Mexican Elote Gives This Popular Breakfast Dish Exciting New Flavor

Avocado toast has proven it's got staying power. After a heightened period of hype, it's settled into staple status both at restaurants and at home. It's little wonder why. Avocado is a healthy source of fat and fiber, absolutely packed with vitamins and nutrients. Slathered onto some good bread, it's nice and filling, and its simplicity is an invitation for creativity — avocado toast is easy to make and easy to upgrade with any number of toppings.

Speaking of upgrades, thanks to the aforementioned reasons, you might find yourself making avocado toast a lot and, therefore, are looking for some exciting new twists. There are all kinds of fun ways to elevate avocado toast, from poached eggs to sriracha sauce. But if you really want to kick your breakfast into high gear or wow guests at a brunch party, try making Mexican-style elote avocado toast.

Elote is grilled Mexican street corn, typically served on the cob — the Spanish word "elote" translates to "corn on the cob." After it's grilled, the corn is covered in mayonnaise or Mexican crema with cotija cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and lime juice. You get the bite and sweetness of the corn with rich creaminess and a hint of tang, spicy heat, fresh herbaceousness, and tart citrus for balance. If you make this corn and then sprinkle it onto your avocado toast, you're bringing that entire flavor bouquet to the buttery avocado and crisp bread. It's a whole new dish, more complex than ever.

Technically, for this avocado toast upgrade, you're making esquites, which means the corn is off the cob. Start with fresh corn cobs and char them in oil on your stove or grill them, and then slice the kernels into a bowl, or take a little shortcut with canned or frozen corn. Dress the corn in mayo, chili powder, and lime juice, then pour your mixture over smashed avocado on toasted bread — ideally sourdough for crispy, doughy heft. Then you can top with cotija cheese, cilantro, and a sprinkle of seasonings like Tajín. 

You can always add whatever else you like, too, like pickled onions for some acid and heat, radishes for fresh crunch, or diced tomato for juicy sweetness. Pepitas are another idea for crunch, while a poached egg would further boost this dish's richness. If you like things on the spicier side, reach for some jalapeño slices. 

Elote-topped avocado toast is sure to shake up your breakfast or lunch routine in an exciting, flavor-packed way. If you're making it when hosting friends or family, try rounding out your spread with Mexican-style brunchy beverages like sweet, milky, rice-based horchata, carajillo coffee cocktails, and spicy beer micheladas you can customize with garnishes. You can even make this avocado toast riff more crowd-friendly by cutting it into smaller snack sizes. Whether it's one, four, or 20 servings, making Mexican-style elote avocado toast promises to become a new go-to.