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Home » Mexican Recipes

Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)

Published: May 29, 2020 · Modified: Apr 28, 2021 by Brooke · This post may contain affiliate links, which can earn us a commission.

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Calling all Chipotle Mexican Grill fans!  We'll let you in on a little secret--our Chipotle corn salsa, is so sweet, spicy, and super addicting you will be wanting to eat it on everything!

If you love chips and salsa, then you are going to love serving up our tomatillo salsa and fresh tomato salsa. Use them in burritos, cilantro lime rice bowls, soft tacos, or serve with tortilla chips for the ultimate summer appetizer.

person dipping a chip into corn salsa
Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make
  • Recipe FAQs
  • Serve
  • Store
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipe
  • Comments

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Ingredients

glass bowls of corn salsa ingredients

Ever wondered what's in the corn salsa at Chipotle?  If you go to their website, they have the ingredients listed, and we used them to make this copycat recipe which you will love.

  • Corn: We used frozen white corn. (Chipotle uses frozen)
  • Aromatics: We used red onion as it's great for adding more color to this copycat salsa.
  • Heat: We used jalapenos and roasted poblanos that were seeded.
  • Tang: We used lime zest, freshly squeezed lime juice and lemon juice.
  • Spices: We used fresh chopped cilantro, salt, and black pepper to season.

How to Make

person charring a poblano pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F, then line a small baking tray (affiliate) with foil.  Place the poblanos on the tray and brush both sides with olive oil using a pastry brush.
  2. Roast for 7 minutes, then turn them over with metal tongs (affiliate).  Place back in the oven and roast for another 7 minutes. Remove the seeds, then chop them into smaller pieces.
person stirring corn in a skillet and spreading on a tray

3. Heat up the olive oil until it is shimmering in two 10-inch skillets (affiliate) over medium high heat.

Add 4 cups of kernels to each skillet.  Stir frequently so the kernels get some color, browned in parts and charred in parts.  This should take 6 to 9 minutes.

4. Place the roasted kernels on a large baking tray for 8 to 10 minutes so they will cool.

adding veggies and lime juice to a glass bowl

5. Place the roasted kernels in a large bowl. Add the chopped red onion, minced jalapeños, and the chopped roasted poblano peppers.

6. Next, add the fresh cilantro, lime zest, salt, black pepper, and the freshly squeezed lime juice.

person stirring corn salsa and dipping a chip into it

7. With a large spoon, mix until well combined.  Taste and adjust seasonings, adding a bit more salt, lime juice or cilantro.  If you like your salsa sweet, add 1 teaspoon of white sugar.

8. Squeeze on some fresh lime juice to give it a fresh taste and some extra tang. Serve this Chipotle copycat corn salsa with tortilla chips, a burrito bowl, soft tacos, nachos, cilantro lime rice, or fresh summer salad greens.

Recipe FAQs

What is Chipotle salsa made of?

Chipotle corn salsa is made with sweet white corn, roasted poblano, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and citrus juice from lemons and limes. We have used the same ingredients to create this copycat version of the recipe.

Is Chipotle corn salsa spicy?

It's rated as medium in spiciness due to the jalapeno and roasted poblano peppers.  If you are looking for something mild, try the fresh tomato salsa at Chipotle, which is a simple pico de gallo recipe.

Is Chipotle corn salsa healthy?

It is relatively low in calories which may make it a healthy alternative for some diets. A serving at Chipotle contains 80 calories, 1.5g fat, 3g protein and 16g carbohydrates. In a ½ cup serving size of our copycat recipe there are 152 calories, 8g fat, 3g protein, and 22g of carbs.  For more nutritional information, please scroll past the recipe card. However, if you are following whole30, keto or paleo this recipe is compliant.

Is the corn salsa at Chipotle vegan?

Yes, the recipe is made completely using plant-based ingredients making it suitable for vegan and vegetarian diets.

Serve

  • Serve this copycat Chipotle corn salsa with other Tex-Mex foods: burritos, bowls, soft tacos, and salad bowls are all wonderful choices. If you're more in the mood for an appetizer, eat it straight from the bowl with tortilla chips. This copycat recipe tastes amazing when paired with our copycat pork carnitas or carne asada recipes.

Store

Make ahead: This copycat corn salsa is best eaten within a few hours of making.  If you need to make this the night before, please adjust the seasonings just before serving.  You'll need to add more lime juice, as the kernels will absorb it.

Leftovers: Store this copycat recipe in the refrigerator for 1-3 days after making it. When serving again, stir it up and add more lime juice or seasoning to perk it up a bit.

