Name: Air Fryer Mexican Street Corn
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 corn on the cob; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 1 teaspoon adobo powder; 1 lime wedge; 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped; 2 tablespoon avocado cilantro dressing (optional); cheese

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This Air Fryer Mexican Street Corn recipe is a perfect side that can be enjoyed all year round. Packed with spicy tangy flavors but minus all the slathered calories. Easy peasy and ready in just 15 minutes.

Hope you folks are enjoying spring. Cinco de Mayo is almost here and I was thinking of all delicious outdoor grilling parties we will be missing this spring and summer in the US. The one cuisine I miss the most in Germany is Mexican food. Since there aren't a lot of Mexican restaurants or food trucks here, I figured that I will just have to make my own with the ingredients available. So the first thing that came to my mind was the Mexican Street Corn, also known as Elote.

Mexican Street Corn / Elote

It is a classic way to enjoy corn on the cob. Typically it is roasted over an open grill and coated with salt, chile powder, lime wedge, butter, cotija cheese and mayonnaise. It's a perfect side for any party that is super yum but it's 'slathered' with a lot of calories.

First we don't have a space to set up a grill in this house so, I will be using my Air Fryer for a lot of home grilling :) Second, since not all Mexican ingredients are easily available, I got rid of some of the 'slathered' calories without compromising the taste. This corn is still spicy and tangy as it's rubbed with lime wedge, smoked paprika, adobo powder and chili powder and lots of cilantro. I had one last cube of cheese left in my refrigerator so I grated that.

Next time I want to drizzle some Avocado Cilantro Dressing. It would totally enhance the flavors. So this isn't an authentic Elote or Mexican Street Corn recipe, however it's still enjoyable without feeling guilty. In short, I gave the Mexican Street Corn a Belly Rules The Mind twist :)

What I love about this Mexican Street Corn / Elote recipe?

Great for entertaining and backyard parties and it's super simple to make and is always a hit.

A perfect warm side to enjoy on a rainy day.

The corn is air fried to perfection, even nicely charred.

It can be enjoyed all year round, no need to wait for the warm days to bring the grills out.

Perfectly flavored without all the mess. If you have enjoyed the 'slathered' corn before you will know what I am talking about.

How to make Mexican Street Corn in Air Fryer

It's really simple to make these Street Corn. First you gather all the ingredients, corn, salt, lime wedge, adobo powder, chile powder , smoked paprika, cilantro and an Air Fryer. Next you shuck the corn, spray some cooking oil and place in a single layer in air fryer basket. Air fry it for 14 minutes at at 400 degrees F. Turn the corn half way through.

Mean while mix the above dry spices and chop the cilantro and keep it ready. Once the corn is nicely charred, remove the corn and rub the above dry spices with a lime wedge on the corn. Feel free to drizzle some Avocado Cilantro Dressing or cheese on it too. Serve immediately as it's best when consumed hot.

Don't have an Air Fryer - Skillet / Instant Pot alternative

If you don't have an air fryer and want to try this recipe, you can either go for the classic grilling, or saute it on a skillet. You can even make this in your Instant Pot, by placing the corn on a trivet and pressure cooking it on high for 2 minutes. You obviously won't get the charred effect if your pressure cook it.

So have you tried Mexican Street Corn before? Do you like it? Hope you consider making this version of Mexican Street Corn as it's made with simple pantry staples. When you try this recipe, do take a picture and send it out way. Tag us on social media using @dbellyrulesdmind.

More Mexican Recipes from the blog to try

Instant Pot Mexican Cauliflower Rice Bowl

Instant Pot Vegan Burrito Bowl

Instant Pot Charro Beans

Instant Pot 3 Bean Salad

Pineapple Guacamole

Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Low Fat Tex-Mex Lasagna