Elote Seasoning Recipe – The Daring Gourmet
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Celebrate the flavors of one of Mexico’s most popular street foods, elotes, in the form of this homemade Elote Seasoning recipe that is quick and easy to make and will add life, flavor, and fiesta to your foods! Highly versatile, its combination of smoky, spicy, sweet, tangy and salty is delicious on everything from grilled chicken and salmon to scrambled eggs and popcorn!
Mexican Street Corn Seasoning
You already know that I’m huge advocate of making homemade seasoning blends and this elote seasoning is no exception. Making your own gives you full control over what’s in it (and what isn’t), is fully customizable (adjusting the level of salt and spiciness, swapping out ingredients, etc), is cheaper to make, and is much fresher and more vibrant tasting!
One of my favorite Mexican seasoning blends, this homemade elote seasoning is wonderfully versatile and positively bursting with smoky, zesty, tangy, savory flavors! And if you’re looking for unique edible gift ideas, this is a great one!
What is Elote Seasoning?
You may be familiar with “Trader Joe’s Everything But the Elote Seasoning”. This is my take on it, but with even more flavor. Elote seasoning is a spice blend that is inspired by a traditional Mexican snack called elotes, or Mexican street corn. While you won’t find “elote seasoning” in Mexico, what you’ll find is grilled corn on the cob that is seasoned with chilies, cumin, cilantro, lime juice and cotija or queso fresco cheese. That combination of smoky, sweet, spicy, savory, salty and herbaceous flavors is captured in this dried elote seasoning blend that you can conveniently grab and shake onto a variety of foods. It’s a fun way to harness that famous flavor profile in everything from roast chicken to popcorn!
Elote Seasoning Ingredients
Mexican street corn (or elotes) feature a blend of sweet, smoky, spicy, herby, and salty. They’re sprinkled with a variety of ground chilies, cumin, salt, cilantro, lime juice and cotija or queso fresco cheese and then roasted on the grill. My elote seasoning recipe captures these flavors in a dried spice blend form that you can easily grab and shake onto your foods to capture that famous flavor. Here is what you’ll need to make it:
- Chili Powder: This is your standard mild chili powder that you can find in any store.
- Guajillo or Ancho Chili Powder: I like to add a variety of chili blends for flavor complexity but if you don’t have guajillo chili powder or ancho chili powder you can substitute more of the regular chili powder. If you have another chili variety, add that!
- Paprika: Adds color and an earthy sweetness.
- Chipotle Powder: This adds the smoky component of the blend. Chipotle powder is made from smoked and ground jalapeno peppers. If you don’t have chipotle powder you can substitute smoked paprika. For my DIY’ers, see my tutorial on How to Make Chipotle Peppers and then grind some to use in this blend.
- Cayenne Pepper: If you’re using chipotle powder you won’t need the extra heat (unless you want more heat) but if you’re using smoked paprika, the cayenne will provide that added kick.
- Parmesan cheese: This mimics the flavor of the cotija and adds that wonderful “umami” element to the blend. If you’re vegan or dairy free, you can substitute nutritional yeast.
- Cumin: Adds a slightly sweet, nutty flavor.
- Garlic Powder: This adds a wonderful earthy umami component and rounds out the elote seasoning.
- Dried cilantro: Adds a bright citrusy-peppery flavor. Cilantro is the signature herb used for making elotes but it is a polarizing herb (it’s literally a gene thing; if you have the gene it tastes like soap). If you’re one of those people who can’t tolerate it, you can substitute oregano. You can find dried cilantro in the spice section of most grocery stores or you can easily make your own by dehydrating some fresh cilantro in the oven at 170-180F until dried and flaky and then crumble it with your fingers.
- Dried Lime Zest: A key flavor component in Mexican street corn, you don’t want to miss out on this. Don’t worry about special ordering it, it’s so easy to make and I’ll show you how below.
- Cane Sugar: This mimics the sweetness of the corn and provides balance.
- Salt: I use kosher or sea salt. Depending on how you’re planning on using this blend, you can add more or less salt, or omit it entirely.
Elote Seasoning Recipe
Let’s get started!
First you’ll need to make the dried lime zest. Preheat the oven to 170-180F/75-80C.
Zest one lime, lay the zest out on a plate and stick it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove and let it cool completely, then crumble it up finely with your fingers.
Measure the ingredients and place them into a bowl or jar.
Stir the spices or shake the jar until combined. Done!
Store the elote seasoning in a glass jar with an airtight lid.
Store in the fridge where it will keep for up to a month or at room temperature where it will keep for up to a week.
How to Use It
One of the things I love about elote seasoning is its versatility. There are so many creative ways that you can use it. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Use as a dry rub for chicken, pork, beef, lamb, fish and seafood.
- Added to ground beef mixture for your burgers.
- Use to season steamed and roasted vegetables.
- Sprinkled on corn on the cob.
- Add to rice and beans.
- Added to soups and stews (e.g., pozole rojo and creamy chicken tortilla soup)
- Sprinkled on avocado toast or cottage cheese toast.
- Added to cornbread muffins or skillet cornbread.
- For seasoning scrambled or fried eggs.
- Stirred into refried beans.
- Sprinkled on fajitas, tacos, carnitas and tostadas (see my chicken tostadas, steak fajitas, and pork tinga tacos).
- For seasoned French fries, baked potato wedges, and sweet potato fries.
- Sprinkled on popcorn.
- Added to guacamole or salsa.
- Added to pasta salads or Mexican corn salad
- Stirred into mayonnaise and sour cream for a dip.
- Added to olive oil and lemon juice for a simple Mexican-style vinaigrette.
- Tossed into freshly popped popcorn
Storing Tips
Unless you’re using the spice blend right away, be sure to use dehydrated and not fresh parmesan (dehydrated is the stuff in the canisters stored at room temp). If storing at room temp I recommend using the elote seasoning within a week. If you store it in the fridge, it will keep for up to a month.
For more homemade seasoning blends from around the world try my:
Elote Seasoning Recipe
This Elote Seasoning captures the life and flavor of one of Mexico’s most famous street foods, elotes, in the form of a convenient spice blend you can add to a variety of foods for a delicious flavor kick!
- To make the lime zest (this can be done days in advance): Preheat the oven to 170-180F/75-80C.Zest one lime, lay the zest out on a plate and stick it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove and let it cool completely, then crumble it up finely with your fingers.
- Place all of the ingredients in a bowl or in a jar and stir or shake to thoroughly combine. Store in a glass jar with an airtight lid in the fridge where it will keep for up to a month. At room temperature it should be used within a week. Makes about 1/3 cup seasoning.
Storage: Unless you’re using the spice blend right away, be sure to use dehydrated and not fresh parmesan (dehydrated is the stuff in the canisters stored at room temp). If storing at room temp I recommend using the elote seasoning within a week. If you store it in the fridge, it will keep for up to a month.
Serving: 2teaspoonsCalories: 8kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 0.4gFat: 0.4gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 0.2mgSodium: 99mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 617IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.4mg
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you’ll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!