Elote Burger

Our Elote Burger combines juicy hamburgers with a topping of Mexican street corn, creamy avocados, and melted cheese. If you are a fan of gourmet hamburgers, this fusion of American and Mexican cuisines is sure to be a hit.

Today’s gourmet burger unites my obsession with Grilled Mexican Street Corn and my love of thick, juicy cheeseburgers and the result is undeniably sensational. My taste testers all agree that the elote burger gives another popular burger, my Red, White, and Blueberry Bacon Burger, a run for its money. I’m hard-pressed to choose a favorite.

Every summer my Burgers 101: How to Grill Burgers post is always one of my most popular articles on my site. Give the choice between burgers, tacos, and pizza, I’ll take a burger any day. They are my favorite and I love them piled high with all the fixings and experimenting with new flavors and combinations.

The crunch of the grilled corn tossed in a savory, rich mayo-based dressing with just the right amount of spices is the perfect pairing with a ground beef patty seared on the charcoal grill. Forget the basic ketchup & mustard – some green leaf lettuce, monterey jack cheese, and creamy avocado finish this burger off just right.

And if you happen to have any of the street corn topping left over you might find your kids eating it up with a spoon like my oldest daughter who took second, then third helpings.

What You’ll Need

This isn’t a 5-ingredient recipe, but although the list looks long there isn’t anything intimidating about it. Gather your supplies beforehand to make the process of assembling the burgers easy-peasy. You can even make the elotes topping in advance.

• Ground Beef – I prefer something with a higher fat concentration for juicier burgers rather than something too lean. 80/20 or 85/15 is perfect for burgers, in my opinion, but bison burgers would be excellent here too. Looking to cut back on red meat? Try this with turkey burgers instead.
• Hamburger Buns – Use your favorite hamburger buns from the store or make my homemade brioche hamburger buns instead if you want to go the extra mile.
• Corn – For best results I recommend using fresh, sweet corn on the cob. My kids love husking it to remove the hairs, then we grill it on the same grill we use for the burgers. If corn isn’t in season, you can get away with frozen corn in a pinch, but I don’t recommend using canned corn in this recipe.
• Oil – Just a tablespoon or so for brushing on the corn before you grill it (or adding to your skillet if you go that route).
• Mayo – If you have had elotes before, you’ll know it has a mayonnaise-based sauce that is slathered all over the corn. Greek yogurt is not a perfect substitute, but it will work if you need to.
• Monterey Jack Cheese – I think this melty white cheese is perfect with these burgers, but you could go with pepper jack for more of a kick or something like havarti for another option.
• Cotija Cheese – This punchy, salty Mexican cheese can be found in the dairy aisle next to all the other cheeses. It comes in a solid square or disc and you crumble it up to add to the elote topping. Feta cheese makes a decent substitute.
• Lime – You need some lime juice for the elote topping but if you want to kick the citrus up a notch go ahead and throw some lime zest in too for good measure.
• Cilantro – I love the bright herby flavor that cilantro adds to the topping. I’m such a fan of cilantro that I even have a Cilantro Burger inspired by a favorite burger joint in California called Yak’s.
• Green Onions – You can use both the white and green parts of the green onions (aka scallions) to make the elotes.
• Jalapeno – Don’t fret about this making the topping spicy. Just remove the stem and seeds and you’ll be just fine. It adds so much incredible flavor to the topping!
• Garlic – One minced clove is all you need and you can always use the preminced stuff in a jar or even garlic powder in a pinch.
• Seasonings & Spices – Use your favorite burger seasoning or just good old salt & pepper to season the outside of your burgers. You’ll also want some ancho chili powder to give a smoky, robust flavor to the street corn topping. If you don’t have ancho chili powder, regular chili powder works almost just as well.
• Avocado – This is optional but so, so good. If you have ripe avocados, I wouldn’t skip adding them to your burger.

Let’s Get Grilling!

1. Grill the corn. Start by heating your charcoal or gas grill and shucking or husking the corn. I think they mean the same thing. Basically, peel off the green outer leaves and peel off all the hairy strings to leave the kernels bare. Brush them with a little oil and throw them on a hot grill, turning every few minutes until they are lightly charred on all sides.
2. Prep the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the mayo, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, cotija cheese, lime juice, garlic, and ancho chili powder. Whisk it all together and set aside.

3. Add the corn. Slice the corn kernels off the cob with a sharp knife and add to the dressing ingredients. Toss everything together until evenly coated and refrigerate until ready to use. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed by adding salt & pepper or more ancho chili powder. It’s best fresh the day it is made but still tastes good a day or two later as long as it has been stored in a fridge. Because this is a mayo-based topping it should never stay out of the fridge longer than an hour or two, so if you are taking this to a cookout just stick it in a cooler until you are ready to eat.

4. Prep & grill your burgers. I have a whole post about how to grill burgers but here are the highlights. Shape your patties and make an indent in the center of each patty with your thumb. Season well with salt & pepper or your favorite burger seasoning. Think of seasoning and cooking your burgers like a steak. Sear over high heat to develop that crust on the outside and whatever you do, do NOT press on your burgers with a spatula while grilling them. Cook them for about 5-6 minutes per side depending on how well you like your burgers (I like mine with a little pink on the inside), adding the cheese in the last minute or two so it can melt. Rest the burgers for 5-10 minutes before assembling.
5. Assemble the burgers. Lettuce goes on the bottom bun before the burger goes on. This helps keep the buns from getting soggy and falling apart thanks to the juicy burgers, which go right on top of the lettuce. Next is sliced avocado followed by a big, heaping scoop of the elote topping. I’m talking at least ½ to ¾ cup per burger. Or more. It’s totally okay if it’s falling off and you have to scoop some of it up with a spoon to pile it back on your burger. I like to sprinkle a little extra chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese on top for good measure but you do you. Finally finish it off with the top bun and devour!

Recipe Tips

• Shape your burgers and let them sit out for 20 minutes before grilling to take off the chill a bit for more even grilling.
• Everything that you do on the grill can be done in a cast iron skillet or other heavy duty pan. You can slice the kernels of corn off the cob (or use frozen corn) and cook them in a little oil until charred. Then wipe out the pan, add another drizzle of oil, and cook the burgers in the same skillet if the weather is too hot or too cold for grilling outdoors. Just be sure to turn on your fan so you don’t set off any smoke alarms.
• Let the burgers rest after you finish grilling them. Like any good steak, the juices need time to redistribute before you tear into your burger. Also, like any good steak or other grilled meat, keep in mind that the burger will continue to cook slightly and the temperature will rise after removing it from the heat. Unless you like your burger well done, I recommend pulling it off the grill a little early while it still has pink to the center of the burger so it stays nice and juicy.

Recipe FAQ’s