Description
A quick vegan elote recipe with homemade tofu based mayo/crema & cashew based "cotija cheese". Try this dairy-free Mexican street corn today!
Ingredients
- 8 cobs of corn
- Ancho chili powder (for topping, see notes for alternatives)
- Garlic chives or cilantro, chopped (for topping)
- 1-2 limes (to garnish)
- Plant-based butter, optional
Vegan “Mayo/Crema”
- 200 g firm tofu (see notes for other varieties)
- 1 lime, zested & juiced (2 tbsp of juice)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp mustard powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (less or more to thin as needed)
Vegan “Cotija Cheese”
- 1/4 cup raw cashews, ground
- 3/4 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Prepare the corn by removing the husk and silk but leave a couple inches of stem intact to make the elotes easier to handle.
- Grill the corn until cooked and nicely charred. Alternatively, boil the corn for 3-5 minutes to cook it and then grill the corn for a few minutes just before serving. (Store boiled corn in the fridge for up to a day before grilling and assembling the elotes).
- While the corn cooks, prepare the “mayo/crema” by adding all of the ingredients to a blender and blending until smooth. Add milk a little at a time until your preferred consistency is reached. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prepare the vegan “cotija cheese” by grinding the raw cashews in a small food processor or spice/nut grinder. Stir the nutritional yeast and salt into the ground cashews and set aside.
- To assemble the elotes, brush the warm corn with plant-based butter if desired. Then coat each ear of corn on all sides with 2 tbsp of the “mayo”. Sprinkle the vegan “cotija cheese” over all sides of the corn. Then finish with sprinkling as much or as little of the ancho chili powder on top, garnishing with fresh chopped garlic chives or cilantro and reserved lime zest.
- Serve with extra lime and enjoy while warm!
Notes
Approximate Cost: The tofu mayo/crema costs us $1.97 Canadian and the vegan “cotija cheese” costs us about $0.65. In season, we can buy fresh corn for as low as $0.25 per cob so this entire recipe would cost us around $5.
If you don’t have ancho chili powder you can use another kind of chili powder. Cayenne will be quite spicy whereas smoked paprika would be my choice for a more mild heat with a smoky flavour that pairs well with the grilled corn.
If using soft tofu for the mayo/crema you can likely omit the plant milk. Alternatively, if using a firmer tofu you may need more plant milk to reach the right consistency. You want the consistency to be spreadable but not too runny so that it sticks to the corn.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Mexican
