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Grilled corn on the cob couldn’t be simpler. There are numerous ways to cook fresh corn, and I think I have tried most of them, but my favorite way, which happens to be the easiest way….is simply grilled. The light char, really brings out corn’s incredible flavor!
No foil, no husk, no pre-blanching, and no soaking here. Just put fresh corn straight on the grill!
It’s ridiculously fast and easy and tastes great. Once the kernels get a little bit of char, lather the with optional chipotle butter, a squeeze of lime and scatter with fresh cilantro. So easy, so tasty!
You can always just use butter and salt. Or a drizzle of olive oil and salt if vegan.
What you will need:
- Fresh Corn: When picking out corn, choose cobs with bright green husks. Pull back the husk and look at the kernels before you buy them. They should be firm, plump and juicy.
- Butter- or substitute vegan butter or olive oil
- Salt
- Spices and Seasonings– these are optional, but we whip spices and chipotle peppers in with the butter.
- Lime- zest and juice.
Why I love This Grilled Corn on the cob!
How to grill corn on the cob
Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
TIP: If serving a larger group of people, you may want to cut the corn in half or thirds. Use a very sharp large knife on a sturdy cutting board and cut through the cob.
Once butter is lavishly spread, squeeze 1/2 lime over the corn and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. It’s best eaten warm, right off the grill, but it is just fine if served at room temp.
How to Make Chipotle Cinnamon Lime Butter
If entertaining, make the butter ahead, it will keep for 1-2 weeks. And remember, you can use vegan butter. Olive oil works too, but I personally prefer the consistency of butter with this.
Whip softened butter with the chipotles and the spices and the lime zest. You can use a food processor or whip by hand.
You can serve the butter on the side, or lather the corn up!
Enjoy it!
More recipes you may like:
- Fregola with Corn, Zucchini & Basil
- Masala Street Corn
- Chipotle Grilled Chicken Salad with Corn, Peppers and Arugula
- Mexican Street Corn ( Elotes!)
Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Southwest
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
How to grill corn on the cob, served with chipotle lime butter!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter (or soy butter or olive oil– see note)
- 1–2 chipotle peppers ( I used two, plus a little “juice” from the can) –This ended up being 3 out of 5 stars. A nice slow-burning spicy.
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste ( you could try smoked salt)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional, but tasty)
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Zest of 1 lime – save lime for squeezing on after
- cracked pepper
- 8 Ears of Corn, shucked
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro as fresh garnish
Instructions
- Preheat grill to Med High
- Make the butter: In a food processor, add chipotle peppers, salt, cinnamon, cumin, lime zest ( reserving juice for later), black pepper. Pulse ingredients, scrape sides down, pulse again. Add butter and pulse until combined. It doesn’t have to be smooth, leave flecks of chipotle pepper and zest. Set Aside. You can do this ahead and keep in your fridge up to a week. (If you don’t have a food processor…mince the peppers and zest and place in a small bowl with the other ingredients) Stir in the butter.
- Prep the corn. Remove husks and rub the silk off of the corn.
- Place on a greased hot grill, close the lid, and rotate a quarter, every two-three minutes until each side is grilled. (8-10 mins). A little charring gives a good flavor.
- When done, lavishly spread the Chipotle Lime butter on all sides.
- Squeeze with lime, and sprinkle fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Serve warm or at room temp.
Notes
The butter will keep up to 2 weeks in the fridge or can be frozen.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: one ear, plus 1 tablespoon chipotle butter
- Calories: 235
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 157.9 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30.5 mg
Keywords: grilled corn, grilled corn on the cob, how to grill corn, corn on the cob, Mexican grilled corn, grilled corn with chipotle butter
I’ve been making this recipe for years and I love it so much. I was just referring back to it, and I figured I’d finally leave a review!
★★★★★
Thanks PJ, really appreciate it! 🙌
Added the cinnamon- so good!
★★★★★
This is such a great recipe, and a beautiful presentation! Thank you for the tip on the corn husk wreath too, I follow CITR but I had missed that one. Lovely blog! Cheers, Andrea
Thank you Andrea, I appreciate your nice feedback.
This looks delicious and the presentation is beautiful. You have a lovely blog.
Thank you!!
Sylvia…. so great to connect with you via the web, even though we are only a hop, skip, and a jump from one another! I’m in CDA. I love this corn on the cob post and I’ll look forward to seeing more now that I’m following you on Pinterest :)Blessings,Krista
Thanks for reading Krista!