It’s time for that delicious summer corn!  So crisp and juicy, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy it.  And right up there at that top of this list is elote, or grilled Mexican Street Corn. 

Covered in a cool sour cream sauce, rolled in cheese and seasonings and spritzed with lime, this Mexican Street Corn recipe cooks up tender in a foil packet that keeps the corn warm until your guests can get their hands on it. Not to mention these foil packets can be used on the grill or right in your oven!


4 pieces of Mexican street corn with cojita cheese baked in foil packets.

 

What You Need to Make Mexican Street Corn Foil Packets

  • ears of corn
  • mayonnaise
  • sour cream
  • chili powder
  • cayenne pepper
  • garlic powder
  • salt
  • cojita cheese crumbles
  • cilantro
  • aluminum foil pop up sheets

Cilantro, sour cream, mayonnaise and spices flavor Mexican Street Corn.We use fresh sweet corn when making this recipe.  A little shucking and cleaning renders delicious ears of corn ready to be coated with all the spicy goodness that makes elote so good!

Coating corn in sour cream mixture and sprinkling on spices to make Mexican Street Corn in foil packets.

A mayonnaise/sour cream mixture like this recipe uses to coat the corn is a great substitute for the Crema Fresca used on authentic Mexican Street Corn. 

If I can find the real thing, I always try to use it.  But sometimes I can’t.  And sometimes I’m in a pinch.  Plus, the oils in the mayo melt as it heats up and seep into the corn making it beyond delicious!

A tented foil packet for baking or grilling Mexican Street Corn.Topped with a sprinkling of chili, cayenne, garlic and salt, this corn has a nice kick!  We love that kind of heat around here, so we aren’t shy about how much we sprinkle.  But if spicy heat isn’t your thing, a light dusting would be the way to go.

Then it’s time to wrap it all up in a foil packet.  Foil pop up sheets make this an easy job!

After baking in a foil packet, Mexican Street Corn being served on a platter.The tented foil packets have several benefits that will change the way you think about grilling or cooking corn. 

  1. The packets trap all the steam that the corn naturally releases as it cooks. That trapped steam makes your corn plump, juicy and tender.
  2. They allow the corn to cook in the seasonings and coating, absorbing all those good flavors, instead of just brushing and sprinkling it all on as toppings.
  3. They offer up some versatility.  The packets allow you to cook this corn on the grill or in the oven.  So even if it rains, delicious corn goodness is still on your menu!
  4.  The packets keep the corn warm after they are taken out of the oven or off the grill.  This is a huge benefit when serving street corn at your backyard cookout.

Close up of Mexican Corn after being cooked in a foil packet.

I know you’re going to love the ease of being able to cook and serve this Mexican Street Corn in foil packets!  The Engineer has officially declared it the best corn he’s ever had.  And when the long, tall Texan makes such a declaration, well, he’s usually right on the money.

 

Print
Mexican Street Corn Foil Packets
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: BBQ, cookout, Easy Recipe
Servings: 6 ears of corn
Author: Stacey | Southern Discourse
Ingredients
  • 6 medium ears of corn, shucked and cleaned
  • 1/2 C cojita cheese crumbles
  • 1/2 C Cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1/4 C mayonnaise
  • 1/4 C sour cream or Mexican Crema
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 lime quartered
  • 12 foil pop up sheets
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

  2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix together mayonnaise and sour cream.  Set aside.

  3. Mix together chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt.  Set aside.

  4. Place each ear of corn on an aluminum foil pop sheet.  Brush the mayo & sour cream mixture on all sides. Sprinkle the spice mixture on all sides.

  5. Tent a second foil pop sheet both horizontally and vertically.  Place the tented second sheet on top of the corn and first sheet.  Fold edges of the foil sheets together one or two times around all the edges to create a rectangular packet around the corn.

  6. Bake in the oven or on the grill until tender.  Oven bake time 25 minutes.  Grill time 20-25 minutes.

  7. After grilling or baking, open packets.  Sprinkle corn with cojita cheese and cilantro.  Spritz with lime and serve.

What is a good substitute for Cojita cheese (in case I can’t find it at my store)?

  • Parmesan or Ramona cheeses are good substitutes for an aged Cojita cheese.

Is this a spicy recipe?

  • It is!  But you can make it less spicy by putting less of the seasoning mixture on the corn or by halving the amount of Cayenne pepper used.

Can Mexican Street Corn be served cold?

  • It is traditionally served hot, right off the grill, at food stands in the streets.  So piping hot is when this corn is at its best, but room temperature will work too if you’re making this for a cookout where there is a crowd.

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Making It Easy to Make & Serve

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***Pin These Mexican Street Corn Foil Packets*** 

Spicy, cheese covered corn cooked to perfection in foil packets in the oven or on the grill. This easy side dish is perfect for BBQs, cookouts and Tex Mex dinners. #southerndiscourse #sourcream #cotija #cilantro #lime #MexicanShared this week on Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday.