Corn In A Cup (Elote En Vaso) Recipe
If you want to imagine yourself walking through the streets of Mexico City, holding a freshly-made, creamy, saucy, sweet and spicy corn in a cup, or elote en vaso, in your hand, then this recipe is for you. Traditionally, elote en vaso is made by grilling corn until it's partially blackened, cutting the kernels off the cob, and then putting them into plastic cups for hungry street shoppers. It's a way to make elote, a typical Mexican street food, more portable.
You can find this delicacy sold all over the streets of Mexico City, and it's one of the most craveable foods imaginable. However, replicating this recipe at home doesn't mean you need to pull out the charcoal grill. Food blogger Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table has found that using frozen corn will get you similar results to the traditional dish with much less work required. Keep reading to find out how to make this homemade corn in a cup recipe, and fall in love with casual Mexican cuisine.
Gather the ingredients for corn in a cup
To make this Mexican delicacy, you'll need a package of frozen corn, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, salt, limes, chili powder, crumbled Cotija or feta cheese, fresh cilantro, and Mexican hot pepper sauce, if you like things spicy.
We have found that using frozen corn and charring it in your oven works the same way as grilling it, giving the corn kernels some color and texture, but requiring a fraction of the time. Unfortunately, using canned corn will not give you the same results, so stick to the frozen food aisle when shopping for this ingredient.
Broil the corn kernels
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat. Arrange the frozen corn kernels on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Broil under the grill setting, or at 500 F, in the oven for 10 minutes, watching it carefully. The corn should be golden brown in spots, but not burnt.
Assemble the elote en vaso
In a bowl, mix together the mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, and lime juice to make the Mexican crema. Spoon ¾ cup of the charred corn into 4 cups. Top each cup with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Mexican crema, 2 tablespoons Cotija cheese, a few dashes of hot sauce, a lime wedge, and diced cilantro. Sprinkle chili powder on top.
Serve the corn in a cup
Serve your freshly-prepared corn in a cup immediately, or refrigerate for later. It will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, so feel free to make it ahead. You can decide to mix the corn and crema ahead of time, but your corn will get soggier and lose some of its texture overtime. It also prevents you from being able to add more or less crema to each cup, which can be done to taste.
- 1 package frozen corn
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 ¼ cups crumbled Cotija cheese
- 10 dashes Mexican hot pepper sauce
- Lime wedges, for serving
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat. Arrange frozen corn kernels on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Broil in the oven for 10 minutes, watching it carefully to avoid burning.
- In a bowl, mix together mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, and lime juice to make the Mexican crema.
- Spoon ¾ cup of the charred corn into 4 cups. Top each cup with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Mexican crema sauce.
- Top each serving with 2 tablespoons Cotija cheese, a few dashes of hot sauce, lime wedges, and diced cilantro. Sprinkle chili powder on top, and serve.
| Calories per Serving | 461 |
| Total Fat | 39.8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 63.7 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 18.6 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.7 g |
| Total Sugars | 2.8 g |
| Sodium | 752.0 mg |
| Protein | 10.5 g |
