(Mexican Street Corn Pizza)
Elote Pizza combines the ingredients you love from Elote and turns them into a satisfying and unique pizza! Elote, also known as Mexican Street Corn, is a corn cob traditionally covered in a creamy mayonnaise sauce, chili powder, lime, Cotija cheese, and cilantro. Other toppings, like butter, paprika, and Tajin, are also sometimes used.

I think you will enjoy this Elote pizza! It is easy to make and brings a different taste to the pizza table. I made it for a work party, as I personally don’t like spicy things, so I had my coworkers try it for me. Everyone was blown away at how tasty, different, and unique it was. This fusion dish combines Mexican and Italian culinary influences with ingredients that blend savory with smoky, sweet, tangy, and a little spiciness kick.
Elote is a much-loved snack in Mexico, and it has gained a loyal following in America now too! Why not combine a popular snack, Elote, with another popular dish, pizza?
Ingredients You Need for this Elote Pizza Recipe

- 6 oz of frozen corn, thawed out. This is about ¾ cup. You can use fresh corn if you prefer. Just cook and shuck two ears according to your preference.
- 1 loose cup (not packed) of cilantro
- 12” pizza dough – You can make your own or use store-bought dough. I used our Easy Peasy Dough recipe.
- 1 Tb melted butter
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1.5 cups Mexican-style cheese blend; mine was Asadero, Oaxaca, and Quesadilla
- ½ cup of Cotija cheese or Parmesan, if you can’t find it
- ½ cup of Chipotle mayo. I like Primal Kitchen’s Chipotle Lime. Why? Because it includes everything you need already blended. Instead of juicing a lime and only using 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers… I use the amount I need from the pre-made mayo and then have a whole bottle left over for sandwiches, wraps, or – try this – dunking fries. But I digress; you can find Primal Kitchen’s Chipotle Lime mayo in most stores or online here.

How to Make Elote Pizza
If you are preparing a from-scratch Chipotle Mayo, go ahead and do that first and refrigerate it. If you are using a pre-made Chipotle mayo, start making the pizza.
If you are using fresh corn as opposed to frozen. Prepare it to your liking, removes the kernels, and let them cool. If you use frozen corn, lay a paper towel on a plate to catch any excess moisture. Frozen corn defrosts pretty quickly, but if you need to speed it up, you can put the corn in a colander and run a little cold water over it for about a minute, stirring the corn as you do so it thaws evenly. Then, let the water drain and lay the corn on a paper towel to catch excess water. It is okay if some of the kernels are still a little icy. They’ll thaw, cook and heat in the oven.
Then wash the cilantro, shake off excess water, and lay it out in an even layer on a clean kitchen towel, so it can dry off.
Next, you’ll want to preheat your oven according to your dough instructions.
Grab the pizza pan you want and brush it with some melted butter. Then mix the chili powder and paprika into the rest of the butter.
I like to roll this pizza dough out with a rolling pin and then dock it. You can use a fork to dock it if you don’t have a docker. This is an optional step, but I don’t want the pizza to get too poofy in the oven. The toppings are not too heavy and can get a little inflated if not docked.

After I’ve prepared the dough and placed it on the pan, I brush the remaining butter mixed with chili powder and paprika on top of the dough.

Next, you’ll want to spread your cheese blend over the top and then your corn.

Bake your pizza according to the baking instructions. While the pizza is baking, it’s time to make your topping. I take the cilantro, remove the leaves from the stems, then finely chop the leaves. Then I mix the chopped leaves with the Chipotle Mayo and Cotija cheese.
Remove the pizza from the oven, let it sit, and cool for 5 minutes.

Now, gently spread the mayo mixture over the top, slice, and serve!

Substitutions and Variations for Elote Pizza
There are as many variations as there are kernels on an ear of corn! You can definitely remove the spice if you don’t like spicy things (use regular mayo instead of the chipotle version), or if you want to turn the heat up a notch, add some cayenne or extra chili powder. You can also dust the top with Tajin. Whatever your favorite toppings for Elote are, you can incorporate them into either the mayonnaise topping or on top of the pizza.
You can also serve a slice with lime wedges and extra Chipotle Lime mayo on the side. For those who like to dunk their crust, having a little extra mayo on the side is a must!
Additional Tips for Making Elote Pizza
I like placing my pizza on the stone for about 3 minutes after cooking. This ensures a nice, evenly browned crust, making it crispy and crunchy.
When applying the mayo topping, don’t press on the pizza too hard. It will knock some of your corn off.
How to Store It
Let the pizza cool before placing it in a container, but place it in the fridge within two hours. There are specific pizza storage containers, but you can use any container that will fit the pizza, wrap it in tinfoil, or place it in a plastic bag. Place it in the fridge and eat it within 4 days. You can also place it in the freezer for up to 60 days.
How to Reheat It
If the pizza is from the fridge: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once it reaches temp, place it on a pan or the pizza stone for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can heat the slices in a skillet on the stovetop – no need to preheat the pan! Place the skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, place the pizza in, and let heat for 6-8 minutes.

Elote Pizza, aka Mexican Street Corn Pizza
Ingredients
- 6 oz Frozen Corn Thawed
- 1 cup Cilantro Loose, not packed
- 1 Ball Pizza Dough 12"
- 1 tbsp Butter Melted
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1.5 cups Mexican-style Cheese Blend
- .5 cups Cotija Cheese Exchange Parmesean if you can't find Cotija
Instructions
- If you are preparing a from-scratch Chipotle Mayo, go ahead and do that first and refrigerate it. If you are using a pre-made Chipotle mayo, start making the pizza.
- If you are using fresh corn as opposed to frozen. Prepare it to your liking, removes the kernels, and let them cool. If you use frozen corn, lay a paper towel on a plate to catch any excess moisture. Frozen corn defrosts pretty quickly, but if you need to speed it up, you can put the corn in a colander and run a little cold water over it for about a minute, stirring the corn as you do so it thaws evenly. Then, let the water drain and lay the corn on a paper towel to catch excess water. It is okay if some of the kernels are still a little icy. They’ll thaw, cook and heat in the oven.
- Wash the cilantro, shake off excess water, and lay it out in an even layer on a clean kitchen towel, so it can dry off.
- Preheat your oven according to your dough instructions.
- Brush your pizza pan with some melted butter. Then mix the chili powder and paprika into the rest of the butter.
- Roll this pizza dough out with a rolling pin and then dock it. You can use a fork to dock it if you don’t have a docker. This is an optional step, but I don’t want the pizza to get too poofy in the oven. The toppings are not too heavy and can get a little inflated if not docked.
- Prepared the dough and place it on the pan.
- Brush the remaining butter mixed with chili powder and paprika on top of the dough.
- Spread your cheese blend over the top.
- Spread the corn over the top.
- Bake your pizza according to the baking instructions. Our Easy Peasy Dough takes 20 minutes.
- While the pizza is baking, make your topping. Take the cilantro, and remove the leaves from the stems, then finely chop the leaves. Then mix the chopped leaves with the Chipotle Mayo and Cotija cheese.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, let it sit, and cool for 5 minutes.
- Gently spread the mayo mixture over the top, slice, and serve!
Nutrition

Heather is a passionate culinary enthusiast who has honed her baking and cooking skills since she was a young girl. Her culinary journey started in the kitchens of her mom, dad, aunt, and grandma. Even though Heather loves the comfort of a familiar recipe, she often embraces the role of an explorer in the kitchen and enjoys experimenting with new techniques and ingredients.