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This Esquites recipe could be my favorite way to enjoy fresh corn on the cob in the form of Mexican Street Corn in a cup! It's fun and so flavorful, plus you can use frozen corn to enjoy it year-round.
Esquites is Mexican Corn in a Cup and it's a game changer.
I found out Esquites was a “thing” when my husband and I moved to Puebla, Mexico (circa 2011) for a semester during college and street vendors all over were selling this amazing corn, served in disposable cups. The grilled corn is cut off the cob and served with a cream sauce on top, cheese, chili and a spritz of lime. Esquites became my snack obsession (along with traditional Elote street corn on the cob), and I'm so obsessed with this flavor combo that it inspired street corn dip, and a street corn pasta salad!
How to make Esquites:
Cook Corn: Heat butter in a pan over medium heat then add onion and pepper and cook until tender. Add water and corn then cover and cook until corn is tender (5-8 minutes), stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Separate corn into 4 cups.
Serve: Add 1 heaping teaspoon mayonnaise and Mexican crema to each cup then stir to combine. Sprinkle on cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and serve with a lime wedge.
Esquites
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter, , softened
- 1/3 cup onion, (50g), diced, (optional)
- 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, , seeded, diced, (optional)
- 1/3 cup water, (79g)
- 4 ears corn*, , husked, cut from the cob (about 3 cups)
- salt and pepper, , to taste
- 5 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- 5 Tablespoons Mexican crema, , or sour cream
- 1/3 cup Cotija cheese, (85g), shredded, or queso fresco*
- chili powder, , Tajin, or hot sauce , to taste
- 1 lime, , quartered
Instructions
- Add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add onion and pepper then sauté until tender. Add water and corn. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender (about 5-8 minutes).1 Tablespoon salted butter, ⅓ cup onion, 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, ⅓ cup water, 4 ears corn*
- Season with black pepper and a little salt then divide among 4 cups.salt and pepper
- In each cup, add 1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise and 1 heaping tablespoon of Mexican crema (or sour cream). Stir to combine.5 Tablespoons mayonnaise, 5 Tablespoons Mexican crema
- Sprinkle generously with grated cheese and chili powder, to taste. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze on top. Enjoy immediately.⅓ cup Cotija cheese, chili powder, 1 lime
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe May 2020. Updated May 2025.
recipe called for bacon topping. Can it be sub with grain combined with oats, honey, raisin and almond? Will this spoil the true taste?
hi May, Are you sure you’re commenting on the right recipe? There’s no bacon here. I want to help you!
While this recipe certainly tastes phenomenal, there is far too much mayo and crema. I’d recommend scaling back significantly. I ended up using double the amount of corn and it still was oozing. If you’re looking to cut calories or just don’t want to be eating mouthfuls of fat, I’d recommend halving that portion! Other than that, super tasty.
Fantastic Mexican Street Corn in a cup.
Thank you so much, I am excited to try it. One question after reading it through: it looks like there might be a teaspoon/tablespoon typo? Does each serving cup get heaping teaspoons or tablespoons of mayonnaise and crema?
Haven’t tried yet but am enthused!
This was absolutely delicious. The entire family rated it 10/10. We unfortunately didn’t have sour cream so we just used more mayo, but the sour cream definitely would have improved it. I love how it tasted with the onion! I’ll definitely make this again.
So yummy! My daughter made this to eat with our Birria Tacos (must try recipe). It was a nice sweet and crunchy side with our tacos and beans.
SOOOO good!