Fresh corn on the cob is slathered in a spicy, limey, cheesy, vegan sauce and sprinkled with chopped jalapeño peppers and cilantro in this vegan elote or Mexican corn recipe.
I’m counting down the days (less than three) until my husband D and I drive our daughter to college 796 miles away. Because of the anticipation, the dread, the planning, the shopping, and the packing (or at least the nagging E to pack, without much success), I haven’t been doing a lot of cooking, or at least not original cooking. I’ve relied on old standbys, like burritos made with canned beans, to get us through most days, though in the last week I’ve been honoring E’s requests for some of her favorites.
At her going-away party last Friday, I served the sesame-peanut noodle salad she’s always loved (and which is much too high in fat to qualify for this blog). Last week we had Pasta and Vegetables with White Sauce, and last night she requested her very favorite meal, lasagna, garlic bread and salad. And don’t tell her but tonight I’m planning to surprise her with Ribz.
All of this is to say I haven’t had much time for experimentation, though I did have one idea floating around in my head that I wanted to try out:
I’ve seen a lot of recipes lately for Mexican Street Corn, which looks beautiful, but since I’ve been vegan since the Dark Ages, I’ve never tasted. Traditional recipes involve mayo and cheese, but I thought it would be delicious to slather corn in a spicy, limey, vaguely cheesy, vegan sauce, so I did a little experimentation until I found a concoction I loved. The best news is you can put this sauce on anything to liven it up, so feel free to drizzle it on your potatoes and veggies or even toss it with some pasta. Anything goes.
Vegan Elote or Mexican-Inspired Corn on the Cob with Hemp-Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 ears corn shucked and rinsed
- 1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 2 tablespoons hemp hearts (may substitute pine nuts sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds if necessary)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon brown rice flour (I haven’t tested with other flours)
- 1 small clove garlic peeled
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Garnishes
- Minced cilantro or parsley, chopped jalapeno or other hot peppers, lime wedges, and/or chipotle powder/smoked paprika
Instructions
- Cook the corn in any way you want. Grilled tastes best, but I save time by using my Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Just put a rack or steaming basket in the pot, place the shucked corn on the rack, and add about 1 1/2 cups water–enough to cover the bottom by a good 1/2 inch but not rise above the bottom of the rack. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Quick-release pressure manually.
- While the corn is cooking, make the sauce. Combine “milk” and all remaining ingredients EXCEPT lime juice and garnishes in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it boils and thickens. Add the lime juice and continue to cook for another minute. If the sauce is too thick to drizzle or pour, add more non-dairy milk by the tablespoon to thin it out. Taste and add extra salt, cayenne, and lime juice, if you like, and remove from heat.
- Serve the corn drizzled with the hot sauce and sprinkled with your choice of garnishes.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
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After we drop E off at college, D and I are going to try to stave off empty-nest depression by taking our first vacation alone in 18 years. I’ll be posting photos on my Instagram account of the animals and pretty scenery of South Dakota as well as some of the vegan food we sample (a trip to a famous vegan cookbook author’s restaurant just might happen!) So please follow me there if you want to see what we’re up to.
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Maria
August 12, 2015 at 4:02 pmHi Susan–
This corn looks delicious and absolutely beautiful! I love the photos of it. Mike and Kelly will have corn ripening soon and I just KNOW they’ll want to try this. Thank you! And good luck with the Veg News survey. I bet you’ll be a shoe-in. 🙂 xoxo
Neja
August 12, 2015 at 4:06 pmGreat idea for Summer evenings! I hope your vacation will be lovely, no need to be sad…be happy, kick empty nest feeling out of the window =). Take Care!
Sally Rosloff
August 12, 2015 at 4:52 pmVoted. I don’t cook much, but you are my go to recipe site. Thank you!
OR Suz
August 14, 2015 at 12:38 pmI’ve both benefited and enjoyed your blog & recipes, so this is the least I can do; you continue to inspire this lackadaisical vegan wanna-be.
Krista
August 15, 2015 at 3:17 pmThis is really good!!! I appreciate a new use for hemp seeds too!!
Em
August 16, 2015 at 11:58 amThanks Susan.
Looks great. We are crazy busy these days too. Our baby is taking a plane soon to go to SU. I went there for admit weekend so we can’t afford to fly out again-
And the other 3 have things going on so lately trying to keep it simple yet I also got Miyoko’s pantry book- oh my! 🙂
We are having a cookout- Go West Young Man send off for him and I will whip some of this up for the corn we are serving that day.
Best of luck to E!
Hugs,
Em
Zoey
August 17, 2015 at 2:34 pmWill E follow a vegan food plan while in college? Is she a vegan?
Susan Voisin
August 17, 2015 at 3:24 pmYes, E was born and raised a vegan and will continue to be vegan in college. She chose a school with great vegan options at every meal. Check my Instagram for a photo of the delicious meal we shared a couple days ago.
Jane
August 22, 2015 at 3:09 amAmazing corn-on-the-cob recipe. Just perfect during barbecues or picnic.
rick millward
August 28, 2015 at 5:03 pmI voted for you!
Josh Latham
November 21, 2016 at 3:34 pmAm eating this now, made it for my dinner tonight. So good! It taste like I’m eating a really good piece of buttered corn! I used powdered lime which gave it an even more intense lime flavor. I’m thinking you could use this to dress brown rice or a pasta salad.
Rebecca
February 4, 2019 at 5:01 pmHey there! The corn looks great! – how long would this sauce last do you think in the fridge? I haven’t made it yet hence no stars checked yet. Thanks for the info!
Susan Voisin
February 4, 2019 at 5:15 pmI would use it within a week. Hope you enjoy it!
Daniel P. Ashley
March 24, 2023 at 3:45 amThis was amazing, and I prepared it myself. I only had a little amount of panko on hand, but it still turned out creamy and delicious. I’m going to make this a lot. If you are finding games, come to This was amazing, and I prepared it myself. I only had a little amount of panko on hand, but it still turned out creamy and delicious. I’m going to make this a lot.