Before becoming a Nutritarian, one of my FAVORITE things was Mexican Street Corn. I really thought for the longest time I wouldn’t be able to have anything that tasted like it without all the butter, cream, and cheese. That was until I discovered the versatile uses of a cashew cream base.
Cashew cream has changed my life!
It all started with this Italian Cashew Creamed Kale and I realized this was a game changer.
I have figured out the perfect balance of cashews to almond milk ratio and what spices to add to change it up depending on the recipe. The ratio is 1 cup raw unsalted cashews to 3/4 cup almond milk. It creates the perfect creaminess that isn’t too thick and not too runny. You can also use any plant milk your prefer, but make sure it is unsweetened and unflavored.
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You definitely want a high powered blender. I really don’t know how this will turn out in a regular blender or food processor. In my Vitamix it becomes the perfect cream consistency without little bits of nuts leftover.
The perfect Mexican Street Corn spice blend
I found this Air Fryer Mexican Street Corn recipe from The Belly Rules the Mind and used her ratio of spices, but changed up the way I made this recipe and added the cashew cream to create the most AMAZING Mexican Street Corn! I really can’t believe this is vegan and whole food plant based!
Trust me, if you serve this at a party, your omnivore friends will NOT know the difference! I made 8 ears of this last night and I literally ate FIVE of them! OH SO GOOD!
You can use corn kernels instead of corn on the cob for Mexican Street Corn
Another great thing about the cashew cream sauce & spices, is you could even just use frozen corn kernels and pour the sauce on top & sprinkle with the spices. So you can serve this year round even if fresh corn on the cob isn’t available!
This cashew cream sauce would also make an amazing Alfredo sauce or Caesar dressing. This sauce can be stored in an airtight container for 7 days so you can use it throughout the week.
What is traditional Mexican Street Corn or Elotes?
Traditional Mexican Street Corn, also called Elotes, is sold by street venders & festivals in Mexico and covered in butter, salt, mayonnaise or crema fresca, lime juice, chili powder, and cotija cheese. Delicious, but not at all Nutritarian friendly!
Taco Tuesday Plant Based Style
We love to have Taco Tuesday, only it’s usually NOT on Tuesday because of our schedules, LOL, but learning to make whole food plant based Tacos & sides has proved challenging at first, but we are getting there!
For the Taco “meat” there are a few different options. If you want to use Tofu and make your own, I suggest this recipe by It doesn’t taste like chicken. However, we have discovered Jackfruit Tacos and I prefer to buy Upton’s Naturals Chili Lime Jackfruit from Whole Foods. It is super fast & so delicious! Although a bit spicy for kids, so sometimes I just use black beans for my kids tacos.
The only problem is the Taco shells because they do have added oils. That’s my next project because I love crunchy tacos. How to make crunchy taco shells without the oil! Sometimes we’ll just use whole grain tortillas instead.
As for the sides, I’ll make a batch of Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Brown Basmati Rice, black beans, and now this Mexican Street Corn! Add some lettuce, guacamole or avocado slices, salsa, a little vegan cheese and Taco Night is a HIT!
Ingredients:
- 8 ears fresh corn on the cob (or about 5 cups frozen corn)
1 cup raw cashews, unsalted
3/4 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk unflavored
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt, optional
4 limes
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro, optional
Note about the Adobo Seasoning – there are lots of different versions and blends by the same name online. I found mine at Kroger and it was the Private Selection brand called Caribbean Inspired Adobo Blend. It has paprika, chili, garlic, onion powder, and apple cider. It has a great smell and flavor that added really great flavor to the spice blend!
You can bake the corn in the oven as I show in this recipe, but you can also put it on the grill for extra barbecue fun!
More great Mexican recipes you might like:
- Vegan 3 Bean Chili
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchilada Bake
- Soy Chorizo Vegan Egg Breakfast Tacos
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Brown Basmati Rice
If you try this recipe please comment below!
Easy Mexican Street Corn Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ears fresh corn on the cob (or about 5 cups frozen corn)
- 1 cup raw cashews, unsalted
- 3/4 cup unsweetened almond or soy milk unflavored
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt optional
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon adobo powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt optional
- 4 limes
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450º. Wrap the corn on the cob in foil. (If it has the husk left on you can leave it on to help keep in the moisture). Bake the corn in the oven for 25 minutes.
- While the corn is baking, put the cashews, almond milk, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon optional salt in a high powered blender. Blend on low and then gradually increase the speed to high until is it completely creamy.
- In a small bowl, mix the adobo powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon optional salt together.
- When corn is done baking, carefully unwrap and remove the corn husk. Squeeze 1/2 a lime all over an ear of corn, drizzle with cashew cream sauce, then sprinkle with dry spice mixture. Top with fresh cilantro if desired. Repeat for each ear of corn. Serve immediately.
Hi, what can I substitute the cashews nuts with?
You could use any kind of nut butter to substitude the cashews.