Chili’s Roasted Street Corn Recipe – Easy Mexican Elote Copycat

Get ready to impress your guests with homemade Chili’s Roasted Street Corn! This Mexican-inspired side dish transforms simple corn on the cob into a flavor-packed experience. Seasoned with smoky spices, roasted to perfection, then coated with a zesty mayo sauce and topped with cotija cheese and fresh cilantro, this easy copycat recipe brings authentic street food flavors to your backyard barbecue or dinner table.

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What makes Chili’s Roasted Street Corn so good? 

Fresh corn on the cob is excellent on its own, but Chili’s found a way to take it to the next level with its Roasted Street Corn recipe. What is Roasted Street Corn, you may be asking? Great question.

The Chili’s version draws inspiration from the thousands of Mexican street stalls selling roasted corn on the cob, known as elote, which is smothered in seasoned butter and then brushed with a zesty sour cream mayonnaise sauce with a hint of chili powder. Topped with Cotija cheese and plenty of chopped cilantro, it makes a wonderfully flavorful snack that is perfect for eating on the go or munching on the sofa!

Why should you make Roasted Street Corn at home?

Anyone can make this recipe, and when corn is in season, everyone should, since it’s one of the tastiest ways to eat it. You can pair elote with a wide variety of dishes, and the recipe is easily adapted for grilling.

Are you looking for a way to get your kids more involved in cooking? This Chili’s corn on the cob copycat recipe is incredibly simple to make, making it the perfect introduction. 

Roasted Street Corn Ingredients

Roasted Corn Base:

• Fresh corn on the cob – The star ingredient that provides sweet, tender kernels with natural corn flavor
• Unsalted butter – Creates a rich base that carries the spices and helps them adhere to the corn
• Smoked paprika – Adds smoky depth and beautiful color without overwhelming heat
• Chili powder – Provides a warm, complex spice blend that’s essential to authentic Mexican flavor

Creamy Sauce:

• Mayonnaise – Creates a rich, creamy base that coats the corn and balances the spices
• Sour cream – Adds a tangy contrast and helps create the perfect sauce consistency
• Smoked paprika – Reinforces the smoky flavor throughout the dish
• Fresh lime juice – Brightens all flavors with citrus acidity that cuts through richness

Finishing Touches:

• Fresh cilantro – Provides bright, herbaceous freshness that complements the rich sauce
• Cotija cheese – Traditional Mexican cheese that adds a salty, crumbly texture contrast

If you can’t find Cotija, feta cheese is a good substitute. 

Three tips for picking out the best fresh corn 

Buying good-tasting corn on the cob at the store can seem hit-or-miss. But there are several tricks for getting the freshest and tastiest corn:

• Choose the corn with the brightest green husks that are tightly wrapped around the cob and slightly moist. 
• Avoid any corn where you can see dark silk strands poking out from under the husks. 
• Good corn will feel heavy for its size because the juice inside the cob hasn’t dried out. Light corn equals old corn. 

How to make Chili’s Roasted Street Corn

To prep and cook the ears of corn:

1. Shuck and remove the silk from the ears of corn. Many people find microwaving whole corn for four minutes per ear is the easiest method and gives the best results. 
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. Cut aluminum foil into squares. Each side needs to be slightly longer than the length of the corn. Lay the aluminum foil squares out on your work surface, and place one ear of corn on top of each. 
4. Melt the unsalted butter and whisk in the smoked paprika and chili powder. 
5. Brush the ears of corn all over with the seasoned butter. 
6. Wrap the corn cobs tightly in the aluminum foil and place them on a baking tray.
7. Put the baking tray in the oven and roast until the corn starts to brown, about 30 minutes. You can save time by making the sauce below while the corn is in the oven.

To make the sauce for Chili’s Street Corn Recipe

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, smoked paprika, and the lime juice.
2. Cover and refrigerate to allow the flavors to meld. 

To assemble the street corn:

1. Finely chop the cilantro and set aside.
2. Carefully unwrap the hot roasted corn.
3. Liberally brush the mayonnaise mixture on all sides of the corn. Then sprinkle the chopped cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese over the top. 
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately. 

What to serve with Mexican Street Corn

This Roasted Street Corn recipe goes with just about any South-of-the-border-inspired dish. Try making the ones below, or add your favorite to the comments:

• Tacos. What’s more classic than tacos? Opt for beef hard shell tacos, such as these Taco Bell Crunchy Tacos, or a chicken soft shell version. 
• Guacamole and chips. Good guacamole can turn a plain tortilla chip into an excellent snack. This guacamole from Chipotle, loaded with red onions, garlic, and citrus juice, is the real deal. 
• Margarita. This frozen margarita, inspired by the ones made at Rio Bravo, may not be traditional, but it’s certainly delicious. 

Storage & Reheating Instructions

• Refrigerator Storage: Cool completely, wrap each ear individually in plastic wrap, and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Reheating Method: Remove plastic wrap and wrap in damp paper towels. Microwave for 90 seconds per ear, or wrap in foil and reheat in 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
• Freezing: Not recommended, as the sauce and cheese don’t freeze well.

More Chili’s copycat recipes

• Cajun Pasta
• Chicken Crispers
• Margarita Chicken

Favorite corn recipes

• Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
• Air Fryer Corn Ribs
• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Cajun Fried Corn
• Cheesy Corn Casserole
• Corn Salsa
• Creamed Corn Casserole
• Grilled Corn on the Cob
• Rudy’s Cream Corn
• Scalloped Corn

Check out more of my easy recipes for side dishes and the best copycat Chili’s recipes on CopyKat!

Chili’s Roasted Street Corn – Easy Copycat Recipe

Roasted corn with seasoned butter, creamy mayo sauce, cotija cheese, and cilantro. Perfect Mexican-inspired side dish from Chili's!

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Chilis Recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 185kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn shucked and silks removed
• 4 tablespoons butter melted
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika plus an extra pinch for the mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons cotija cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, paprika, and chili powder.
• Place 4 pieces of aluminum foil on the countertop, large enough to wrap each ear of corn. Place an ear of corn on each piece of foil and spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons of seasoned butter over each ear of corn. Wrap the corn with the foil.
• Place the wrapped corn on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until the corn has browned slightly.
• While the corn is cooking, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and a tiny pinch of paprika in a small bowl. Mix well.
• Remove the corn from the foil and spread the mayonnaise over the corn. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and cilantro.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 236mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 556IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 0.1mg