Air Fryer Elotes Recipe

air fryer elotes on a plate with toppings from the top view

These Air Fryer Elotes are perfectly seasoned, roasted to perfection, and topped with a creamy homemade elote sauce and plenty of cheese and cilantro. Serve this take on Mexican Street Corn as a quick appetizer or side dish for a weeknight dinner or your next fiesta. With only a few ingredients, you can throw these together in 20 minutes!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 213kcal

Author Aysegul Sanford

Ingredients

For The Corn On The Cob

5 ears of corn on the cob husks fully removed
1 teaspoon vegetable oil like avocado oil or melted butter

For The Street Corn Sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice plus wedges of lime for serving
½ teaspoon chili powder plus more to sprinkle over at the end
½ cup crumbled cotija cheese*
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees F.
While it is heating, brush each ear of corn with vegetable oil.
Place in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry for 12-15 minutes, rotating them halfway through the air frying process. Let it cool for a few minutes before spreading it with the sauce.
Meanwhile, make the sauce by mixing together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and chili powder in a bowl.
When ready to serve, brush each corn on the cob with a generous amount of the mayo mixture. Sprinkle each corn with cotija cheese and chopped fresh cilantro on all sides. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

Notes

Additional Salt: Be sure to taste the cotija cheese you are using before adding salt to the salt. Some cotija cheese is very salty. If it is not, then you can add in ½ teaspoon salt and adjust it accordingly after giving it a taste.
Cut the ears of corn in half: If you own a small air fryer or want to fry a lot of corn at the same time, you can cut each corn on the cobb in half. This way, you can fit more corn in your air fryer basket. However, be sure not to overcrowd the basket to get proper charring.
Times may vary: It is a known fact that air fryer cooking times may vary. Take the cooking time here as a place to start and adjust accordingly. One easy way to gauge the process is to check halfway through the frying process. If it is getting too charred, then shorten the cooking time. Or visa versa.
Storage: Store leftover corn in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.
Freezing: I would not recommend freezing this dish.

Nutrition