Mexican
Esquites (Vegan)
Mexican street corn in a cup with vegan crema, lime, and chile—elote's saucy cousin
snackEasyMexican
Prep10 minCook15 minTotal25 minServes8Tempwarm
✓ vegan✓ gluten-free
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cupscorn kernels(fresh or frozen, charred)
- 2 tbspolive oil(or vegan butter)
- 0.5 cupvegan crema(cashew or coconut based)
- 0.25 cupvegan mayo
- 2 tbsplime juice(fresh)
- 0.5 cupvegan cotija(or nutritional yeast)
- 1 tbspchile powder(or Tajín)
Instructions
- 1Heat oil in large skillet over high heat
- 2Add corn and cook without stirring until charred, about 5 minutes
- 3Stir and char other side
- 4Mix vegan crema and mayo in bowl
- 5Divide corn among serving cups
- 6Top with crema mixture, vegan cotija, chile powder, and lime juice
- 7Serve warm with spoons
Notes
Pro Tips
Char the corn for best flavor—high heat in a dry pan or on grill. Fresh corn is best but frozen works. Epazote adds authentic flavor if available. Serve warm in small cups.
History & Origin
Esquites are the cup version of elote (grilled corn on the cob), sold by street vendors throughout Mexico. The corn kernels are sautéed with epazote or butter and served in cups with the classic elote toppings. This vegan version uses coconut or cashew crema.
Pairs Well With
tequilamezcalbeer
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