Grilled Corn Tacos
Jul 27, 2023
These vegetarian Grilled Corn Tacos are what perfect summer lunches are made of. Corn, pepper and onion filling is wrapped in corn tortillas and topped with feta cheese, cilantro, avocado and a spicy crema for a flavor explosion.
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A great way to use fresh corn, these vegetarian Grilled Corn Tacos are a summer staple in my kitchen. Topped with avocado, cilantro, feta cheese, jalapeño, these tacos come together quickly and make for a great lunch on a hot day. These are gluten free and can be easily made vegan.
One of my favorite things about summers is the farmers market. I love going to my local farmers market every Saturday and buying beautiful fresh produce. I wish we would have it year long but we try to make the most of whatever we get.
We buy fresh corn every time we go to the market during summers. They are so sweet when in season and right now is the best time to enjoy them. I often just roast them and then we enjoy them with a squeeze of lime juice and chaat masala. However, I also love using them in various other ways like Fresh Kale & Corn Salad, or Spinach Corn Sandwiches and more!
I absolutely love grilling corn, adding it to tacos and then adding tons of toppings on top. It’s quite a flavor bomb. These Grilled Corn Tacos are basic yet so good. The sweet corn combined with all the toppings in what amazing summer lunches are made of.
Grilled Corn Tacos – 4 parts to it!
This recipe has precisely 4 parts to it – the corn filling, tortillas, spicy cream and the toppings.
Corn filling: the filling is made with grilled corn kernels, onions, peppers, garlic, taco seasoning, cilantro and lime. It’s really good! I wanted to eat it with a spoon but then I remembered that I had to add it to my tacos! You can adjust the amount of taco seasoning to taste.
Tortillas: I prefer using corn tortillas for my tacos but you can also use flour tortillas. Char them a little over direct heat for extra flavor.
Spicy crema: the crema is made with sour cream, chipotle pepper, salt, lime juice with a touch of honey. You can make it as spicy as you like by adding more of the chipotle pepper than mentioned in the recipe.
Toppings: you can add as many toppings as you like to your tacos. I have used feta cheese, avocado, green onion, cilantro, jalapeno. Some pickled onions would be nice too. You can add coleslaw or just shredded cabbage and much more.
Make them Vegan
You can easily make these grilled corn tacos vegan! Swap the sour cream in the spicy crema with coconut cream or vegan yogurt and skip the feta topping (or use vegan feta).
Step by Step Instructions
- Grill the corn first. Remove the husk from the ear of corn. Then one by one grill each corn by placing it directly over heat. You can use your grill or I just placed a wire mesh on top of my gas stove which worked perfectly well. Keep rotating it as you grill the corn making sure it gets nicely roasted from all sides. Once all the 3 corns are grilled, place them on a side.
- To a pan on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. Then add 1/2 cup chopped onions, 1/2 diced jalapeño and 3 finely chopped or minced garlic cloves.
- Sauté for 2 minutes and then add 1/2 cup chopped green peppers and 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes stirring often until bell peppers are soft.
- Remove the corn kernels from all the 3 corns, I like using a serrated knife for this.
- Add the kernels into the pan and stir.
- Add 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning, I used a mild taco seasoning, you may add less if using a hot taco seasoning. Also add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Keep in mind the taco seasoning also has salt in it so keep that in mind.
- Then stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and juice of 1/2 lime. Stir and the corn filling is ready.
- To make the spicy crema, to a blender add the following: 3/4 cup sour cream, 1/2 chipotle pepper and 1/2 teaspoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce), 1 garlic, juice of 1/2 lime, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon honey. You can add entire chipotle pepper for a spicier crema.
- Blend until everything is combined and you have a smooth sauce. Set this aside.
- Mash 1 avocado using a fork, add salt and pepper to taste. You can also make this like a guacamole but I like keeping it simple here.
- Heat up your corn tortilla, I place them directly on heat until they are little charred.
- Add the corn filling to your tacos, then top with the mashed avocado and then all the toppings- chopped cilantro, green onions, feta cheese, jalapeño. Drizzle with the spicy crema and enjoy.
Important Tips
- These are best eaten immediately. To make them in advance, you can keep everything separate and just assemble when you are ready to eat.
- These will also be great for taco bars. Put every topping in a small container on one side and the corn filling and tortillas on another and then let everyone make their own tacos.
- If you would like to add protein to these tacos, I recommend air frying tofu and adding that to the tacos. The crispy tofu will be great here.
- The spicy crema can be made 5 days in advance and refrigerated.
More Summer Recipes
Grilled Corn Tacos
Ingredients
- 3 ears of corn
- 1 tablespoon oil I used avocado oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 garlic cloves minced or finely chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning add more or less to taste, also depends if you are using mild or spicy taco seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 1/2 lime juice of
Spicy Crema
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce or use whole for spicier crema
- 1/2 teaspoon adodo sauce from the can of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 1 garlic
- 1/2 lime juice of
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon honey or to taste
For serving
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 large avocado scoop the pulp and add salt and pepper to taste
- cilantro chopped
- green onions chopped
- lime wedges
- sliced jalapeño
- feta cheese crumbled, optional
Instructions
- Remove the husk from the corn ear and grill or roast each corn until the kernels are well roasted and brown. Then set them aside.
- Now, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onions, jalapeño and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until the onions soften a bit. Then add the peppers and cook 3 more minutes, stirring often. With help of a serrated knife, remove the kernels from the corn ear and add them to the pan as well.
- Add taco seasoning and salt and mix until combined. Also, add cilantro and lime juice and the corn filling for the tacos is ready. Set this aside and make the crema.
- To make the spicy crema, add sour cream, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce), garlic, lime juice, salt and honey to a blender and blend until you have a smooth sauce.
- Prepare all the toppings- chop the cilantro, green onion. Mash 1 avocado using a fork, add salt and pepper to taste. Then heat up the corn tortilla, by placing them on direct heat until they are a little charred. Make the tacos by adding the filling to the tortilla and then top with mashed avocado, cilantro, green onions, feta cheese, jalapeño. Drizzle with the spicy crema and serve immediately.
Notes
- The recipe is gluten free as I have used corn tortillas, but you can also use flour tortillas in place.
- To make these tacos vegan, replace the sour cream with vegan yogurt or coconut cream and skip the feta cheese topping.
- In place of feta cheese, you can also use crumbled goat cheese as a topping.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
