Mexican Corn Cups (Esquites)

Mexican corn cups (a.k.a. esquites) are so easy to make!

This healthy snack is loaded with flavour from lime, mayonnaise, Cotija cheese and grilled corn.

There's not much that beats the flavour of fresh grilled corn in the summer. Eaten with a smear of salted butter, it's easily one of the best summer eats you can have.

(Second only to fresh pico de gallo.)

There's something about the sweet/charred flavour combo that just makes grilled corn so satisfying!

I can't eat grilled corn off the cob anymore though (the joys of having a crown on a broken front tooth!), so I decided to cut the kernels off and make a version of the the Mexican corn snack in a cup known as esquites, or elote en vaso (corn in a cup).

✈️ My Experience with This Dish

When I went to Mexico a couple of years ago, I tried esquites for the first time. The version from the snack bar on the resort was basically boiled corn placed in cups with mayonnaise, Cotija cheese and chili powder.

It should have been good, but what arrived was a tiny spoonful of corn topped with a mountain of mayonnaise and cheese.

I suspected that what I had been given was far from the real deal. Resort food is rarely a good representation of any country's cuisine.

Earlier this year I decided to try esquites again, this time from a popular Mexican restaurant in my area.

They called their dish a Mexican Street Corn Cup. This version was infinitely better than what I had at the resort in Mexico.

The soft sweet corn paired with Cotija cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, chili powder and lime juice was super delicious.

I decided that I wanted to try making the dish at home, using grilled corn instead of boiled or sautéed corn.

After doing some research, I found that sometimes Mexican corn stands will make esquites with grilled corn and then top them with mayonnaise or a creamy product called crema.

I did find crema at my local Mexican grocery, but it can be tough to find so I decided to make my Mexican corn cup recipe with mayonnaise instead.

🛒 Tips for Buying Corn on the Cob

When it comes to buying corn, your best bet will always corn from a farm stand. The sugars in corn begin to convert into starches from the moment it's harvested, so the fresher the corn, the sweeter the flavour.

In Canada, the only corn we have available for most of the year is packages of partly-husked ears (shown above).

These are never as nice as the whole ears of husk-on corn that show up in huge boxes at the grocery in the middle of summer, but you can make them work. 

🧀 What is Cotija Cheese?

For the cheese, I used Cotija cheese which is a crumbly Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk. It's similar to Feta cheese, but it's far less salty and has a milder flavour overall.

I bought my Cotija cheese from a family-owned Mexican grocery store, but I've been told that Whole Foods and Sobey's may have it as well.

If you can't find it, you can use Feta instead, but be sure to add less salt to the recipe (you might not need any).

🧑🏽‍🍳 How to Make Mexican Corn Cups

This recipe is actually really simple when you break it down. You're basically going to husk your corn, grill it, create the sauce, mix it together with the corn and serve it. Simple!

The hardest part is finding the ingredients, but if you don't mind substitutions you should be able to get everything at your local supermarket.

🌽 Tips for Cooking Corn on the Cob

To roast corn on the cob, you can remove the silk and wrap them in tin foil for tender corn, or remove the husks and silk completely and grill them directly for chewier charred kernels.

Grilling fresh husked corn takes about 10 minutes, but corn wrapped in foil or left in the husk will take almost twice as long.

If you'd rather boil your corn, add your cobs to salted boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes. Fresh corn will take about 3 minutes to cook, older corn takes twice as long.

If you're boiling corn that isn't very fresh, you can add a bit of sugar to the water to boost the sweetness of the corn. About 2 tablespoons of sugar in 4 quarts of water should work if you don't want it to be overly sweet.

Options for Roasting the Corn

You can roast your corn on either a gas grill or charcoal grill, whichever you prefer.

(If you need help getting started with charcoal grilling, check out my charcoal grill guide for beginners.)

If grilling outdoors isn't an option, and you don't have a grill pan, you could pan-sear your corn instead.

You have a couple of options for how you grill the corn as well. You could wrap your corn in foil (or leave it in the husks with the silks removed), or roast the bare corn directly on the grill grates.

For this recipe, I prefer the chewy texture of corn that is cooked directly on the grill. The charred flavour is a bonus that works really well against the creaminess of this dish. 

That being said, if you're worried about overcooking your corn, you can cook it in tin foil or in the husk first (which will take about 16-20 minutes), then unwrap them and char the cobs on the grill.

🔪 How to Cut Corn Kernels off the Cob

I like to hold my corn vertically when I cut off the kernels, but if you find this tricky you can lay the corn down on the board instead. Just cut off a strip of kernels to create a "flat" side, then lay the flat side down on the board and continue cutting off the kernels in strips all the way around each cob.

There's no wrong or right way, just do what's easiest for you (and keep your fingers out of the way!).

⏱ TIME SAVING TIP: Use Frozen Corn!

If you're really strapped for time, you can even make this recipe with frozen corn.

