Esquites, or Mexican Street Corn Cups, are an all-time favorite snack sold by street food vendors all over Mexico! Made with only a handful of inexpensive ingredients, each spoonful of esquites is filled with a creamy, salty, tangy and slightly spicy bite that’s addicting and will keep you coming back for more.
What are Esquites?
Esquites are a popular Mexican snack made from corn mixed with creamy mayonesa (mayonnaise), freshly crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco, lime juice, and chili powder.
It’s commonly sold by street vendors in Mexico and is served in a large cup with a spoon to mix all the delicious ingredients together!
There are different variations of esquites depending on which street vendor you go to – some versions include a broth, others use grilled corn and some have diced chiles and cilantro as optional ingredients.
All the versions are delicious
What’s the difference between Esquites and Elotes?
If you love Elotes (Mexican Street Corn), then you’re going to love esquites! Why? Because they’re practically the same thing – except in a cup and much easier to eat!
Esquites is Mexican street corn served off the cob and in a cup, whereas elotes is Mexican street corn served on the cob.
How to Make Esquites
Making esquites is very easy and only requires about 5 minutes of actual cook time!
First, cook the fresh corn kernels in a skillet with butter, garlic, and a diced jalapeño for 5 minutes. This will bring out some of the sweetness from the corn, as well as give it a little char to add a smoky element.
Then, mix it together in a bowl with mayonnaise, cotija cheese, lime juice, cilantro, and salt.
Esquites is typically served hot, so I recommend serving immediately. Then top each serving with chili powder to taste, more cotija cheese and a lime wedge.
Tips and Variations
- To give the esquites a delicious smoky flavor, grill the corn on the cob first. Then, slice the kernels off and add all the mix-ins.
- The amount of chili powder you use is entirely up to you. When you buy esquites from a street food vendor, the chili powder is usually in a little jar on the side of their cart and you have to season it to your liking. So when you make it at home, I recommend sprinkling a good amount of chili powder on your serving, mixing it all together, tasting it and then adding more until you think it’s just right.
- If you want to make your esquites spicy, leave in the seeds of the jalapeño. You could also use serrano peppers instead for even more heat.
- Don’t like cilantro? You can omit it completely and it will still be delicious!
Esquites are best served hot, but you can eat them cold as well! I’ve eaten leftovers cold with tortilla chips (like a dip) and they were delicious!
If you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
More Mexican Street Foods
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut off the cob (about 4 medium ears of corn)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- juice of 1 lime
- chili powder*, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter, fresh corn kernels, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
- Add mayonnaise, cotija cheese, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Mix until fully combined. Taste and season with more salt and mayonnaise if desired.
- Garnish with chili powder to your liking, a lime wedge, and a sprinkle cotija cheese.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- Chili powder: The amount of chili powder you use is entirely up to you. When you buy esquites from a street food vendor, the chili powder is usually in a little jar on the side of their cart, and you have to season it to your liking. So when you make it at home, I recommend sprinkling a good amount of chili powder on your serving, mixing it all together, tasting it, and then adding more until you think it’s just right. If you want it extra spicy, I recommend using ground cayenne.
- Jalapeño: If you want to make your esquites spicy, leave in the seeds of the jalapeño. You could also use serrano peppers instead for even more heat.
- Grilling: To give the esquites a delicious smoky flavor, grill the corn on the cob first. Then, slice the kernels off and add all the mix-ins.
- Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, you can omit it completely, and it will still be delicious!
Nutrition Information
I made this today but grilled the corn first to add more depth to the flavors. It was so good that we ate this before all our tacos were gone! Thank you, this will make another appearance on my dinner table for sure.
First try. Wow. Grilled the corn and the jalapeno – followed the recipe the rest of the way. Really enjoyed it with some homemade quesadillas. What a terrific recipe, so fresh and delicious.
