Elote en Vaso (Esquites)

Elote en vaso served in a glass cup with a lime wedge.

5 from 40 votes

Elote en Vaso 🌽 (or Esquites) is an iconic street food treat that will transport you straight to the heart of Mexico! 🇲🇽 Bursting with flavor and fun, it’s a must-try snack for any Mexican food lover.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5 20

Total Time5 35

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: people

Calories: 115kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

To Cook the Corn:

4 ears corn (whole)
1 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
4 cups water
2 epazote leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon salt

Optional Toppings:

2 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoon cotija cheese
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoon butter (melted)
2 tablespoon hot sauce
1 lime (juice)

Instructions

Remove the husks and the silk (hair) from the corn.
Cut the top and base off of the corn cob.
Hold one end of the cob with your hand and place the other end on the cutting board.
Tilt at a 45-degree angle.
Cut off the kernels with a sharp knife.
Be sure to cut away from your hand and body.
Place the kernels, 1 cup of chicken or vegetable broth, 4 cups water, epazote (if using) and salt in a large stock pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat.
Cook until ⅔ of the liquid has evaporated.
Layer the corn with your desired toppings - corn, mayo, cheese, chili, butter, hot sauce.
Repeat until the cup is full.
Drizzle with lime juice on the top and enjoy.

Notes

The toppings are suggestions. Feel free to add more or less, depending on your personal taste.

Swap out cotija for another salty cheese like feta or parmesan. Or, use queso fresco.

Instead of mayonnaise, you can use sour cream, crema mexicana, or Greek yogurt.

To use frozen corn:

Add the frozen corn to a stock pot along with broth, salt, and use only 1 cup water. Cook for 10 minutes.

Nutrition