Elotes Pizza (Mexican street style corn pizza)

Name: Elotes Pizza (Mexican street style corn pizza)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 homemade pizza dough recipe (check notes); 1/4 cup semolina; 2 cups shredded mozarella; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 lemon (juice); 1 garlic cloves (minced); 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1 cup canned corn (drained); 1 tbsp butter; 3 garlic cloves; 2 tbsp yogurt; 2 tbsp cream cheese; 2 tbsp crema (from above); 1/2 tsp cayenne powder; 1/2 tsp paprika powder; 1 tsp oregano; 1/4 tsp black pepper powder; Pinch of cumin powder; Salt to taste; 1 lime juice; 1/4 cup Gouda/feta/cojita cheese; 1 lime (juice); 3 tbsp fresh cilantro

A simple vegetarian recipe with homemade pizza dough, crema, charred corn (elotes style), topped with cheese to make the best pizza recipe. Golden and melting cheese with crunchy spiced corn and crusty pizza bread.

Think Dominos golden delight pizza meets mexican elotes. Truth be told growing up, golden delight was my favorite pizza of all time. I was not a margarita girl, I loved my corn from a young age. So this recipe is giving me a vegetarian version of golden delight. We have made this pizza with my homemade pizza dough that is absolutely delicious! Crusty and fluffy and perfect with any toppings you like. We then slather it with my homemade mexican crema white sauce that is so easy to make (incoming hack alert), topped with elotes style corn that is loaded with cheese and baked until golden.

I would suggest making the dough first, while it is proofing you can make the elotes and then mix the crema ingredients together. So when it comes to assembly and baking you have everything ready to go and prepared, which makes the process even more easier. Having said this you can make the pizza dough the night before as well and allow it to rise over night in the fridge – make sure it is covered with cling wrap to ensure it doesn’t form a skin on top. I recently posted my homemade elotes recipe and I am obsessed with it. So this pizza was a given. 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 pizza?

Elotes pizza is pizza dough baked with the elotes corn kernels on top. If you have leftover elotes you can cut the corn kernels off the cob or you can make it like suggested in this recipe. To keep the flavors clean and classic we have not used a red sauce to layer the pizza dough but a Mexican style crema instead. This creates a very creamy and luscious pizza once baked. The pizza is topped with mozzarella cheese which melted deliciously and doesn’t affect the elotes flavor much BUT we top the pizza with shredded gouda or you could do crumbled cojita cheese or alternatively crumbled feta cheese.

What ingredients do you need to make this elotes pizza?

Pizza dough –

For my homemade pizza dough we need flour (preferably bread flour but all purpose also works), instant yeast, water, salt, sugar, olive oil. I use semolina to bake the pizza this creates a yummy crust on the pizza.

Crema sauce –

We are making a cross between mexican crema and sour cream. To do this wee need heavy cream, lemon juice, mince garlic, garlic powder, salt.

Elotes –

If you have leftover elotes you can use it but if not to make it we need canned corn, mexican crema, cream cheese, lime, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper powder, black pepper powder, garlic, salt.

Assembly –

The pizza is topped with mozzarella cheese – we need a good melting cheese here that is not too strong in flavor as we do not want to over power the elotes flavor. Having said this, you can use other cheeses as well. I like too finish the pizza with shredded gouda or crumbled feta as I don’t have cojita cheese. Squeeze lime on top and add fresh cilantro if you have it.

What equipment do you need to make this elotes pizza?

To make the pizza dough I use a large mixing bowl, my hands and a dough scraper. You could use a ripper spatula or a dough whisk. Better yet you can use a stand mixer as well to make the pizza dough. To make the crema we need a small mixing bowl, microplane grater, spoon. To make the elotes we need a saute pan, mixing bowl, spoon. I baked my pizza in an oven with a pizza stone but you can use a baking tray or a cast iron pan as well. I like using baking paper to bake the pizza making it easier to handle.

How to make this elotes pizza?

We start by making our pizza dough – check out the recipe here. Once you leave the dough to proof for the 1st time (around 1 hour until doubled in volume or overnight int he fridge covered) we can get on with the rest of the components. To make the crema wee need heavy cream, lime zest & juice, minced garlic and salt, stir this together until combined. It will get thicker and create a sour cream like flavor and consistency. You can make this the night before, cover and store it in the fridge as well. To make the elotes we drain the canned corn and empty the can into a saute pan. Ideally a large pan so the corn is evenly spread out. Cook this on high heat until it gets charred. We want color on the corn to create that smokey elotes flavor. This should take around 5-8 minutes. Add a little butter, lime juice, paprika powder, oregano, cayenne pepper powder, salt, chili powder, stir and transfer the corn to a bowl. Add the cream cheese, 2 tbsp of the crema and stir well, set aside.

Once the dough has doubled in volume, portion it into 3 pieces and form into balls. If the dough is sticky, add a little oil into your palms to hep the rolling. Cover the balls and let this rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to the highest setting, place a pizza stone on the middle rack or a over turn a baking tray/cast iron pan. This helps make the pizza crusty and the dough fluffy. Shred your mozzarella cheese, gouda cheese, slice the limes, prepare the fresh cilantro and let us assemble. Place one of the pizza dough balls on a sheet of baking paper, drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and using your fingers, start stretching the dough out. Keep poking through the dough, maintaining a 1 inch edge around the dough. We are looking to create an 8/9 inch round. If the dough rips, pinch it back together, it is very forgiving. Add 2 tbsp of crema and spread it out, top with the elotes mixture and then the shredded mozzarella cheese. Using a pizza steel/large flat tray, transfer the pizza to the oven and bake for 14-15 minutes (this time will vary on how hot the oven is). Once golden and the the dough has a hollow sound when you knock it, its done, remove from the oven and top with gouda cheese/feta/cojita, squeeze lime juice and sprinkle over fresh cilantro. Serve hot with more cold crema.

Serving and storing this elotes pizza?

Like all pizzas this one is no exception and should be served hot. I like serving it with a fresh squeeze of lime juice, sprinkle or shredded gouda cheese, crumbed feta/cojita cheese, fresh cilantro (optional). Dollop more sauce on top of the pizza when serving. The leftovers can be stored in pizza lock bags or wrap it in aluminum foil and store in the fridge for 3 days. When ready to eat, place a slice on a pan, cover and heat on low flame, after a couple of minutes sprinkle a little water over the pan and cover again. This will create steam and melt the cheese but keep the bottom of the pizza crusty.

Looking for more pizza recipes?

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

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