Elotes Corn Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A quick and easy vegetarian snack to mix up, perfect for anyone and at any time of the day. Combining Mexican street style elotes corn and a classic grilled cheese making it such a comforting recipe to cook up.

I am a sucker for all things corn. This recipe came about from one of my favorite corn recipes Elotes. More on that below but if you have leftover cooked corn then this is such a simple way to use it up and if you don’t have a blow torch at home to char the corn you can use the sauté pan to grill it until its got colored. The flavors are so simple to bring together but so so delicious. It is the perfect vegetarian snack to prepare in little time that is fuss free and easy. So let us get to it.

What is an elote made of?

Elote is charred corn that is grilled and served with a slathering of elote dressing/elote sauce that is made up of chili, garlic, lime, sour cream, Cojita cheese and fresh cilantro. It is a street style recipe that is made and served all across Mexico. The corn must be grilled and charred for that smoky flavor.

What is elote dressing made of?

The Elote dressing is the sauce you slather over the charred grilled corn and the recipe varies from place to place however the most commonly found dressing recipe includes mayonnaise, lime, hot sauce, Chile powder, smoked paprika, garlic, freshly chopped cilantro, cojita cheese, salt, pepper and butter. Some recipes use scallions as well.

What is elote seasoning made of?

Elote seasoning is sprinkled over the corn after brushing it with the sauce. It is a combination of spices including chili powder, paprika powder, cayenne pepper powder, lime zest and garlic powder. Some recipes use black pepper powder and onion powder as well.

What is elotes grilled cheese sandwich?

An elotes grilled cheese sandwich is essentially using the elotes Mexican style corn to make a grilled cheese sandwich. We combine the grilled corn with shredded cheese in slice bread with butter, cooked on a sauté pan until golden brown, crispy on the outside and gooey with cheese on the inside. You can use leftover corn to make this or just make a quick grilled corn filling.

What ingredients are needed to make an elotes grilled cheese sandwich?

To make this elotes grilled cheese sandwich we need sweet corn, yogurt, garlic, lime juice, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, mixed Mexican cheese, white slice bread, butter, black pepper powder, paprika powder, dried oregano, mayonnaise (this is for the outside of the sandwich to give it a deep brown color once cooked through), slice cheese.

What equipment is needed to make an elotes grilled cheese sandwich?

To grill the corn I used a blow torch but you can use a grilling pan or just a sauté pan to get the char on the corn. We make the corn mixture in a mixing bowl with a spoon, the garlic needs to be minced with a grater or microplane. The sandwiches are grilled in a sauté pan on low to medium heat until golden, crispy and melting in the center.

How to make an elotes grilled cheese sandwich?

We start by charring the corn kernels, I have done this with a blow torch but you can do it on a grill pan or sauté pan without any fat. Once you’ve got a good color on the corn transfer it to a mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients for the elotes filling. Stir to combine and set aside. Butter 2 slices of bread and add a slice of cheese on 2 slices. Fill it with the elotes corn filling and cover with the other slices of bread. Add mayonnaise on each sandwich on the outside and spread it evenly. Transfer to a sauté pan and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until the outside is golden brown an the inside is gooey, melting and cheesy. Remove from the pan, cut and serve while hot.

Serving and storing options for this elotes grilled cheese sandwich?

These sandwiches are best served hot with hot sauce or salsa. You could also serve them with ketchup (which my mum loves), I personally enjoyed them with guacamole too however they are delicious on its own too. The corn mixture can be made ahead and stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. When ready to use, spoon into your bread and make these sandwiches on repeat – which are dangerous.

Looking for more Mexican inspired recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this elotes grilled cheese sandwich recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.