5 stars!!! My phone won’t let me select but 4. We have a giant family get together for July 4. My nephew always makes fish tacos so I made this for a dip with tortilla chips this year. All these kids that ”hate” mayonnaise were gobbling it up. SO good. I have that genetic thing that cilantro tastes like soap so I kept some out for me. Not enough!! Thank you, I love your site so much.
I needed something authentic to go with the Tex-Mex dinner that I was preparing and decided to try this. It was hard finding fresh corn where I live in April but I did find some.
I made as directed except that I had about 1/4 cup of freshly fired-roasted diced poblano left from a queso sauce that I had just made so I used that instead of jalapeno. My lime was also very juicy so I just used half of it and served slices of the remaining lime on top of the corn so if anyone wanted a bit more it was right there.
It was delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Thank you Dianne!
Just made this for a superbowl snack, it’s only my son and I watching the game! So yummy, can’t wait to share at my next work potluck!
Hi! This recipe looks great and I am wanting to make it for my dads birthday as a fun appetizer. I am wondering do you cook the corn on the cob whole and shave it off after or do you shave it off the cob first and then cook it? Thanks!
Hi Emily! You can do either! For this recipe you shave it off first and then cook it, but you can also grill the corn first and then shave the kernels if you want a more charred flavor.
Mexican street corn salad is delightful!
My last post was auto-corrected & didn’t come thru properly! Sorry
Hi Kathy! I’m glad you and your friends enjoyed this recipe! Esquites are one of my favorites!
I made the escorted for friends who rarely eat Mexicsn food. I asked beforehand if they liked Cilantro & they said NO, so I left it out. Everyone loved it. All the leftovers got the chopped Cilantro & it was even more devine! Thank you.
What kind of Chili is the Chili Powder made of…. is it Chili Ancho…. is it Cayenne….etc….
Hi Lydia! Most Chile powder you find at your local store is a combination of spices. Usually its cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, and some other spices. I hope this helps!
I’m going to make this for this coming weekend. Can I make it an hour or two before serving and keep it warm in the crockpot?
Hi Kelli! Yes, you can! We suggest omitting the garnishes until you’re ready to serve.
I doubled this recipe using five cups of freshly roasted corn, but halved the butter to four tablespoons and kept everything else the same and it was still amazing!
Delicious, thank you so much for the reicipe!
So delicious and flavorful! A new favorite at our house! We enjoyed the street corn with homemade fish tacos. Makes me want to drool just thinking about it all. Soooooo good! I’m excited to try other recipes from here!
I always wanted to try a recipe for Mexican Street corn in a bowl or cup. You say its best served warm. If its made ahead – can it be reheated? Thanks
Hi Donna! Yes, you can reheat them. Hope you enjoy!
This recipe was fabulous! I did not have Cotila cheese so I had to use feta and it still was delicious. Thank you !!
Can this be made ahead of time? I’m hoping to triple the recipe and serve for a little fiesta -themed baby shower!
Yes, it can!
I made this tonight and my husband and I loved it! I made a couple small changes, I only used 2T of mayo as I’m not a mayo fan. I roasted the corn yesterday and cut it off the cob and then today I sautéed the garlic in 2T of butter and then added the corn to heat up and then the rest of the ingredients. I didn’t have the Cojita cheese but had Queso Fresca So I used it instead and it still turned out great. Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so happy you loved it! Thanks for letting me know!
Made it, loved it. Saved it!
I used 4 garlic cloves pf garlic and less mayo . My husband said it could be spicier. Maybe 2 jalapeños next time.
I’m so happy you loved the recipe! Esquites is definitely one of those recipes that is very customizable, and everyone has their favorite way of seasoning it. It’s funny that you mention you’ll use less mayo next time, because I actually prefer it with even more mayo! 🙂 Thanks so much for reading the blog and for trying my recipe! I really appreciate it!
Omg! Just made your recipe and am floored! As good as any street vendor! Well better because this way I can eat as much as I want, 1 cup is never enough! Haha! Thank your for sharing this!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you liked it! That’s some really great praise 🙂