they want.
Elote in a Cup Ingredients
- corn – if it’s in season I’ll definitely use fresh corn kernels cut from their cobs, but if not, canned or frozen corn is a great substitute.
- red onion and/or green onion – you can offer either/or, or both.
- cilantro – a must-have for the best elote!
- limes – it’s easiest to offer small lime wedges so people can grab some and squeeze them into their cups. You’ll also be using limes to make the elote sauce.
- cotija or feta cheese – cotija is a classic for this dish, but feta works if you can’t find cotija.
- monterey jack cheese – a good extra cheese option for people who aren’t into salty/crumbly cheeses
- diced green chiles – adds a mild heat without being as hot as jalapeno.
- fresh jalapeños or jarred or homemade pickled jalapeno peppers – for those who like heat!
- hot sauce – another way to intensify the spiciness for those who are so inclined.
- mayonnaise – the creamy and rich element of the elote sauce.
- sour cream – adds a tangy flavor to the elote sauce.
- garlic – adds depth of flavor to the sauce.
- chili powder – provides a warm and earthy spice to the sauce.
How to make Elote in a Cup
- SAUCE. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Refrigerate it at least 1 hour for best flavor.
- CORN. Saute the corn in a large skillet in a little bit of butter until it is golden brown and delicious.
- SET UP THE BAR. Arrange a big bowl of the corn, the bowl of sauce, and all of other elote ingredients and toppings on a table along with plastic cups and spoons, and have guests assemble their own salad cups.
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Home Chef Tips for making a Mexican Street Corn in a Cup bar
- You can serve the corn simply warmed through, but I like to saute it for a few minutes for extra flavor. I love the brown bits it picks up in the skillet.
- The elote dressing is best when made at least in hour in advance. Stir it up and let it sit in the fridge so the flavors can really meld.
Elote Recipe in a Cup Variations
- MANGO – Certainly not traditional for elote, but add a tropical twist by offering diced mango or mango salsa.
- AVOCADO – Add mashed or diced avocado to the topping offerings.
- BOILED OR GRILLED CORN – If you don’t want to turn your oven on to roast the corn, use my Best Boiled Corn on the Cob or How to Grill Corn on the Cob tutorials to cook it a different way.
How to serve Mexican Corn in a Cup
I like to have small plastic cups on hand for serving. This way, guests can add all of their desired toppings and then really stir up their salad. It’s harder to stir everything up when you have it on a plate with other food.
Place a spoon in the corn, a small ladle (if you have it) or spoon in the sauce, and then a spoon or fork in each topping bowl to keep everything sanitary.
Elote Toppings Suggestions
Beyond the topping ideas in the recipe card below, other options include:
- black beans
- cayenne pepper or Tajin seasoning
- pepper jack cheese
- diced tomatoes
- diced bell peppers
Elote in a Cup Recipe FAQs
The red powder commonly sprinkled on elotes is chili powder or a blend of chili powders.
In Spanish, it is referred to as “Elote en Vaso.”
Elotes are whole grilled or boiled cobs of corn, smothered in cheese and spices and usually served on a stick. Esquites are when the corn kernels are removed from the cob. So technically, this elote in a cup could be called esquites.
Both varieties work well, so choose whichever is available to you, or you like the best.
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Elotes in a Cup Recipe
Ingredients
For the Elote Sauce:
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Corn:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained and patted dry 15.25 ounces
For the Salad Bar:
- 1 can diced mild green chiles drained
- 2 limes cut into wedges
- 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
- ¾ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¾ cup chopped red onions
- ¾ cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese
- ¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup sliced fresh or jarred jalapeño peppers
- hot sauce
- Small plastic cups for serving
Instructions
Make the Elote Sauce:
- In medium bowl, whisk garlic, lime juice, mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder and salt until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before serving.
Make the Corn:
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and half of corn. Cook 4 to 6 minutes or until corn is golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer corn to serving platter or bowl and repeat process with remaining butter and corn.
Serve the Salad Bar:
- Arrange green chiles, limes, green onions, cilantro, red onions, cotija cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, jalapeños, hot sauce, elote sauce, corn and plastic cups on table and have guests assemble their own salads.
Notes
- You can serve the corn simply warmed through, but I like to saute it for a few minutes for extra flavor. I love the brown bits it picks up in the skillet.
- The elote dressing is best when made at least in hour in advance. Stir it up and let it sit in the fridge so the flavors can really meld.
Oh, how I love sweet corn! Honestly, I can eat it even without any other products, but your salad seemed very interesting and original to me. And this means that I will definitely prepare it and write to you here if it liked my family 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by!