To Make Recipe with Frozen Corn:

1. Rinse 3 cups of frozen corn under warm water to quickly defrost it. Drain thoroughly. 
2. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the drained corn to the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes. The corn will be juicier when cooked for less time, but will take on tasty browned bits if you leave it in the pan longer. 
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then add to mayonnaise mixture and continue with the recipe. 

🥣 How to Assemble the Mexican Corn Cups

Once you've finished grilling the corn and cutting off the kernels, it's all downhill from there.

You're just going to mix your mayonnaise, lime juice and chili powder together, add the corn, and then get ready to assemble the cups.

Make Ahead: If you want to make this dish ahead of time for a party, you can grill the corn, cut off the kernels and store them in the fridge for later. You can make the mayonnaise mixture ahead of time too, but leave everything unassembled until the last minute.

If you want do, you can add a bit of sour cream for tanginess or throw in some cayenne pepper if you want to make it spicy. The recipe is pretty flexible that way.

If you don't want to serve the corn in cups, you can use small bowls instead. The idea is just to layer the corn mixture with the cheese so you can get a bit of everything in each bite.

If you want to be fancy, you can decorate the tops of your Mexican corn cups with extra chili and a little cilantro but the dish is just as tasty without all of the garnishes.

I do like to serve this with lime wedges though, because the acidity helps to cut through the richness of the mayo and cheese.

If you end up making this dish, let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

Happy Cooking!

🖨 Printable Recipe

Mexican Corn Cups (Esquites)

Mexican corn cups (a.k.a. esquites) are so easy to make! This healthy snack is loaded with flavour from grilled corn, lime, mayo, cheese and more.

4.67 from 12 votes

Created By: Shareba

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PREPARATION TIME 10 mins

COOK TIME 10 mins

TOTAL TIME 20 mins

COURSE Snack

CUISINE Mexican

SERVINGS 4 servings

CALORIES 157

Equipment

• Grill

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, for brushing the grill
• 4 ears corn, husked (or 3 cups of frozen corn, see note)
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons lime juice, plus extra lime wedges for serving if desired
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, plus extra for sprinkling (ancho, chipotle, your favourite mix)
• salt, to taste (omit if using Feta cheese)
• ½ cup Cotija cheese, crumbled (Substitute: Feta)
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped (for garnish, if desired)

Instructions 

• Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
• Brush grill grates with oil using a heat-proof barbecue brush or a folded coffee filter dipped into oil.
• Grill corn, turning every few minutes, until the ears are cooked through and are slightly charred. Remove cooked corn from grill and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice and chili powder. Set aside.
• Stand an ear of corn up lengthwise on a cutting board (flat end down), and hold it from the top with your non-dominant hand. Carefully, use a large kitchen knife to cut the kernels of corn off of the cob, and place into a large mixing bowl. Repeat with all ears of corn.
• Combine the corn with the mayonnaise mixture, and season with salt as desired.
• Spoon a layer of the corn mayo mixture into small cups. Sprinkle a layer of cheese, cilantro (optional), and more chili powder (if desired), then add another layer of corn and continue layering ingredients until the cups are full.
• Serve immediately with lime wedges, and refrigerate unused portions promptly. Leftovers will last about 1-2 days in the fridge.

Notes

Tips for Grilling Corn:

• For chewy, charred corn remove the husk (and silk) from the cobs and place directly on the grill.
• For juicy, tender corn either leave the husks on or wrap the ears in tin foil.
• To grill corn with the husks on, soak the ears in water for about 15 minutes. Then gently peel back the husks (don't remove them!) and remove the silks inside (the stringy bits). Discard the silks, and pull the husks back up to cover the corn. Place on the grill and continue with recipe instructions. 

To Make Recipe with Frozen Corn:

1. Rinse 3 cups of frozen corn under warm water to quickly defrost it. Drain thoroughly. 
2. Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the drained corn to the pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes. The corn will be juicier when cooked for less time, but will take on tasty browned bits if you leave it in the pan longer. 
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then add to mayonnaise mixture and continue with the recipe. 

Substitutions: 

• Use Mexican crema instead of mayonnaise
• Use feta cheese instead of Cotija cheese
• Boil your corn cobs intead of grilling them

Please read the blog post for detailed tips and explanations.

Mexican Corn Cups (Esquites)

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Calories

157

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

16

g

25

%

Saturated Fat

 

5

g

31

%

Cholesterol

 

23

mg

8

%

Sodium

 

309

mg

13

%

Potassium

 

25

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

 

2

g

1

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

 

280

IU

6

%

Vitamin C

 

0.7

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

92

mg

9

%

Iron

 

0.2

mg

1

%

* The % Daily Values are based on general nutrition advice for a 2000 calorie diet.

Please note that these nutritional values are only estimates and have been generated from a database using generic products.

Have you made this recipe?Please leave a review in the comments below!