Roasted Chili Corn Salsa is a delicious sweet, medium spicy, copycat recipe from chipotle. It's quick, easy, and refreshing and made with simple ingredients. This flavor bursting vegetarian summer dip will be a show stopper side dish at your next get together!

This easy roasted corn salsa is the perfect side for taco Tuesday and warm summer bbqs. This copycat chipotle corn recipe, as seen on tiktok, makes a perfect dip for tortilla chips, or put it in your favorite tacos. This comes together easily because it is dairy free and doesn't use any mayo!
Be sure to check out our other summer inspired, veggie packed recipes like our Taco Stuffed Peppers, Mango Habanero Salsa, or Broccoli Salad With Sweet Vinaigrette. You may also love our Smoky Red Pepper Crema.
This would pair great with our Birria Pizza. Try another corn inspired dish Corn Ribs (Corn riblets), or creamed corn.
For another vegetarian recipe using poblano peppers try Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano.
Ingredients
- Yellow Corn - Thawed frozen corn works perfect for this recipe and is easy to have on hand!
- Poblano Pepper - Roasted
- Jalapeño Pepper
- Purple Onion
- Cilantro
- Lime Juice
- Lemon Juice
- Cumin
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Roast the poblano pepper either in the oven or the air fryer. You want the outside of the pepper to look dark and bubble, almost as if it were burned.
2. Cool the pepper. Once cooled, dice the pepper into small pieces. Set aside until ready to assemble.
3. In a medium sized bowl add corn, diced peppers, onion, and cilantro. Make sure to thaw the corn previous to assembling. You can do this by setting the corn out 30 minutes prior to assembling or putting in a colander and running water on it.
4.Add salt, cumin, lemon and lime juice to the mixing bowl.
5. Mix well until ingredients are evenly distributed.
6. Place in a serving dish to be used as a dip or top your burritos or tacos.
Hint: Don't have time to roast the poblano pepper? Simply dice the peppers raw and mix in the salsa. It will still have a delicious flavor and will come together quickly.
Substitutions
- Fresh Corn- instead of frozen corn use fresh corn.
- Canned Corn - instead of using frozen corn, use canned corn. Drain well, the corn will be a different texture than frozen corn.
- Fresh Poblano - don't have time to roast the poblano peppers? Dice the fresh poblano and add as you would the diced jalapeño?
Variations
- Spicy Roasted Chili Corn Salsa - This recipe is intended to be medium spicy but if you want it even hotter, add an extra jalapeño, or ¼ teaspoon chili powder.
- Queso Fresco- add some fresh cheese to this sweet corn salad. Crumble the queso fresco and add ¼-1/3 cup to the mixture.
- Without Cilantro- Some people are not fans of cilantro! This recipe can be easily made without using cilantro.
- NOT Spicy! Don't like the heat? Use bell pepper instead of jalapeno and poblano peppers.
- Black Beans - Add black beans for added protein. Open a can of black beans, rinse and drain. Add to the mixture and mix well.
- Habanero Pepper-Spice things up with a Habanero Pepper. Learn all you need to know about this amazing pepper.
Equipment
- Medium Sized Mixing Bowl
- Mixing Spoon
- Baking Sheet or Air fryer - for roasting the poblano pepper.
Storage
Store mixed salsa in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Juices may settle to the bottom of the bowl so before serving, make sure to thoroughly mix again.
Do not freeze, the texture of the vegetables will change if frozen.
Top tip
Using frozen corn makes for a really easy go-to side dish with staples you have in the kitchen. Fresh corn will give it a fun fresh taste but frozen corn will be delicious as well. Make sure to thaw the corn before using. If you are in a pinch, place the frozen corn in a colander and run water over the corn to help thaw more quickly. Otherwise, set frozen corn to thaw on the counter 30 minutes prior to assembling.
Recipe
Roasted Chili Corn Salsa
Equipment
- sheet pan
Ingredients
- 12 oz. frozen Corn about 2 ¼ cup
- ¼ cup cilantro diced
- ⅓ cup purple onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 1 roasted poblano pepper diced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Place the poblano pepper on a baking sheet and broil in the oven until the pepper begins to blister. Or use the air fryer. Air fry at 390*F for about 5 minutes or until the pepper begins to darken and blister. Set aside and cool. See photos above for what this looks like.
- Dice the jalapeno (removing the seeds), purple onion, cilantro, and roasted poblano peppers.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, add thawed corn, and diced vegetables.
- Add salt, cumin, lemon, and lime juice to the mixing bowl.
- Mix well until thoroughly mixed.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days in an air tight container.
Notes
- You don't have to roast the poblano pepper if you are in a time crunch. It will still taste delicious!
Hannah
One of my go-to snacks and side dishes, especially in the summer. It’s so fresh and delicious.
Andrea W.
Such a delicious and refreshing summer side dish, but it is so good it ends up being a full meal for me ..or even more 😆
Katie
Sooo good!
Katie Hoyt
So easy and quick! It's the perfect snack, and I have been using it for parties or odd midnight cravings. I added extra lime, because I am a lime fiend.
Hannah Williams
Looks so good! Excited to try it
Briana Winegardner
I loved this recipe! I made it last night and my fiancé loved it. We loved how light and fresh it tasted. I wasn’t sure how the flavors would go together but it was so good!