Easy Corn Salsa

Easy Corn Salsa recipe is made with fresh corn, jalapenos, cilantro, and a sweet and spicy dressing. The roasted corn lends a smokey flavor to this salsa and the bright dressing keeps this salsa light, fresh, and bursting with flavor. 

Whether you serve this Corn Salsa as a dip for chips, a side dish for Beef Tacos, or as a topping for Burrito bowls or Honey Lime Fajitas, the flavors in this roasted corn salsa will elevate your dinner! 

Corn Salsa is a fresh and easy recipe that transforms corn into something SPECTACULAR! 

It is a simple recipe made with roasted or grilled corn, peppers, jalapenos, a sweet and spicy dressing, cilantro, and crumbled cheese. It is fresh, acidic, sweet, and a bit spicy. It actually reminds me of the flavors in Mexican Street Corn. Simple unexpected flavors from humble ingredients! 

This street corn salsa is extremely versatile as well. We serve this simple corn dish as a side dish, on top of Taco Pizza, Taco Salad, Southwestern Chicken Salad, on Tostadas, and of course by the scoopfuls of tortilla chips! However you decide to serve this Roasted Corn Salsa, I think you will agree it is a sure-fire way to add flavor to your meals. 

Notes on Ingredients

• Corn: For this salsa, you can use fresh corn on the cob, or frozen corn kernels. Of course, fresh corn will have the best flavor, but frozen corn kernels can be roasted in the oven and actually is quite delicious. 
• Peppers: Use fresh bell peppers of any color for crunch and jalapeno peppers for a bit of spice. I recommend removing the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno to keep this salsa from being overly spicy. Feel free to omit the jalapeno if you don’t like spicy foods.
• Honey: The honey pairs so well with the corn to bring out the natural sweetness. If you are vegan, feel free to use granulated sugar in place of the honey. 
• Cilantro: Skip the cilantro if you are someone who has an aversion to cilantro.
• Cheese: Finishing the salsa with crumbled queso fresco or feta adds a salty, creamy bite. To make this Corn Salsa dairy-free, omit the cheese.

How to Make Corn Salsa

Step One: Prepare Corn

For homemade corn salsa, you can choose to grill corn on the cob or roast corn. By roasting or grilling corn is that either method helps to develop the natural sweetness of the corn. Grilling will lend a smokey flavor to the salsa as well, but roasting corn kernels is a great way to elevate frozen corn kernels when you don’t have access to fresh summer corn. 

To Grill the Corn on the Cob place husked corn directly on a grill preheated to medium-high and grill for 10 minutes, turning every few minutes. 

To Roast Corn If you don’t want to fire up your grill, you can slice off your corn kernels from the ears of corn (or use defrosted frozen corn) and roast in a 400-degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until corn is browned.

How to Slice Corn off the Cob

A great tip when slicing corn off the cob is to place the tip of the corn cob into the opening on a bundt cake pan and then carefully slice off the kernels. All the corn will fall into the bundt pan, leaving your kitchen counters free from random corn kernels.

Step Two: Make the Dressing

While the corn is roasting, mix together a fresh lime juice, lime zest, hot sauce, garlic, honey, and salt to create MAGIC that makes this roasted corn reminiscent of Chipotle’s Roasted Corn Salsa.

Step Three: Mix the Corn Salsa Together

• Toss the warm corn with the diced jalapeno, and dressing. 
• Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to allow the flavors to marry.
• Before serving, stir in the chopped bell pepper, crumbled cheese, and cilantro.

More Fresh Summer Produce Recipes

• Mozzarella and Tomato Quinoa Bake
• Blueberry Pie Bars
• Watermelon Sangria
• Easy Ratatouille

Serve this Corn Salsa as an addictive chip dip or as a topping for any taco, salad, or fajita. I would love to know your favorite way to dish it up–let me know in the comments. 

Easy Corn Salsa

Fresh corn on the cob is grilled and then tossed with jalapenos, cilantro and a sweet and spicy dressing for a perfect salsa to serve with chips, over meat, or even as a fresh summer side dish. 

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 44kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• 4 ears of corn husked4 ears of corn husked
• 1 red pepper diced1 red pepper diced
• 1 jalapeno seeded and finely minced1 jalapeno seeded and finely minced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro.1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro.
• 1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese

Honey Lime Dressing

• 1 tablespoon honey1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 lime juice and zest1 lime juice and zest
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic1/2 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

Instructions

• Preheat grill to medium-high.
• Grill corn cobs for 10-15 minutes until beginning to char, turning the corn frequently. Remove corn from grill and allow to cool until cool enough to be handled.
• Slice kernels off the cobs. A great way to do this is to place corn cobs in center of bundt pan and cut off the kernels with a sharp knife--the kernels will fall directly into the bowl.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine honey, hot sauce, lime juice, lime zest, salt, garlic, and jalapeno together.
• Stir in the corn kernels. Refrigerate for 2 hours for flavors to develop.
• Add in fresh cilantro, diced red peppers and cheese if using. 

Notes

• To make this dairy free, omit feta cheese.
• To make this Corn salad vegan, use sugar in place of honey and omit feta cheese. 
• This Roasted Corn Salad can be served as a salad, a side dish, or even a salsa with chips.
• Corn Salad can be served immediately, but is best when served after refrigerated for 2-3 hours, to allow flavors to blend. 
• Mexican Corn Salad can be stored for up to 5 days. 
• If you don't have fresh corn on the cob, roast defrosted frozen corn kernels in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes, until browned. 

Nutrition

Calories: 44kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 242mg | Potassium: 107mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 390IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.3mg

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This post was originally published in 2018 but has been updated in 2020.