Skillet Elote-Style Sweet Corn Ice Cream Sundae

Elote, Mexico’s iconic street corn, inspires this playful sundae where butter-toasted kernels simmer into a sweet cream sauce. Spoon the warm skillet corn over vanilla ice cream and finish with cotija, chili-lime seasoning, and a squeeze of lime.

Serves 4 · 10 min prep · 15 min cook

Estimate for one serving

• 480 cal
• 9g protein
• 58g carbs
• 25g fat
• 4g fiber

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Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp chili-lime seasoning
• 4 cups vanilla ice cream
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija or grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 lime wedges
• 2 tbsp hot honey or regular honey

Instructions

1. 1Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high. Add the butter and, once foaming, tip in the corn kernels. Cook undisturbed 2 minutes, then stir and continue until many kernels are blistered and lightly charred, 5–7 minutes total.
2. 2Reduce heat to low. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer gently, stirring, until the mixture thickens into a glossy sauce that coats the corn, about 3–4 minutes.
3. 3Stir in the vanilla and salt. Remove from heat and let the corn sauce cool 5 minutes so it is warm, not scorching.
4. 4Scoop vanilla ice cream into four bowls. Spoon the warm elote-style corn sauce generously over each scoop.
5. 5Dust each sundae with chili-lime seasoning and a sprinkle of crumbled cotija. Tear cilantro leaves over the top.
6. 6Finish with a drizzle of hot honey and serve immediately with lime wedges for squeezing so the sweet-salty-spicy contrast stays bright.