Vegan Mexican Street Corn Salad (Gluten-Free, Allergy-Free) | Esquites (2024)

This Vegan Mexican Street Corn Salad is everything you love about grilled Mexican street corn without the mess! Fresh, grilled corn on the cob (elotes), sliced off the cob (esquites), and paired with a cool, creamy, and tangy gluten-free, allergy-free mayo-based sauce with cilantro, lime, and a dash of spice! An easy summer side dish recipe!

Sure, it's "fun" to eat corn on the cob, but it can get messy and difficult for serving a crowd. Grilled corn is an essential summer food, a must! So why not make it just a bit easier, but slicing off those slightly charred sweet kernels and toss them in a salad with ALL the classic flavors of Mexican street corn! Yes! The creamy, cheesy, slightly smokey, and spicy street corn, but let's make it vegan too!

What is Mexican Street Corn?

Mexican street corn is a Mexican street food made from grilled corn on the cob, coated in a creamy, tangy, slightly spicy dressing. The mixture is made of mayo, sour cream (or Mexican crema), cotija cheese, lime, chili powder, and a nice sprinkle of cilantro.

How to make Mexican Street Corn Vegan:

Don't worry, we don't need dairy or eggs for this allergy-friendly vegan street corn!

• Corn on the Cob
• Vegan Mayo
• Nutritional Yeast
• Lime
• Cilantro
• Chili Powder
• Black Pepper & Salt

You'll notice I don't use sour cream here. No need with the addition of enough lime juice and mayo, you'll be good to go!

Is Street Corn Healthy?

This recipe for Mexican street corn salad is made with all whole food ingredients, except for the egg-free mayo, so it's a fantastic healthier side dish to serve up while still delivering on ALL the taste you love! It's also:

• Gluten-Free
• Vegan and Vegetarian
• Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Coconut-Free)
• Quick & Easy
• Kid-Friendly

How to Grill Corn on the Cob

The only thing you need to cook for this recipe is the corn. All it takes is a quick, slight char on the corn cobs, though!

1. First, shuck the husks off the corn cobs and lightly brush the corn with olive oil (or directly grease your grill).
2. On an indoor or outdoor gas grill, griddle or grill pan (which is what I used), or electric grill, place the corn cobs on the heated grates, and slightly char the corn for about 10-15 minutes, rotating the cobs with tongs so all sides get some char.
3. Once you get the amount of char you want, remove the corn cobs from the grill and allow them to cool.

How to Cut Corn off the Cob

1. Allow the corn cobs to cool so you can handle them without burning your hands.
2. On a large plate or in a wide shallow bowl, hold the corn cob upright and slice the kernels off the cob using a sharp knife. (I did this in the grill pan).
3. Don't cut so deep into the corn cobs that you remove the hard rough core of the cob with the kernels.

What to do if you don't have a grill

You can roast the corn cobs in the oven using this method and still get a nice roasted smoky taste. If worse comes to worst, you can defrost frozen corn, or even microwave corn cobs, in the husk for about 3-5 minutes. If you want a good smokey taste still, you can add some (about ½ teaspoon) smoked paprika to your Mexican street corn.

How To Make Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad

1. Once you've grilled you corn cobs and cut the kernels off the cobs, you'll add the kernels into a large bowl.
2. Add the mayo, nutritional yeast, lime zest and juice, cilantro, black pepper, salt, and chili powder to taste (if you want it spicy, add more chili powder!).
3. Mix everything together and serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.

Make it Ahead of Time

You can make this vegan Mexican street corn salad ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. I would recommend serving it chilled if you make it in advance, but you could warm it up in the microwave and give it a good mix if desired.

If you have any leftover grilled corn kernels, whip up this no-cook black bean and corn salsa!

Elotes and Esquites

What's an Elote?

Elote is the Mexican word for corn on the cob.

What's Esquites?

Esquites is the Mexican word for corn served in a cup.

What's the difference between Elote and Esquites?

Elotes of actual cobs of corn, typically grilled and eaten with the husks pulled back or on a stick. While, Esquites are when the kernels of the corn are cut off the cob, serving in a cup and eaten with a fork or spoon. This essentially means a grilled Mexican street corn salad is the traditional Elotes served as an Esquite.

More Easy Salad Recipes:

• Simple Summer Corn Macaroni Salad
• Easy Mexican Pasta Salad
• Easy Old-Fashioned Cucumber Salad
• Classic American Macaroni Salad
• Classic American Potato Salad
• Old-Fashioned Three Bean Salad
• French Carrot Salad
• Vegan Egg Salad

Vegan Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe

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This simple, but(exploding with flavor) summer side dish is a must! It's so easy to serve at any cookout, BBQ, or potluck without the mess of the cob and toppings falling off! You can serve this grilled street corn salad in individual cups, making it perfect and safe from cross-contamination too! Cool, creamy, tangy, zesty, spicy, sweet, it's literally EVERY flavor your tastebuds could want!

So tell me:

+ Do you like eating corn on the cob or do you always cut it off the cob?

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