Spice up your corn on the cob, and make it fancy and fun for the family. Marinating, grilling, and topping your corn brings out the depths of the flavors of summer corn. This vegan Mexican street corn recipe is a savory summer sensation!
When I dream of summertime barbeque season, I think about Mexican Street Corn. But, despite my love for grilled corn on the cob, Mexican Street Corn is in a separate league all its own. But, finding a great vegan Mexican street corn recipe is now easier than you ever thought!
To master the perfect vegan Mexican street corn, some tricks shorten the process. So, let's make some to-die-for vegan Mexican street corn.
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How to Choose Corn on the Cob
- Choose ears of corn that are firm, with moist-looking bright green husks.
- Look for tassels (those things sticking up out of the top) that are brown and sticky to the touch.
- The better the silk looks, the fresher the corn, and freshness is where the sweetness lies.
- If they're dry or black, then it's an old ear of corn.
- Check out the color of the husk. The corn is fresh if it's a bright green and tightly wrapped against the cob.
Mexican Street Corn Ingredients
- Corn on the Cob: Summer fresh corn on the cob is in season and very inexpensive this time of year.
- Lime Juice: I prefer using fresh lime juice when possible.
- Cilantro: Cilantro is used in the marinade as well as the garnish of this vegan Mexican street corn recipe.
- Hot Sauce: I use Cholula hot sauce, but any type (mild, medium, or hot works well)
- Garlic Cloves: I prefer using fresh garlic cloves when possible.
- Spicy Cashew Cream: Spicy cashew cream is a combination of raw cashews, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, cumin and water.
- Red Onions:Red onions are diced and added to the spicy cashew cream.
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese: I ame homemade vegan parmesan cheese that I sprinkle on the top of the street corn.
Mexican Street Corn Ingredient Substitutions
- Use bottled lime juice if fresh juice isn't available.
- For those who taste soap when eating cilantro, swap it out for basil or parsley.
- Pick your favorite hot sauce. If you prefer mild hot sauce, choose mild. If you like it hotter, ramp it up.
- One clove of garlic equals about ⅛th of a teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Choose sunflower seeds or hemp seeds instead of cashews for a nut-free option. Or use silken tofu or vegan plain, unsweetened yogurt and skip the water in the cashew cream recipe.
- Green onions or scallions are a great substitute for red onions.
Additional Vegan Mexican Street Corn Toppings
- Your Favorite Salsa
- Minced roasted garlic
- Vegan Butter Spread
- Chili Powder
- Lime Wedges
- Vegan Mayonnaise
How to Marinate Mexican Street Corn
- Once I bring my corn home from the market, I immediately remove the husks and clean off the silt.
- The first trick is to mix the corn on the cob with lime juice, garlic, hot sauce, and cilantro in a plastic bag. Or, use a environmental silicone storage bag.
- Even though I suggest marinating the corn overnight, all you need is a half-hour. Then, while the corn marinates, prepare the vegan street corn toppings.
How to Grill Corn
- Once the corn is marinated, preheat the grill to 400 degrees.
- Although most grilled corn recipes suggest leaving on the husks, you have marinated the corn, preventing it from drying. On the other hand, taking the husks off also gives the ears of corn beautiful charred grill marks.
- Place the corn on a hot grill because you don't want the grill to heat up while the corn is on the grill. If you don't have a temperature gauge, a quick tip is to wait about 10 minutes to preheat the grill.
- Then, cover the grill, occasionally turning the corn for about 15 minutes, rotating to ensure all sides of the corn are grilled.
Furthermore, grilling the corn gives it an added richness, and a little charing helps elevate the flavors.
Preparing the Street Corn Toppings
- In a blender, combine the raw cashews, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and water.
- You can soak the cashews overnight or coil them for 10 minutes and drain them before blending if you don't have a high-quality blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve.
- Prepare the red onion and cilantro by chopping and setting aside.
To allow my family to join in the cooking, I serve the toppings on the side so that everyone can create their masterpieces.
Because of everyone's unique likes and dislikes, making bowls of toppings to allow people to choose them is fun and gives everyone control of their plates.
Recipe FAQs
Any corn seed that does not have foreign or input traits added to the seed through genetic engineering. This does not mean that it is 100% free of genetically modified traits, but instead that the traits were not purposefully or intentionally added to the seed.
The peak season lasts from May through September. Because sweet corn is grown in all 50 states, you can easily find it at your farmers' markets or corner farm stand.
The only way to get corn year-round is to purchase corn on the cob frozen, or freeze it yourself during the summer months.
Tips
- To select the freshest corn on the cob, look for ears that are firm to the touch, with moist-looking bright green husks.
- As for the silk tassels, the hair-like strands sticking out from the top of the corn, they should also look fresh.
- Some browning at the top is Okay, but if they're entirely brown or dried out, put them back.
- The kernels should feel plump and give under the gentle weight of your thumb but should not pop.
- If an ear of corn feels mealy or hard as you feel it under the husk, it has likely been picked too soon (hard), too late (mealy and crumbly) or has been stored for too long after picking and has dried out.
- Marinating overnight provides a better flavor.
Give your corn a little fanciness and try this delicious vegan Mexican street corn recipe!
More Vegan Recipe to Enjoy
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients
Vegan Parmesan
- 1 recipe vegan parmesan cheese optional
Spicy Cashew Cream
- ½ cup raw cashews soaked overnight; or skip this step (just blend longer)
- 1 lemon juiced
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons cumin
Corn
- 6-8 ears corn husks removed, rinsed
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 3 dashes hot sauce of choice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large Ziplock Bag
Toppings: (Put in separate dishes)
- 1 small red onion diced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Additional hot sauce on the side
- Vegan parmesan
Instructions
Corn
- Clean corn.
- Place corn, lime juice, cilantro, and hot sauce in a large plastic Ziplock bag.
- Shake it up, and refrigerate overnight or at least for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the grill to 400 degrees.
- Remove corn from the bag and place on the grill.
- Cook, rotating the corn for 15 minutes; avoiding charing by rotating (turn every five minutes)
Spicy Cashew Cream
- Drain cashews or use raw cashews (if you do not soak them, you have to blend longer, or you need to add more water).
- Add the rest of the ingredients, and blend in a high-speed blender.
- Please place it in a dish to spread on corn.
Toppings
- Place cooked, grilled corn on plates.
- Drizzle the corn with cashew cream.
- Add chopped red onion and cilantro.
Video
Notes
- To select the freshest corn on the cob, look for ears that are firm to the touch, with moist-looking bright green husks.
- As for the silk tassels, the hair-like strands sticking out from the top of the corn, they should also look fresh.
- Some browning at the top is Okay, but if they're entirely brown or dried out, put them back.
- The kernels should feel plump and give under the gentle weight of your thumb but should not pop.
- If an ear of corn feels mealy or hard as you feel it under the husk, it has likely been picked too soon (hard), too late (mealy and crumbly), or has been stored for too long after picking and has dried out.
- Marinating overnight provides a better flavor.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Anonymous
Anonymous
Diane
What a delicious recipe. Sweet potato tacos and Mexican street corn. I cannot wait to make this whole recipe......however corn is not in season yet......
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Diane, Let me know if you like tacos and corn. We live in Arizona, so we get corn all year long. We are very lucky.