A tasty twist on Mexican street corn (elote), these craveable Mexican street corn fritters are the perfect snack any time of the day!
One of my favorite dishes is Mexican street corn (elote). It's a simple dish that features grilled corn on the cob slathered with a chili-spiked mayonnaise and rolled in crumbly cheese.
It’s absolutely delicious but can be a bit messy to eat. So I decided to make an easier, portable, family-friendly version of this delicious street food.
My Mexican Street Corn Fritters have all of the delicious flavors of the classic dish but in a craveable, healthy, portable snack. It actually won first place in a recipe contest sponsored by Real California Milk!
If you're a fan of Mexican street corn, you can also try my creamy elote (Mexican street corn) dip or air fryer corn on the cob.
How To Make Mexican Street Corn Fritters
I like to use fresh corn, which I grill on my grill pan so that it gets lightly charred. Alternatively, you can buy roasted corn in the freezer section of your grocery store.
Then I mix the corn with some spices, fresh chives and lime juice. I add a mixture of cornmeal and flour to create a light batter and then stir in some delicious, crumbly queso fresco (you can also use cotija cheese).
As the fritters cook in the skillet, the cheese melts so that you get bits of yummy cheese in every bite.
I top the fritters with some more delicious, crumbly cheese and corn. Then the finishing touch is a drizzle of tangy cilantro lime yogurt.
You can make the fritters bite sized, which makes them super easy to snack on, especially for kids. You can also make them a little bigger and eat them with a fork.
Delicious, wholesome, real food. It doesn’t get much better than that.
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Recipe
Mexican Street Corn Fritters
Equipment
Ingredients
Fritters:
- 4 ears fresh corn (about 2 ½ cups corn kernels)
- โ cup fine cornmeal
- โ cup flour (I use white whole wheat)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup sliced chives or scallions
- 3 teaspoons lime juice, divided use
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco, divided use
- 4 teaspoons olive oil
Cilantro Lime Yogurt:
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- Optional garnishes: sliced chives or scallions, chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Heat a grill pan over medium high heat and spray with olive oil. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until cooked and charred in some places, 8-10 minutes. Remove from grill and cool. Cut the kernels from the cobs (you should have about 2 ½ cups). Reserve.
- Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in the chives, 2 cups of corn, 2 teaspoons lime juice and ¾ cup queso fresco. Mix the remaining ½ cup corn, ¼ cup queso fresco, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and a pinch of salt together in a small bowl to use as the topping.
- Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat and spray or brush with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Place 8 spoonfuls of the batter into the pan, about 1 tablespoon each, flattening them slightly. Cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the skillet. Working in batches, heat the remaining oil and cook the remaining fritters (you should have about 32 fritters in total).
- To make the cilantro lime yogurt, stir the yogurt, lime juice and cilantro together in a small bowl.
- Drizzle some cilantro lime yogurt on top of the fritters. Place a small amount of the corn and cheese topping on top of each one and garnish with extra chives and cilantro.
Lindsay Cotter says
Perfect little portions to snack on! Craving now!
sonaliruder says
Thanks Lindsay!
Heather Gannoe says
These look delicious! And bite sized meals are a huge hit with my kids!
sonaliruder says
Thanks Heather! My daughter is all about mini food too ๐
Amanda Brooks says
You've got this dairy free girl drooling!!!
sonaliruder says
Oh wow! Thanks ๐
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Sonali, what an amazing idea of making corn fritters. They look and sound absolutely amazing, the texture looks perfect too.
sonaliruder says
Thanks so much Anu!
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
Those look like little pop corn wafers! I wouldn't complain if they were served to me! ๐
sonaliruder says
Haha, thanks for being so agreeable!
Kaleigh McMordie says
These look amazing! Can't wait to make them for my hubby!
sonaliruder says
I hope you guys love them! Thanks ๐
Elizabeth Shaw says
What a great, unique recipe! I love your creativity, I think I would whip these up for a summer BBQ or even a app for Cinco de Mayo, the possibilities are endless!
sonaliruder says
Thanks sweetie!!
Dixya says
i love corn based recipes..and esp this one in the form of fritters, soooooo good!
sonaliruder says
Me too! Thanks Dixya ๐
Jessica Levinson says
These look A.MA.ZING! I love Mexican street corn and every summer I make corn and basil pancakes that look pretty similar to this. So I cannot wait to try this out - and for corn season to arrive! Good luck with the contest. You sure have a winner in my book!
sonaliruder says
Oh wow, those pancakes sound awesome! Thanks so much Jessica ๐
Sarah www.thegourmetgourmand.com says
I want these so badly! They look just perfect.
sonaliruder says
Aww, thanks Sarah!
anne@cravingSomethingHealthy.com says
Pretty sure I'll be making these for my next girl's night get-together! Yum and gorgeous photos ๐
sonaliruder says
That's great! I hope you and the girls enjoy them ๐
Lisa Lin says
I LOVE the idea of adding Mexican street corn to fritters! Can't wait to try this one, Sonali!
sonaliruder says
Thanks Lisa, I hope you love them!
Caroline Kaufman says
I love this idea!! I've been craving corn recently - I love corn season so much ๐ This is such a creative recipe and sounds so delicious too. Street corn is yum... ๐
sonaliruder says
Yay for corn season! Thanks so much Caroline ๐
Chelsey says
WOW! These look SO delish! I can't wait to try making these with fresh summer corn...mmmmm!
sonaliruder says
Thanks Chelsey!
Eva A says
These looks amazing! Beautiful photos!! I will definitely have to try these with my leftover queso fresco!
sonaliruder says
Thanks so much Eva! Heading over to check out your dish now ๐
Rosey Rebecca says
Oh my gosh, Sonali, these look incredible!! Good luck with the contest! Can't wait to try these!
sonaliruder says
Thanks so much Rebecca!
Serena Ball says
So true! My kiddos love mini-bites too...and they're more willing to try something new when it's mini!
sonaliruder says
Right? Making mini food is a pretty fool proof way to get Sienna to at least give something a try.
Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies says
These sound so fantastic! I wish I had some fresh corn in the house right now, to make these for lunch. Making these soon ๐
sonaliruder says
As always, thanks for stopping by! I love that we were both on a Mexican corn kick this week ๐
Deanna - Teaspoon of Spice says
Oh I'm totally loving these!! I adore Mexican sweet corn but rarely make it - and I have leftover California queso fresco from my recipe so will be making these for sure ๐
sonaliruder says
That's perfect! Thanks Deanna- I hope you all enjoy them as much as we did!
Kristy Sayer @ Southern In Law says
Yum! These look SERIOUSLY delicious! We're a little bit corn obsessed in this house so these would be a huge hit!
sonaliruder says
So are we! Thanks hon ๐