This roasted chili corn salsa is fantastic with its smoky, spicy roasted peppers, sweet corn, onions, and tomatoes combined with the brightness of cilantro and lime - like a copycat Chipotle corn salsa recipe on steroids. 😉 The perfect snack or a fabulous addition to your favorite Mexican-inspired dishes. Also great on steaks, fish, pork, and chicken. Enjoy!
Why You'll Love Roasted Chili Corn Salsa
Roast and Chop
Roasting chili peppers is the most challenging thing to do in this recipe - but it's not hard at all! A few chopped ingredients and sauteed frozen corn are the sustenance of this salsa. Throw everything into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Excite Your Senses
Roasted chilli corn salsa is a wonderful blend of sweet roasted corn, a trio of roasted chile peppers, and tomatoes, with fresh onion, cilantro, and lime.
Sweet, salty, and sour (tang) are the three taste sensations in this recipe. Throw in spicy, and your pallet will be on a rollercoaster ride of flavor! LOL
Healthy
This salsa is a healthy, homemade recipe that's sure to excite the crowd.
- A gluten-free, plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan salsa recipe.
- It's Whole30 and paleo friendly.
- No dairy has been added to this recipe.
- Make it a low carb and keto salsa by omitting the corn and substituting roasted cauliflower that has been diced and cooled. Add in diced avocado for extra healthy fat.
Chipotle Corn Salsa Recipe Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this copycat corn salsa from chipotle:
- Sweet Corn- white or yellow works fine for this recipe. The corn brings some nice sweetness and crunch. Using frozen corn makes it so covenient! You can buy frozen roasted corn in some stores to save some time. You can also use fresh corn.
- Poblano Peppers- are quite mild, but a roasted poblano pepper becomes even more mild and brings a very nice earthiness to the recipe. Rub extra-virgin olive oil on them and roast. Once roasted, de-seed, de-stem, and diced into ½ inch pieces.
- Anaheim Peppers- bring about the same, mild heat as a poblano, but have a nice crunch and are a bit sweeter. Rub extra-virgin olive oil on them and roast. Once roasted, de-seed, de-stem, and diced into ½ inch pieces.
- Red Bell Peppers- have little to no heat at all and when roasted, have a nice sweetness! Feel free to use other colors too! I love the sweetness of orange and yellow bell peppers. Rub extra-virgin olive oil on them and roast. Once roasted, de-seed, de-stem, and diced into ½ inch pieces.
- Red onion- I prefer red onions in my salsa mostly for color, but yellow, white, and vidalia onions work just as great!
- Limes - for fresh lime juice. Fresh is always best!
- Cilantro
- Tomatoes- are a staple in most salsas. I use a beefsteak tomato and for salsa I prefer ripe but firm tomatoes, as they hold up better in the salsa and the most flavor. Underripe tomatoes will be too bitter and tangy. Boost the flavor even more with heirloom tomatoes!
- Cumin- a staple to all Mexican cuisine, cumin has a sweet, nutty taste to it that bolsters natural spice in many dishes.
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil
For exact ingredient quantities, please see the recipe card below!
Substitutions and Variations
- Want it spicier? Substitute jalapeno, serano, habanero, fresno, or chipotle peppers for the anaheim peppers as they bring much more heat! Otherwise you can add some chipotle seasoning or hot sauce, in addition to the cumin for a burst of spice.
- Add a can of black beans and you are on your way to making cowboy caviar.
- Make it a full meal: add some grilled chicken, pork, steak, or ground beef and serve with some tortilla chips to create your very own burrito bowl. This option would serve as a healthier option.
- Add chickpeas and fill some corn tortillas to make some very nice vegetarian and vegan tacos.
- Take corn out of your recipe and add 4 large avocados diced and a cup or two of finely chopped to make nice, homemade guacamole served with keto chips!
How To Make Chipotle Corn Salsa
This is intended as an overview only. For detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below. Enjoy!
- Broil all sides of the peppers in the oven until charred. Peel off the skin and dice into small cubes.
- In a hot skillet, saute corn until it's browned and caramelized. Remove the corn from the skillet and set it aside to cool.
- Add all ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning to taste.
How To Serve It
- Makes a great topping for beef, chicken, pork, and seafood. Try it on our pan-seared ribeye steak!
