Air Fryer Mexican Corn (Elote)

Bite into fresh corn with the most delicious cheesy mayo topping, with chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice, and you’ll quickly see why we rave about air fryer Mexican corn! We’re more than a little obsessed about making Mexican corn in our air fryer, quick, easy, and insanely delicious, you need to try this today!

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Why you’ll love this delicious Mexican street corn recipe

We love making air fryer Mexican street corn elote for game nights, they are so popular, and people love the creamy cheese mixture and so easy to make.

Ingredients you’ll need

You’ll need all the ingredients shown below in the photograph.

What does elote mean?

Elote simply means corn.

Elote is a popular Mexican food.

What do I serve Mexican street corn with?

Mexican street corn is the perfect appetizer or side dish for a Mexican meal.

Eat it along with our birria tacos, pico de gallo, salsa roja, or salsa taquera.

They make a tasty treat at a BBQ, along with our veggie burgers, and vegan chicken burgers.

What’s the best air fryer to use?

There are so many brands and so many different models of air fryers on the market these days.

The air fryer craze is definitely here to stay!

We can only tell you which air fryer we love to cook with and that’s the Instant pot vortex.

Why do we love it?

It’s super quiet, it has a glass window so you can check on the food without removing the basket.

And it’s affordable.

Why air fry corn?

Air frying corn is so quick and easy!

It only takes 12 minutes to air fry.

And tastes just as good as if you cooked it in the oven.

There’s nothing better than fresh corn with melted butter…

Until you try this Mexican street corn recipe!

Can I use frozen corn?

Of course!

While fresh corn is always better, it’s not always available.

If you are going to use frozen corn, just add a few more minutes

What is cotija cheese?

Be aware that cotija cheese is NOT vegetarian.

Cotija cheese is a Mexican cheese used in this popular Mexican street food.

It’s generally aged for 100 days, it’s dry and generally grated.

However, you can find a fresher crumblier version of Mexican cotija cheese.

For the fresher crumbly version, substitute with feta cheese.

Is cotija cheese vegetarian

Cotija cheese contains animal rennet so is not suitable for vegetarians.

We used vegetarian grated Parmesan instead.

Play with the flavors

We think you’re going to love our Mexican street corn recipe, but you can always play with the flavors!

Using sour cream instead of mayonnaise brings a lovely creaminess to the corn.

Using a little smoked paprika, garlic powder, and fresh cracked black pepper can enhance the flavors of air fryer elotes.

How do I store air fryer Mexican street corn?

You’ll be able to store your air fryer Mexican street corn in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

We don’t recommend freezing them.

Recipe notes and expert tips

More air fryer recipes for you to try

If you like making our Mexican street corn in the air fryer, then take a look at these easy and delicious recipes!

How to make Mexican street corn with step by step instructions

It’s easy to make our Mexican street corn in the air fryer if you follow our simple instructions.

Preheat your air fryer to 400F/205C.

First, spread unsalted butter evenly on your cobs, then wrap them in foil.

Place them in your air fryer basket and cook them until tender, approximately 10 – 12 minutes.

Shake your air fryer basket when prompted to do so by your air fryer, this helps to cook the corn evenly.

Remove the cobs from your air fryer basket and unwrap them (the foil will be hot, so be careful).

Spread mayonnaise over the cobs, and sprinkle finely grated Parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle a little chili powder, kosher salt, and finely chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve immediately with lime wedges and enjoy!

We hope you enjoy making and eating our Mexican street corn recipe in your air fryer and would love to hear how you got on with making it.

Please leave a comment below and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Got keto questions? We often get asked ‘is mayo keto?’ Our friends at Keto Cooking Wins answer all your questions!

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