This sweet and savory fresh corn salsa is a crisp and refreshing, one-bowl recipe that’ll bring all your Mexican recipes to life. Ready in just 5 minutes, it is also makes an easy and addictive party appetizer when served with tortilla chips for scooping!
Why You’ll Love This Corn Salsa Recipe
This easy corn salsa is a flavorful way to add texture and a bright pop of color to any Mexican dish.
- Easy: It’s a one-bowl recipe and is fully ready in just 5 minutes! If you can chop and toss ingredients together, you can make this corn salsa recipe!
- Refreshing: This recipe is packed with fresh veggies, lime juice, and herby cilantro for a refreshing bite.
- Versatile: It makes a great appetizer served along side tortilla chips, or use it as a flavorful garnish on top of tacos, burrito bowls, salads and so much more!
- Crunchy: Corn, red onions, and jalapeños are all ultra crunchy veggies that give this salsa a great crisp texture.
If you love the flavors in this salsa, you may also enjoy this Mexican street corn salad or classic Mexican street corn.
What You’ll Need
Tangy lime juice balances out the sweet-and-savory flavors of corn, onions, and jalapeños. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Corn: Fresh corn will give you the best flavor, with frozen corn (thawed) being the second best choice. Canned corn (rinsed and drained) can be used, but the corn kernels will have a much softer texture.
- Red Onion: You can also use white onion, but it will have a stronger flavor.
- Jalapeños: Diced, seeds removed for a mild flavor. Leave the seeds for a spicy bite. Serranos or canned green chilis will work too.
- Cilantro: It needs to be fresh. Avoid cilantro with yellow leaves because it’ll taste bitter.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice will give you the most flavor. Lemon juice is a good substitute, although it will provide a slightly sweeter, less acidic flavor.
- Salt: Kosher salt is best.
How to Make Corn Salsa
The best salsas are 1-step recipes. Scroll down to the recipe card for more detailed instructions.
- Combine: Add the corn, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño and lime juice in a bowl and mix well. Season to taste with salt.
- Serve: Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Tips & Variations
Here are a few tips to guarantee your corn salsa turns out perfect:
- Cilantro: Fresh herbs can make salsas bitter when they start to wilt. If you’re not serving the salsa right away, don’t add the cilantro just yet. Wait until right before serving for the freshest flavor.
- More Veggies: Dice bell peppers and add them in for an extra crunch and flavor. Green bell peppers are the most pungent, yellow/orange/red bell peppers are sweeter and milder.
- Make It Fruity: Chop up mango, peaches, or pineapple and mix it into the salsa for a sweet-and-savory bite. Add it to taste, so anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 cup is great.
- Add Beans: Drain and rinse 1/2 cup black beans and add them into the mixture for some bone plant-based protein and fiber.
- Make It Creamy: Dice 1/2 medium avocado and stir it into the salsa for natural creaminess.
- Roasted: To make a roasted corn salsa, you will need to cook and blacken the ears of corn before adding it to the salsa. Follow my recipes for grilled corn or air fryer corn on the cob and then cut the corn off the cob with a sharp knife and use as directed.
Ways to Use Corn Salsa
Add this crunchy corn salsa to your favorite Mexican recipes.
- Tacos: Try it on my carne asada tacos, crockpot chicken tacos or pork carnitas.
- Tortilla Chips: Serve it as an appetizer with my homemade tortilla chips or air fryer tortilla chips.
- Burritos: Add it as a topping or as part of the filling in my Taco Bell beefy melt burrito.
- Bowls: It would be delicious on top of these beef taco salad bowls or over burrito bowls with your choice of protein and some cilantro lime rice as the base.
How To Store Corn Salsa
Here are all the ways you can store this salsa to enjoy another day:
- Fridge: Place it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Remove excess liquid from the container before serving and give it a good stir.
- Freeze: You can freeze this corn salsa, just know it will be a little softer once thawed. Freeze salsa in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in fridge and drain any excess liquid before serving.
Yield: 6 servings
Corn Salsa
This one-bowl corn salsa recipe will add crunchy, sweet-and-savory goodness to your favorite Mexican dishes. Ready in just 5 minutes, it's an easy party appetizer when served with chips or the perfect garnish for tacos, burrito bowls, salad and more!
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh corn, or 1 (14 oz) bag frozen corn, thawed and drained
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 2 large jalapeños, seeded and diced
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- juice from 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
Notes
Storage: Place it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Remove excess liquid from the container before serving and give it a good stir.
Corn: Fresh corn will give you the best flavor, with frozen corn (thawed) being the second best choice. Canned corn (rinsed and drained) can be used, but the corn kernels will have a much softer texture.
Cilantro: Fresh herbs can make salsas bitter when they start to wilt. If you’re not serving the salsa right away, don’t add the cilantro just yet. Wait until right before serving for the freshest flavor.
More Veggies: Dice bell peppers and add them in for an extra crunch and flavor. Green bell peppers are the most pungent, yellow/orange/red bell peppers are sweeter and milder.
Make It Fruity: Chop up mango, peaches, or pineapple and mix it into the salsa for a sweet-and-savory bite. Add it to taste, so anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 cup is great.
Add Beans: Drain and rinse 1/2 cup black beans and add them into the mixture for some bone plant-based protein and fiber.
Make It Creamy: Dice 1/2 medium avocado and stir it into the salsa for natural creaminess.
Roasted: To make a roasted corn salsa, you will need to cook and blacken the ears of corn before adding it to the salsa. Follow my recipes for grilled corn or air fryer corn on the cob and then cut the corn off the cob with a sharp knife and use as directed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 63kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 399mg, Potassium: 203mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 226IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 0.4mg
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