This Vegan Mexican Street corn brings back memories of my trip to Mexico 2 years ago in May, and I can’t believe how time flies.
The street vendors were seen serving local corn grilled and smothered with mayo, Cotija cheese, lime and sprinkled with chili.
We enjoyed many vegan tacos, burritos, and sweet and savory tamales. I must say, the food was so flavorful and fresh.
For delicious Mexican recipes try these readers favorites: Jackfruit Carnitas Tacos, Loaded Guacamole, Scrambled Tofu Breakfast Mexican-Style.

Vegan Mexican Corn On The Cob
I decided to create a vegan version of this popular Mexican treat in my kitchen, using homemade vegan mayonnaise, and homemade vegan Parmesan cheese as a substitute for traditional Mexican Cotija cheese.
Although grilling the corn would add another layer of flavor, I made it simple by boiling my corn. This turned out to be a huge hit.
Traditionally a pungent herb called epazote (Chenopodium Ambrosioides) is added to the boiling water for flavor, epazote is grown as a perennial in Central, South America, Jamaica and here in Florida.
Epazote is also called Jesuit’s Tea, Semi Contra (Jamaica), Wormseed, Mexican-Tea, Skunk Weed, Goosefoot, Mastruz.
Growing up in Jamaica, epazote was used as a dewormer (anti-parasitic herb) and not as a culinary herb. It was years later when I was living in New Jersey that I noticed that it was growing wild during the summertime after smelling the unique scent of the leaves.
Upon research, I found that it was also great for adding to beans while cooking both for flavor and to reduce gas and bloating.
I also found it as an ingredient in the granola sold in the bulk bins at WholeFoods market and discovered it was great as a flavoring for both sweet and savory dishes, as well as having other numerous medicinal benefits. See Here.
Epazote is sold fresh or dried at Mexican supermarkets, dried in most major supermarkets, (found in the International aisle) or Online.

What is Mexican Corn Called?
This Mexican corn on the cob recipe is also called ‘Elote’.
Mexican Corn Ingredients
- Fresh Corn
- Water
- Epazote (optional)
- Salt
- Vegan Mayo
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Cayenne Pepper
- Lime

Amazing Vegan Mexican Street Corn: tender corn, slathered with creamy vegan mayo, dairy-free parmesan, lime, spicy cayenne, and cilantro. The perfect treat to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, and the summer!
What Cheese Goes With Mexican Corn?
The traditional recipe for Mexican corn on the cob calls for Cotija cheese, which is a salty crumbly cheese.
The vegan cheese recipe is a great substitute, but you can also try store-bought versions, like Violife Just Like Parmesan or Go Veggie Parmesan Cheese.
This Mexican corn recipe is super easy to prepare, but the flavor is unbelievable. It is easy to adapt this recipe it to fit your tastes as well.
You can substitute the vegan mayonnaise for vegan butter like the Earth Balance brand, or you can add vegan sour cream to your vegan mayonnaise. I would love to hear in the comments how you prepare yours.

How To Make Mexican Corn?
Grilled corn is often used to make Elotes, but I’m not a fan of grilling food, after all, I live in Florida and the summertime heat is unbearable; so I boiled my corn in the comfort of my cool air-conditioned kitchen.
- Remove husk of the corn.
- Bring water to boil in a large pot on medium-high, add salt and corn. Return to a boil, reduce to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove corn cobs using a pair of tongs.
- Place corn cobs on parchment paper, slather them with vegan mayo followed by vegan Parmesan.
- Squeeze lime on corn and sprinkle with cayenne pepper or chili and garnish with chopped cilantro.
What Do You Eat With Corn On The Cob?
- Black Bean Burritos
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Black Bean Enchiladas
- Black Beans Tacos
- Instant Pot Chili Mac And Cheese

Amazing Vegan Mexican Street Corn: tender corn, slathered with creamy vegan mayo, dairy-free parmesan, lime, spicy cayenne, and cilantro. The perfect treat to celebrate Cinco De Mayo, and the summer!
We love to see the recipes that you make from this Vegan Rice Recipe collection on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter!
Get discounted copies of my cookbook Here
Also please leave a star rating ;-)
Need some encouragement on your Healthier Steps journey?
Join our Facebook groups, sharing lots of delicious vegan and gluten-free recipes, health tips, etc., from our members. Please join us and invite your friends Gluten-Free and Vegan For Beginners and Vegan Recipes
Categories
- Categories: Gluten-Free, Vegan
- Course: Side Dish
Nutrition
(Per serving)- Energy: 231 kcal / 966 kJ
- Fat: 8 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Carbs: 7 g
Cook Time
- Preparation: 10 min
- Cooking: 20 min
- Ready in: 30 min
- For: 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 corn
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 epazote leaves, optional
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo, *link to recipe
- 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese, *link to recipe
- 1 lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper, or chili
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Remove the husks from the corn. Bring water to boil in a large pot on medium-high, add salt, epazote, and corn. Return to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove corn cobs, using a pair of tongs. Place corn cobs on parchment paper. Slather them with vegan mayo, followed by vegan parmesan.
- Squeeze lime on corn, and sprinkle with cayenne pepper or chili, and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Found this searching for a “vegan street corn” recipe and ended up learning about epazote as well! I think I will try growing some of this in my herb garden! Thank you! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Jami, I’m happy you found my website and that you found the information helpful. Once you add epazote to your garden once it reseeds so you will have it for a long time.
Healthy corn with healthy cheese! Wow! This is amazing. Thanks for sharing.
This is a fantastic recipe! My husband, NOT vegan, loved it! I mean LOVED IT! I made your vegan mayo too. Soooooo good!
Sally, thank you for your lovely feedback. I’m so happy you and your husband loved it.
I had some fresh corn and I’m happy I found your recipe, they were so flavorful and worth the effort to prepare your recipe, thank you.
Joni, I’m so happy it turned out great for you, thank you for sharing your feedback.