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

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

You will love this Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa

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

Chipotle's corn salsa is so fresh and we like that the components all stay separate (unlike a blended salsa) but come together to make a bite that has a solid 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 – we 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. We discourage the use of iodized salt since it adds that table salt flavor instead of drawing out the flavor of all the other ingredients.
Garlic salt – garlic salt is a great way to get a 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:

Prep – Add the corn, red onion, and jalapeño to a medium bowl and stir to mix them up.
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.
Chill – Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.
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 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 can 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

How long will leftovers keep?

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

What are other ways we can serve this corn salsa?

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.

Can we add cheese?

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

Serve it with

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Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa Recipe

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Ingredients

2 cans corn white or yellow or mixed, drained
¾ cup red onion diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2-3 limes
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic salt

Method

Combine all ingredients, stir, and serve in a bowl with chips on the side. Add more salt to taste if needed.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and enjoy!