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Home » Appetizers » Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa

Created: June 17, 2020 Updated: April 24, 2023 by Lyuba Brooke 2 Comments *This post may contain affiliate links. Read More...

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Sweet and tangy Corn Salsa is perfect for parties! This freshly flavored salsa features mouthwatering ingredients like red onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and a mix of bold seasonings. Grab some tortilla chips and enjoy every bite of this Cinco de Mayo staple!

If you’re hosting a Cinco de Mayo party this year, you’ll want some more recipes to really impress your guests. Some of my favorite party-ready recipes include margaritas, queso and my favorite guacamole!

holding yellow tortilla chip with some corn salsa on it

Cinco de Mayo isn’t the only time of year I make this corn salsa! It’s too good to reserve to just a single day in May. During the hot summer months (and here in Florida I do mean HOT), I like to stay cool with recipes like this one. All fresh ingredients come together to create the best flavor that’s refreshing, sweet, tangy, and seriously addictive. I dare you to try and just take one bite of this salsa!

This salsa is so popular in the summer, even my kids dig into it. That means a lot because my kids are so annoyingly picky sometimes! It gets hard to feed them, especially when it comes to veggies. But when I throw together sweet corn with a few flavorful additions and season it well, they are all over it. Well, I do also think that using the vehicle of a tortilla chip to eat the salsa with certainly helps as well. Who doesn’t love some good crunchy chips?

The balance of bold flavors in this recipe is so simple, yet so masterful. Corn has a beautiful natural sweetness that’s paired so well with the tangy lime juice and spicy jalapeños and chili powder. Also, since you’re making this salsa at home, you can decide if you’d like to increase the heat or tame it. I already find this recipe fairly tame, but you can add more or less jalapeños/chili powder as you see fit. Just another reason to cook from home – you can make your salsa just how you like it!

Ingredient Notes:

ingredients in a bowl side by side including corn kernels, yellow bell pepper, lime halves, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and seasonings

Corn – Use fresh corn on the cob! Even though you can technically use canned corn, fresh corn will taste a thousand times better. You can even cook it ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until ready to use. 

Bell Pepper – I used a green bell pepper, but you can swap it for an orange, yellow, or red one if preferred.

Jalapeño Pepper – Want more spice? Keep the seeds in the mix! That’s where the real heat is. I discard of the seeds to keep my salsa on the tamer side.

Garlic – As always, it’s best to use fresh garlic instead of pre-minced. It especially matters in fresh recipes like this one.

Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice is what should be used to add flavor to this salsa! Avoid using anything bottled/from concentrate.

PRO TIP: Grill it – there is no better way to incorporate some smokey flavor than to grill the corn first. Check out my recipe for grilled corn if you want to make that type of salsa.  

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Corn Salsa

ingredients for corn salsa mixed together in a metal mixing bowl with a wooden spoon

Step 1: Boil a pot of salted water. Add your peeled and cleaned corn on the cob to the boiling water. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Step 2: Cut off a small part of the bottom of the cob. This will make it easier to stand and cut off of.

Step 3: Cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife from top to bottom. Add the kernels to a mixing bowl.

Step 4: Dice the other veggies and add them to the bowl with the corn.

Step 5: Squeeze in the lime juice and seasonings. Mix it all together thoroughly, then let it sit for about 15 minutes prior to serving.

horizontal image of corn salsa in a white bowl with wooden spoon in it and yellow corn tortillas around

Recipe FAQs

How do I serve corn salsa?

With tortilla chips, of course! 

Although, you can also use this corn salsa as a topping for grilled meats and sandwiches. It’s really good on top of grilled chicken or added to tacos. You can even wrap it in a chicken wrap using tortillas or a lettuce leaves. 

How long does it stay fresh?

If you have any leftover salsa, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Corn salsa will stay fresh for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Just make sure to give it a good stir before serving again. I don’t recommend freezing it.

top view of corn salsa in a white bowl with wooden spoon laying on the bowl and chips around it

More Salsa Recipes We Love:

Mango Salsa

Pineapple Salsa

Restaurant Style Salsa

Salsa Verde

If you’ve made my corn salsa recipe and found a lot of good information here, PLEASE leave a 🌟 star rating! Let me know how you liked it by leaving the 📝 comment below as well. Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter!

horizontal image of corn salsa in a white bowl with wooden spoon in it and yellow corn tortillas around

Corn Salsa

Corn salsa is a little sweet, a little sour, and a little tangy made with sweet corn instead of tomato base but many of the same ingredients.
5 from 2 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
Marinate:: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 68kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

  • 4 whole corn on the cob
  • 1 medium bell pepper
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1 jalapeno pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 limes – juice only
  • 2 tbsp fresh minced cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder more for extra spice
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of water to boil and salt it. Add peeled and cleaned corn on the cob to boiling water, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Take corn out and let it cool until you can handle it.
  • Cut off small part of the bottom to make the cob stand up easier and place it inside a wide, rimmed baking dish.
  • Cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife from top to bottom, following the natural curve of the cob.  Add cut off kernels into a large mixing bowl.
  • Dice onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and add it all to the corn. Press garlic cloves and add it to the bowl as well.
  • Squeeze in lime juice and add seasoning. Mix it all together and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving (if you can resist it).

Notes

Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.

Nutrition

Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 402mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 834IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

4.2K shares

Filed Under: Appetizers, BBQ, Cinco de Mayo, Dips, Snacks

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Gena says

    March 22, 2023 at 3:11 pm

    5 stars
    This looks like it would be so good I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  2. Gena says

    March 22, 2023 at 3:11 pm

    5 stars
    This looks like it would be so good I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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