Grilled Vegan Street Fair Corn

Corn on the cob gets a tasty makeover with this street fair corn recipe. Once you taste grilled corn slathered with nondairy mayo, sour cream, and parmesan, you'll never go back to plain corn! It's super easy to make, and it's vegan and gluten. Thanks to NYC Vegan, you don’t have to travel to New York to try this summertime favorite.

Street Fair Corn

Corn season is starting here in New Jersey, and we grow some really tasty corn here in The Garden State. Dennis and I can be found grilling it up in the backyard all summer long.

Sure, you can spread a little nondairy butter on your corn, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and call it a day. But why not amp it with mayo, sour cream, and cheese? All vegan, of course!

What is Street Fair Corn?

Street fair corn, sometimes called Mexican street fair corn, is a summertime favorite in New York City. It can always be found at, you guessed it, street fairs around the City. Traditional recipes are made with mayonnaise, crema, cotija cheese, lime juice, and chili powder. This recipe from NYC Vegan uses vegan versions.

What You Need

You only need a few ingredients for this recipe!

• Corn on the cob
• Vegan mayonnaise
• Vegan sour cream
• Vegan parmesan cheese
• Chili powder
• Garlic
• Cilantro or parsley
• Lime

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

How to Make Grilled Street Fair Corn

This recipe is super easy to make!

• First you pre-heat your grill or place your grill pan over medium-high heat.
• While your grill is heating, you mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, nondairy parmesan, chili powder, garlic, and cilantro.
• You cook the corn by placing it directly on the grill or grill pan, and cook tits for about 8 minutes, turning the cobs frequently. You want little char marks on all over.
• Then you remove the corn from the grill and place it on a serving platter. You use a pastry or basting brush to coat each ear of corn with the mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle each cob with extra cheese and chili powder and serve them immediately with lime wedges.

Recipe Notes

For this recipe, I used my homemade Vegan Mayonnaise. If you don't want to make your own, you can use Vegenaise or your favorite store-bought dairy-free mayo.

I also used my homemade Walnut Parmesan. Violife and Follow Your Heart both make yummy vegan parmesan cheese if you don't want to make your own.

Store-bought vegan sour cream brands include Follow Your Heart, Kite Hill, and Forager.

If you don't have an outdoor grill, you can cook your corn on the cob indoors on a grill pan.

NYC Vegan

Despite the fact that I can see the Empire State Building from my neighborhood, I don’t go into New York City to eat very often, and when I do, I tend to hit up the same restaurants. I went to college in the City, but I went vegetarian while I was at school, so other than street-cart pretzels and falafel sandwiches, I never tried any of the foods that New York is known for, such as the Manhattan clam chowder and Reuben sandwiches. Thankfully, with NYC Vegan: Iconic Recipes for a Taste of the Big Apple by Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment I can now try veganized versions of all of those dishes I missed without having to deal with NJ Transit’s wacky train schedule.

Michael and Ethan are friends of mine, and I just so happened to work on the design of NYC Vegan. It’s difficult for me to be unbiased about this book, but I can guarantee that I would love it even if I didn’t know the authors and I hadn’t worked on the book. It’s chock-full of the delicious dishes that New York is know for, such as Waldorf Salad, New York-Style Bagels, and Black and White Cookies.

Since New York City has a hugely diverse ethnic population, you’ll find recipes for many different types of foods in NYC Vegan, such as Brisket of Seitan, General Tso’s Chick’n, and Arrox Con Maiz. Interesting trivia about New York City and the food that it’s known for are sprinkled throughout the book. Michael and Ethan also include a list of vegan restaurants for those that want to visit the Big Apple and try some of the foods for themselves. Jackie Sobon took the mouthwatering photos at accompany the recipes.

Chapters in NYC Vegan include:

• The Flavors of New York City
• The Basics
• Breakfast at Tiffany’s
• Power Lunch
• Start Spreading the News
• Supper Club
• Farmer’s Market
• On the Side
• How Sweet It Is
• Being Vegan in New York City

NYC Vegan is the perfect book for anyone who wants to try the different flavors of New York without having to leave home!

Street Fair Corn

Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment

Summer in New York City means weekend street fairs. The fairs have no rides or games. Instead, avenues are closed to traffic for several blocks, where dozens of vendors sell food. One of the most popular foods is Mexican Street Corn—freshly grilled sweet corn coated in a mixture of cheese and spiced mayonnaise. We created a vegan version of this dish that tastes even better than the original.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4 servings

Calories 160 kcal

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup nondairy mayonnaise
• ¼ cup nondairy sour cream
• ¼ cup nondairy parmesan plus more for serving
• ½ teaspoon chili powder plus more for serving
• 1 medium clove garlic finely minced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley
• 4 ears sweet corn shucked
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

 

• Heat a grill for direct-heat grilling, or heat a grill pan over high heat on the stove. While the grill is heating, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, nondairy parmesan, chili powder, garlic, and cilantro. Stir until completely combined.
• Place the corn directly on the hot grill and cook, rotating occasionally, until cooked through and charred in spots on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
• Remove the corn from the grill and transfer to a serving plate. Use a pastry or basting brush to generously coat each ear of corn with the mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with extra cheese and chili powder and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Notes

From NYC Vegan, copyright © 2017 by Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment. Used by permission. Photo by Jackie Sobon.

Serve Your Street Fair Corn With:

• Chipotle Lentil Burgers
• Cruciferous Crunch Salad
• Grilled Wedge Salad
• Grilled Summer Vegetables with Easy Romesco
• Barbecue Pulled Mushroom Sandwiches