Name: Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 3 corn cobs (kernels cut off cobs (about 2.5 cups)); ¼ red onion (diced); 1 jalapeño (seeded & minced); 1 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp sea salt; 2 tbsp neutral oil; 1 ½ tbsp lime juice (divided (about 1 to 2 limes)); ¼ cup mayonnaise; ½ cup sour cream; 1 chipotle pepper in adobo; 1 tbsp adobo sauce (from chipotle chilies in adobo); ¾ cup cilantro (chopped); ½ cup queso fresco (crumbled)

Recipe Snapshot

What You’re Making: A creamy, slightly spicy corn dip inspired by esquites and elote with corn, lime, cilantro, and chipotles.
Skill Level: Beginner
Active Prep: About 15 minutes
Cook Time: About 10 minutes
Main Method: Sauté + immersion blender (or food processor)
You’ll Need: Skillet, immersion blender (or food processor), mixing bowl
Might Look Tricky Because: You’re making a creamy dip from scratch.
Actually Easy Because: Once the corn and vegetables are sautéed, the rest is just blend, mix, and serve.
You’ll Know It’s Done When: The corn is toasted and the dip is a little creamy, a little chunky, and well combined.
Serving Ideas: eat it on the side of our Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos, use it to level up our simple Turkey Burgers, enjoy it with an Orange Margarita, add it to quesadillas, or just eat it with your favorite tortilla chips.

A Smoky, Spicy Corn Dip

If you’ve ever had Mexican street corn, some of these flavor combinations will be familiar. Sweet corn, lime, mayo, cheese, and spices are all here, but we’ve also added sour cream, fresh jalapeños, and chipotles in adobo for smokiness. The corn is sautéed first so it gets a little golden and brings out even more of its sweetness. Then part of it gets blended with the creamy ingredients while the rest stays whole, so you get both a smooth dip and plenty of corn in every bite. It’s all mixed together into a dip that you can easily scoop up with tortilla chips.

Pull Up A Chair

Rachel: If there’s a bowl of dip at a party, I’m definitely going to eat some. This one is good enough that I’d happily eat it for dinner.

Emily: I love a recipe that looks like you put in way more effort than you actually did. This dip is basically sauté, blend, mix, and you end up with something that tastes like summer.

Why We Love This Recipe

No baking required. It only requires a stove, an immersion blender, and 10 minutes of cook time to make this dip. No hot oven temperatures or hard work.
Smoky, fresh, creamy, with just the right amount of heat. The slight heat of the smoky chipotles is balanced by the fresh corn, lime, and cilantro, and the creamy queso fresco and sour cream.
Great for BBQs, parties, or snacking. We love to share this dip with friends and family, but we also have no problem just eating it ourselves!
Beginner friendly. With only a few simple steps, this recipe is perfect for anyone who’s just getting started in their cooking journey.
It’s easy to adjust for whoever’s eating it. We can keep the spice level mild by using less jalapeño and chipotles if we’re serving this to a group, or we can add more if we’re making it for people who like some heat.

Hand holding up tortilla chip with chipotle corn dip on it. Bowl of dip in background.

Ingredients in Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip

Corn – fresh corn is best because it has the most flavor and sweetness. If fresh isn’t available, frozen corn can work, but we haven’t tested it ourselves.
Red onion – we prefer the color and sharper flavor of red onion here, but yellow, white, or sweet onion will work too.
Jalapeño – this adds mild heat. Remove the seeds and ribs for less heat or leave them in if you want more.
Queso fresco – the mild creaminess and salty flavor add depth. You can find this in most large grocery stores, but if not, you can substitute it with cotija or even finely grated jack cheese. (Don’t use feta, which is often recommended. It won’t taste right.)
Mayo + sour cream – these create the creamy base of the dip.
Chipotles in adobo – for smoky flavor and mild heat. You can find these in the international foods section of major grocery stores. (Here are some ideas for how to use up any extra chipotles.)
Cilantro – for fresh herby notes.
Lime – a little acidity helps balance out the sweetness of the corn.
Spices – we keep it simple with chili powder seasoning (which is a blend of chili peppers and other spices) and salt.

Ingredients laid out on a cutting board for chipotle corn dip.

How to Make Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip

STEP 1: Sauté the corn and veg. Heat some oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the corn, red onion, jalapeño, chili powder, and salt and cook until the corn is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the corn mixture from the heat and mix in ½ tbsp lime juice.

Raw yellow corn kernels, diced red onion, and diced jalapeno in a pan ready for cooking. Yellow corn, red onion, jalapeno in a pan after cooking with spices, wooden spatula resting in pan.

STEP 2: Make the creamy base. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, ½ cup of the cooked corn mixture, and 1 tbsp lime juice to a food processor and blend until smooth.

STEP 3: Mix it up. In a bowl, combine the blended mixture with the remaining cooked corn (reserve a tablespoon or 2 for garnish), all of the cilantro, and queso fresco.

Cilantro, queso fresco, sauteed corn mixture, and blended creamy corn mixture in a glass bowl ready to be mixed into creamy chipotle corn dip.

STEP 4: Top and serve. Garnish the dip with extra cilantro, the reserved corn, extra queso fresco, and a lime wedge. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Serving Ideas – Have Fun with It!

We love eating this as a dip with chips, but who’s to say that you can’t enjoy this dip in a different way? Here are some alternatives:

Spoon it onto tacos or nachos.
Enjoy it as a side for grilled meats or burgers (or top those burgers with it…we’ll be doing this soon)!
Inside a quesadilla (yep, gonna try this too).

Creamy chipotle corn dip in a white bowl topped with corn mixture, queso fresco, and fresh cilantro. Surrounded by tortilla chips.

Tips & Variations

Use fresh corn for the most flavor. Fresh seasonal corn has such a great summery sweet flavor. But if you don’t have access to fresh corn, you could try this dip with frozen. We haven’t done that yet, so if you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments!
Add black beans or extra peppers for more texture. If you want an added dose of protein, mix in some black beans at the end! You could also add poblano peppers to the sauteed corn mixture for additional flavor.
Can be prepped and partially made ahead. Short on time? Prep the corn and veggies the night before. You can even saute them and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the dip. This dip tastes and looks best fresh, but it can be stored up to 3 days in the fridge.
Make it spicier with extra chipotle or jalapeños. If you love spice, go ahead and add more chipotles to the blended mixture, or sauté some extra jalapeños with the corn.
Don’t skip the lime. The lime is crucial for balance and those perfect summer vibes. If you don’t have a lime, a lemon might work but it might be a little sweeter overall.