I remember the first time I tried Elote. One of my favorite local restaurant serves “Mexican Corn Wheels” and when I tried them, it was love at first bite. Later I learned that their recipe was based on a Mexican dish called Elote.
I’ve tried Elote at various places (including numerous restaurants, Disneyland, and even a food stand in Ensenada, Mexico – see photo below) but none have compared with the deliciously creamy and tangy corn wheels at this restaurant.

When I obtained their ingredients list, I immediately set to work on re-creating the dish. My final recipe is below. You can either slather the sauce onto some corn on the cob or mix it in with cooked cut corn – whatever suits your fancy!
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup feta cheese (see note below)
- 1/4 cup cilantro (or parsley, if you don’t like cilantro)
- Red pepper flakes (or paprika)
- 4 corn on the cob OR 2 bags of frozen corn (1 lb per bag)
Note: You can replace the feta cheese with 1/4 cup of cotija cheese, if you want the dish to be even more authentically Mexican. The restaurant I like uses a blend of feta and Romano, although I think it tastes great with just feta.
Directions:
For the sauce:
- Wash the cilantro by swirling the cilantro bunch in a bowl full of water. Dump the water out and repeat the process until there is no more dirt in the water.
- Chop off and chop up the cilantro leaves that you need (the stems are edible, just chop them small if you’re using them)
- Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, feta and Romano cheeses, and cilantro into a bowl.
- Then juice the lime and pour it into the bowl too.
- Mix the ingredients together and voila, you have the sauce!
For the corn, if using corn on the cob:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil (don’t fill it to the top – make room for the corn)
- Peel the husks and silky threads off the corn and drop the corn into the boiling water
- Bring the water back to a boil and cover, boiling for an additional 5 minutes
- Remove the corn with tongs and let them cool on a plate for a minute or so!
- Slather the sauce onto the corn and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or paprika.
For the corn, if using frozen cut corn:
- Pour the frozen corn into a skillet and saute on medium for about 7-10 minutes, until the corn is hot and you see steam rising
- Strain the corn and discard the water
- Pour the corn into a bowl and add the sauce.
- Stir and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or paprika. You’re done! If you want more tang, add more lime juice and mix it again.
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