Elote-Style Sweet Corn Ice Cream Sundaes with Chili-Lime Caramel

Elote, Mexico’s iconic street corn, inspires this playful sundae: charred sweet corn folded into creamy ice cream, then crowned with chili-lime caramel, cotija, and a squeeze of lime for sweet heat in every spoonful.

Serves 4 · 15 min prep · 15 min cook

Estimate for one serving

• 520 cal
• 9g protein
• 68g carbs
• 24g fat

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 4 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp chili powder or Tajín
• 3 tbsp hot honey
• 1/4 cup cotija cheese
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 lime wedges

Instructions

1. 1Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sweet corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels are tender and charred in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Season lightly with salt and set aside to cool slightly.
2. 2Warm the sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan or microwave until just pourable; stir in half of the warm charred corn to make a quick corn swirl sauce.
3. 3For the chili-lime caramel, melt the sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat without stirring until it turns deep amber, 4 to 6 minutes. Carefully whisk in the heavy cream until smooth, then remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and chili powder.
4. 4Scoop vanilla ice cream into four bowls. Spoon the warm corn-condensed milk mixture over each scoop so it melts into ribbons.
5. 5Drizzle the chili-lime caramel generously over the ice cream, then add the remaining charred corn kernels.
6. 6Finish each sundae with a drizzle of hot honey, a sprinkle of crumbled cotija, and a few cilantro leaves for the full elote echo.
7. 7Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side for squeezing. The hot-cold, sweet-salty-spicy contrast is the point—eat before the ice cream fully melts.