Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Elote)

If you only make corn on the cob once this summer, let it be this recipe! This Healthy Grilled Mexican Street Corn takes corn on the cob to an entirely new level of deliciousness!

Grilling is one of my favorite ways to cook corn in the summer, especially when it's smothered with delicious toppings like creamy chili lime sauce, feta cheese, cilantro and red pepper flakes! It's not only healthy, it's gluten-free, fast and easy to make. But the best part is that it's Weight Watchers friendly. Yet, it's so loaded with flavor that no one would ever be able to tell it's WW friendly! This recipe is 4 WW points.

This is one of my favorite times of the year because it's peak corn season and that means fresh corn! And we are very fortunate to have easy access to Taber corn here in Calgary! Taber, Alberta is known as the Corn Capital of Canada and it's famous for its corn because of the ample sunshine the area receives. The sun warms the soil around the crop during the day, then the cool Alberta nights bring out the natural sugars in this corn, resulting in a sweet, crisp cob! In fact, Taber corn is so sought after (with a price tag to match) that vendors selling knock-offs at roadside stands trying to pass off 'other corn' as Taber corn on unsuspecting buyers.

I love corn on the cob, so I'm actually happy to have fresh corn at all. But since discovering this Mexican style grilled corn, I honestly don't think I can go back plain old corn on the cob. And since I've come up with a healthier, lighter and WW friendly version of it,  I don't have to! Mexican Grilled corn is an easy and fun way to enjoy the short summer corn season.

🥘 Ingredients

Your typical Mexican Corn on the cob uses Cotija cheese, which has 35.7 g of fat and 446 calories! I wanted to make it lighter and healthier so I opted to use fat-free feta cheese. Authentic Mexican corn on the cob also uses crema, which is similar to sour cream but a little runnier and sweeter and also a little higher in fat and calories. Where many people use Greek yogurt, I use low-fat mayonnaise and non-fat sour cream instead, to lighten it up even further. The feta gives it a nice salty zing, the crushed red peppers give it a spicy bite and the fresh lime and cilantro take it to that next level fresh summer taste!

For this Grilled Mexican Street Corn recipe, you'll need:

• ears of sweet corn husks
• fat-free sour cream
• light mayonnaise - I use Hellman's ½ the fat
• fat-free feta cheese
• chopped fresh cilantro
• salt
• garlic
• chili powder
• crushed red pepper
• limes
• light parmesan cheese

*see recipe card for quantities

💭What is Elote?

Elote is what this corn on the cob is known as in the streets of Mexico. It's sold by street vendors and at festivals. And this loaded grilled corn on the cob is completely irresistible - I'm officially addicted to it. No wonder it's such a popular Mexican street food! In fact, I'll be making it again this week.

🔪Instructions

This grilled Mexican Street Corn is easy to make on the grill

• Heat grill to 400 degrees F. Clean the grates once it has heated. Add a little cooking oil to grill.
• Whisk together the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, salt chili powder, lime zest and lime juice. Add more salt to taste, if desired. Set aside.
• Grill corn: Place the husked corn directly onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3-5 minutes or until kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred. Turn over and repeat. When all sides are browned, remove from the grill onto a plate.

• Using a bbq or pastry brush, coat each ear of corn with the mix of mayo and sour cream. Toppings: Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

• Then add the toppings! Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese, crushed red pepper and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Spicier - use hot sauce or cayenne pepper
• Add-ins - use green onions or red onion
• Oil - you can use olive oil, vegetable oil or canola oil
• Cheese - you can use Cojita or queso fresco

🥗What to serve with Healthy Mexican Grilled Street Corn

This lighter version of traditional Mexican street corn is also perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations as a party snack or side and pairs well with so many recipes! Personally, I grill all year 'round (seriously, I shovel a path through the snow to get to the BBQ, ) but if you don't, you can easily grill this corn in the oven. And as a summer grilled side, it goes perfectly with a simple BBQ pork, like this Marinated Grilled Maple Lemon Pork.

And if you're looking for Mexican dishes to go with this Healthy Elote, try my Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas (shown) or my Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Recipe (gluten-free)!

🌡️Storage

Store this healthy Mexican street corn for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The ingredients do not stand up to freezing.

👪 Serving Size

This recipe makes 6 servings. But you can double or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🔢WW Points

This recipe is 4 WW points on my plan.

If you're hoping to take advantage of the fresh corn this season and looking for street corn recipes, then you’ll definitely want to try this Healthy Grilled Mexican Street Corn Recipe- it's the perfect summer side dish!

🌽 Healthy Mexican Street Corn Recipe

This recipe is a healthier and lighter version of the classic Grilled Mexican Street corn loaded with a light creamy chili lime sauce, low-fat feta cheese, cilantro and crushed red pepper (ingredients that are easy to find.) It's a delicious summer recipe that not only takes corn on the cob to an entirely new level, it's Weight Watchers friendly, gluten-free, fast and easy to make!

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: corn, elote, grilled, mexican

Special Diet: Gluten-free, Weight Watchers

Servings: 6 corn cobs

Calories: 150kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 medium ears sweet corn husks removed

Sauce

• ▢ ½ cup fat-free sour cream
• ▢ ¼ cup light or fat-free mayonnaise * I use Hellman's ½ the fat
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon chili powder to taste
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lime zest from one lime
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice from one lime

Topping

• ▢ ½ cup fat-free feta cheese crumbled
• ▢ ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Crushed red pepper

Garnish

• ▢ 6 Lime wedges
• ▢ 1.5 tablespoon light Parmesan cheese (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heat outdoor grill to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Clean the grates once it has heated. Add a little cooking oil to grill.

Sauce

• Whisk together the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, salt chili powder, lime zest and lime juice. Add more salt to taste, if desired. Set aside.

Grilling

• Grill the corn: Place the husked corn directly onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3-5 minutes or until kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred. Turn over and repeat. When all sides are browned, remove from the grill onto a plate.
  
• Using a bbq or pastry brush, coat each ear of corn with the sour cream mixture.
  

Toppings

• Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and cilantro.

Garnish

• Serve with lime wedges.

Notes

🔢WW Points

This recipe is 4 WW points

Nutrition Facts

🌽 Healthy Mexican Street Corn Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 cob)

Calories 150 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 14mg5%

Sodium 451mg20%

Potassium 289mg8%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 5g10%

Vitamin A 483IU10%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 87mg9%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cob | Calories: 150kcal (8%) | Carbohydrates: 22g (7%) | Protein: 5g (10%) | Fat: 6g (9%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (13%) | Cholesterol: 14mg (5%) | Sodium: 451mg (20%) | Potassium: 289mg (8%) | Fiber: 2g (8%) | Sugar: 7g (8%) | Vitamin A: 483IU (10%) | Vitamin C: 7mg (8%) | Calcium: 87mg (9%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)

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