A fresh and simple 6 Ingredient Corn Salsa Recipe for summer! We love corn salsa for tacos, but it’s also delicious as a dip, or scoop, with tortilla chips. Take the spicy up for a little mouthburn or keep it mellow! This recipe is vegetarian + vegan and gluten free.

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Chili Corn Salsa Highlights

Even before Chipotle corn salsa was invented, Taco Time reined supreme in the fast food chili corn salsa department. I discovered them years ago when we moved to the Pacific Northwest. Have you heard of them? Although slightly different, their chili corn salsa is just as crave-worthy as Chipotle’s corn salsa recipe.

But it’s homemade Mexican Corn Salsa that brings home the flavor using fresh, in-season sweet corn and jalapenos. There’s BIG flavor to be had for little effort.

This Recipe Is:

Made with 6 ingredients.
Make ahead ready.
Spicy is adjustable to taste.
Sweet and spicy.

If you love the flavor of Mexican Food, then you’ll love this recipe!

Restaurant Corn Salsa vs My Mexican Corn Salsa

Both are delicious, so what’s the difference?

One of my favorite restaurant recipes involves roasting poblano peppers. To keep it simple, my recipe requires no roasting or cooking, favoring a fresh raw salsa that includes a green bell pepper rather than a poblano.
Fresh or frozen corn? In my recipe, I prefer to use in season fresh corn – for the sweetest, juiciest salsa.
As for the ratio of ingredients, I relied on my Mexican food lovin’ taste buds to create this corn salsa recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Taking inspiration from restaurants and my fond memories of it in Texas, I’m sharing an easy but flavor-packed version of Mexican corn salsa. Here’s what you’ll need (see recipe card for details):

Fresh Sweet White Corn – right off the cob when in season.
Red Onion – also known as purple onion, this allium can be a little pungent. If it’s too spicy for your liking, you can soak chopped onion in cold water for about 10 minutes, drain and pat dry. This quells its sharp flavor. Or you can omit red onion and use chopped green onion instead, using the white parts of the onions.
Green Bell Pepper – mild and not spicy, it adds a nice crunch and flavor to this salsa.
Jalapeño Peppers – fresh is best in this corn salsa recipe, but you can use pickled jalapenos. Increase or decrease the peppers to taste.
Cilantro – a must in this salsa. You can increase or decrease to taste.
Lime – fresh squeezed lime juice is best.

Be bold with that jalapeño, especially with fresh sweet white corn. The sweet balances the heat of jalapeño beautifully!

How to Make Mexican Corn Salsa

Shuck the fresh sweet corn and use your sharpest knife to remove the niblets. To do this, turn the cob on its end and slice off the kernels in a pie plate so the niblets stay corralled on the plate (see recipe card for details):

First, place the corn kernels in a large mixing bowl.
Second, chop the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and cilantro small. I like them minced.
Next, decide if you want a lot of heat or a little for your corn salsa recipe. If you prefer mild, remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeño. If a hot salsa is more you type, leave the ribs and seeds in.
Last, transfer all the veggies to the bowl with the corn. Add lime and salt and pepper.

Give the salsa a stir and taste for seasoning adjustment. Store it in the fridge and allow the flavors to marry. Its flavor improves with a bit of time!

This Salsa is a perfect pairing for tacos. Try it on my Cauliflower Tinga Tacos!

Expert Tips

More Color: to add a little color to your Mexican corn salsa, use a red bell pepper rather than green, or a mixture of the two.
Let it Rest: the flavor improves with a bit of refrigerator time. If you can, give it up to 24 hours before sharing.
Fresh is Best: use fresh, in season corn in this recipe. It’s sweeter than canned or frozen, and its texture is juicy!
Adjust the Spicy: heat from the jalapeño is completely adjustable here. The seeds and ribs of a jalapeño contain the most heat. Remove them for a milder salsa.
PRO TIP: When cutting the corn niblets from the cob, set the cob on its end in a pie plate. The pie plate will corral the corn kernels and make clean up a snap.

Related: Build a better burrito bowl! Whip up these Cilantro Lime Brown Rice and Mexican Black Beans recipes to make all your Mexican food veggie bowl dreams come true!

Recipes to Share Mexican Corn Salsa With

Homemade Sofritas Recipe – Burrito Bowl Style
Mexican Inspired Tofu Tacos
Rancheros Tofu Scramble
Spanish Rice
Roasted Cauliflower Tinga Tacos
Cheesy Tofu Enchiladas

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