- Use it as a condiment or topping for tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, inside burritos, or on top of burrito bowls!
- Make a green salad, add chicken or beef, drizzle our Avocado Dressing, and add this chili corn salsa.
- Serve as a snack with your favorite tortillas chips. Goes great with our homemade guacamole too!
Top Tips
- Remember that fresh ingredients maximize the recipe's potential in flavor!
- This recipe is on the mild side. To add more heat use a jalapeno or serano pepper (five times hotter than a jalapeno).
- I have found that firmer tomatoes hold up longer in the salsa. See ingredient notes.
- De-seed your roasted peppers under warm running water - makes it so much easier!
- Time Saving tip: You may be able to find chopped tomatoes and onions at the store along with pre-roasted frozen corn to make things easier.
FAQs
Fresh salsa will last up to 5 days if stored in an airtight container.
Store in your refrigerator in an airtight container. A glass jar or other glass container with a lid is best for containing odors.
Bell peppers are sweet and have no heat, but other chili peppers can range from mild to hot, spicy, and extremely spicy. This recipe uses very mild chili peppers, but feel free to test your spice level with other chili peppers mentioned in the Variations section.
No, you shouldn't freeze this salsa. When freezing this recipe, the moisture inside freezes and, when thawed, releases back into the salsa - making it soggy and lacking taste.
Can I ask you a favor?
If you tried this recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5 star rating and leave a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my newsletter to get healthy fresh recipe ideas every week!
📖 The recipe.
Chipotle Copycat Corn Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces frozen sweet corn
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 anaheim pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 small red onion (diced into ¼-inch cubes)
- 1 fresh lime (juiced)
- ½ cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1 large firm beefsteak tomato (diced into 1/4-inch cubes)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust salt as needed)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper (adjust pepper as needed)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- optional: 1 teaspoon sugar (or sugar substitute) to offset too much tanginess.
Instructions
Roast The Peppers
- Preheat oven to broil, or an air fryer to 425°F.
- Rub 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the peppers and lay them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil if broiling in the oven (or a sheet of aluminum foil if roasting in an air fryer).
- Broil in the oven until peppers are charring and skin starts to peel away, turning frequently about 6 to 7 minutes. If using an air fryer, cook for 12 minutes or until peppers are charring and the skin starts to peel away, turning periodically about halfway through.
- Once peppers have finished roasting, place them in a mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10 minutes.
- Gently peel off the skin, de-seed, and de-stem.
- Dice the peppers into ¼-inch cubes.
Pan Roast The Corn
- While the peppers are roasting, preheat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil begins to smoke slightly, add corn and saute until it has browned and achieved some caramelization.
- Remove the corn from the skillet and set aside to cool.
Mix The Salsa
- Add all ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl and stir to combine.
- Adjust seasoning to taste and serve with your favorite tortilla chips or use as a condiment in your favorite dish.
Kori's Tips
- Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
- SUBSTITUTIONS: This recipe is on the mild side. If you prefer your salsa spicier, substitute one or two jalapeno peppers for the anaheim. If, after making, it is still not spicy enough, add a raw seeded and diced jalapeno or hot sauce; Start with a small amount of lime juice and adjust the tanginess to taste; Adjust salt and pepper according to taste; If the salsa is too tangy, add in a small amount of sugar or sugar substitute.
- TOP TIPS: Remember that fresh ingredients maximize the recipe's potential in flavor!
- VARIATIONS: Use chunks of avocado to make heart guacamole. Add chickpeas and fill some corn tortillas for an excellent vegan-style taco.
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Use this salsa to top steak, chicken, pork, and seafood. You can also use it on tacos, fajitas, inside burritos, or on top of burrito bowls!
Nutrition
© 2025 Seeking Good Eats™
More Recipes
- Homemade Salsa Verde Recipe
- Mango Peach Salsa
- Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe
- Chipotle Barbacoa Meat
- Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
- Chicken Fajitas Bake (Low Carb and Keto)
- Chipotle Steak Recipe
- Green Enchiladas with Chicken
- Air Fryer Nachos (Loaded Nachos with Ground Beef)
- Pickle de Gallo
- No Bean Crock Pot Chili
Comments
No Comments