Freeze: If you are using fresh or canned, freeze any leftovers in a freezer-friendly container for up to one month.  Thaw in the fridge, taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more fresh lime juice and salt and a bit more fresh cilantro. However, if you are using frozen corn that has been thawed, it's not a good idea to re-freeze it once it's assembled into a salsa. 

Expert Tips

  • Want the best flavor?  Allow the ingredients to meld for at least 15 minutes before eating, then taste test and adjust lime and seasonings.
  • Want the best texture? Chop the onion, jalapeno, and the roasted poblano finely.
  • Want freshest ingredients? Choose to use fresh corn when it's in season for the freshest tasting salsa.  One medium cob will give you ¾ cup of kernels.  This recipe calls for 8 cups of kernels, which is roughly 10-11 ears.
  • Need to make it faster? When speed is a priority, use a good quality white shoepeg canned corn.  If you choose this option, add extra seasonings: lime and lemon juice, salt, cilantro and possibly some white sugar to increase the flavor once the salsa has been assembled.

Other Chipotle Copycat Recipes You'll Love

  • Chipotle Sofritas (Copycat Recipe)
  • Chipotle Fresh Tomato Salsa (Copycat Recipe)
  • Chipotle Barbacoa (Copycat Recipe with Video)
  • Chipotle Tortilla Chips Copycat

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Recipe

person dipping a tortilla chip into corn salsa

Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)

Our Chipotle corn salsa copycat recipe is sweet, a little spicy, and totally addicting.  Learn how to make our homemade twist on this popular Mexican restaurant's recipe.  Roasted poblano, sweet white corn, jalapeno, red onion, fresh cilantro, and lime juice come together to make this vegan and gluten free salsa to serve with burrito bowls, tacos or salads.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin FavoriteSaved! Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 151kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 large poblano peppers
  • 8 cups frozen white corn, thawed (3 pounds)
  • 2 cups red onion, chopped
  • 1 cup jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (4 jalapenos)
  • 1 ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lime zest
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, 8 limes
  • 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425F, and line a small baking tray with foil.
  • Brush the two poblano peppers with olive oil, then roast them for 7 minutes.  Turn the peppers over with tongs and roast for another 7 minutes.
  • Place the charred poblanos in a glass or ceramic dish and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes to allow to cool.
  • Carefully rub off the outer skin with a paper towel, then cut off the tops, de-seed, and chop.
  • Divide the oil between two 10-inch, heavy-bottomed skillets, and heat it until shimmering over medium high heat.  Place 4 cups of thawed corn in each skillet and saute it until it's tender and roasty, about 6 to 9 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.
  • Spread the sauteed kernels out on a large baking tray to cool for 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Mix the cooled kernels, onion, jalapenos, poblanos, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, salt, and black pepper.  With a large spoon, stir until well mixed.
  • Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more lime juice, salt, cilantro, or even sugar, if you like it sweeter.  Chill for at least 15 minutes, then enjoy.

Notes

  • Want the best flavor?  Allow the ingredients to meld for at least 15 minutes before eating, then taste test and adjust lime and seasonings.
  • Want the best texture? Chop the onion, jalapeno, and the roasted poblano finely.
  • Want freshest ingredients? Choose to use fresh corn when it's in season for the freshest tasting salsa.  One medium cob will give you ¾ cup of kernels.  This recipe calls for 8 cups of kernels, which is roughly 10-11 ears.
  • Need to make it faster? When speed is a priority, use a good quality white shoepeg canned corn.  If you choose this option, add extra seasonings: lime and lemon juice, salt, cilantro and possibly some white sugar to increase the flavor once the salsa has been assembled.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 151kcal (8%)Carbohydrates: 21g (7%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 8g (12%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 300mg (13%)Potassium: 289mg (8%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 8g (9%)Vitamin A: 210IU (4%)Vitamin C: 30mg (36%)Calcium: 12mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beth

    May 29, 2020 at 9:47 am

    5 stars
    This salsa looks bright and delicious. This is limey, crunchy, and colorful. The onions, peppers, and lime give it a bit of zing, and the corn is yummy! This tastes great on tortilla chips.

    Reply
    • Emma

      May 29, 2020 at 9:50 am

      Thanks for your comment, Beth!

      Reply
  2. Alex

    May 29, 2020 at 9:45 am

    5 stars
    The jalapenos in this are crunchy and delicious! The lime is sour, the corn is sweet, and the onions are crunchy. The salt enhances the sourness from the lime.

    Reply
    • Emma

      May 29, 2020 at 9:50 am

      Glad you enjoyed the salsa, Alex!

      Reply

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Welcome to our kitchen! We're Brooke & Emma, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. As self-taught cooks and bakers, we love to inspire you to cook from scratch with real food! Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts.

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