How to Make Chipotle Corn Salsa

Recreate a Chipotle staple with this corn salsa recipe. This salsa walks that line of heat, sweetness, and acid perfectly and is the perfect snack or side!

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

You will love this Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa

I LOVE Chipotle. I used to eat there several times a week during college and I still love it years later. While I wish I could say I have tried everything on the menu the truth is I have the things I know I like there and I get lots of variations of those. One of my favorite sides for any base is their corn salsa.

Chipotle’s corn salsa is so fresh and I like that the components all stay separate (unlike a blended salsa) but come together to make a bite that has a perfect balance of Mexican flavors. For this recipe make sure you try to buy all your ingredients as fresh as possible, you will be able to taste the difference.

Chipotle Corn Salsa Ingredients

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

• Canned Corn – you can use white, yellow, or a mixture of the two for this recipe. If you use fresh corn make sure it has been cut off the cob and cooked. The corn is the sweet element that will balance out the other flavors.
• Red Onion – red onion will add a nice bite as well as a freshness and sweetness to the salsa that you need.
• Jalapeno – jalapeno’s are a go to for heat here since they are easily available and aren’t overly spicy. See tip #1 below for more info about how to prepare jalapenos and mellow their heat.
• Limes – I use limes here to give the salsa that acidic hit that it needs to brighten the salsa.
• Cilantro – cilantro will give this salsa a fresh citrusy flavor. It’s important to use fresh cilantro that isn’t wilted since it loses its bite as it sits.
• Salt – use a fine grain kosher sea salt for this recipe. I discourage the use of iodized salt since it adds that table salt flavor instead of just drawing out the flavor of all the other ingredients.
• Garlic salt – garlic salt is a great way to get a really even distribution of garlic flavor. It also adds a little extra salt which helps elevate the other ingredients.

How to make Chipotle Corn Salsa

Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following method:

1. Prep – Add the corn, red onion, and jalapeño to a medium bowl and stir to mix them up.
2. Mix- Juice the limes over the mixture and sprinkle the kosher salt and garlic salt, stir well to combine. Use a chip to taste the mixture and adjust the salt till it tastes how you want it.
3. Chill – Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
4. Enjoy – Enjoy with chips or for a fresh bite on other Mexican food!

Chipotle Corn Recipe Tips

Making corn salsa is simple, here are some tips and tricks and frequently asked questions about this recipe.

Protect hands working with jalaneños. When working with any spicy pepper you want to wear gloves so the hot acid from the interior doesn’t coat your hands for days.

Reduce Jalapeño heat if needed. Always remove the seeds and discard them unless you want your salsa really spicy. If you want to mellow the heat of the jalapeño while keeping its flavor, you can roast it whole in the oven on 375 degrees for about 20 minutes turning once. Let it cool before removing seeds and dicing for the corn salsa.

Taste test with the chips you are going to eat it with. It’s important to taste with the chips you will be serving it with (if possible) since tortilla chips are salted and depending on the brand you may want the corn salsa more or less salty.

Corn Salsa Chipotle Recipe FAQs

Store this copycat chipotle corn salsa in an airtight container for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

If you don’t want to serve it with chips this salsa can go on any Mexican food or over lettuce for a nice Mexican inspired salad. It also can add a nice fresh element to any cooked protein like chicken or steak.

Yes! Cheese is always welcome for every recipe. For this salsa I would use Cotija cheese which will add a nice richness and creaminess.

What to serve with Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa

If you like this copycat chipotle corn salsa you will also like,

• Keto Tortilla Chips
• Shredded Chicken Green Chili Tacos
• One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet
• Mexican Beef and Rice Skillet
• Chicken Taco Salad
• Layered Taco Pie

Try these other Tex Mex Recipes:

Pico de Gallo

Taco Seasoning

Green Chile Burger Bowls

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa Recipe

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