Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip

A Smoky, Spicy Corn Dip

If you’ve ever had Mexican street corn, some of these flavor combinations will be familiar. It has sweet corn, lime, mayo, cheese, and spices, and 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 lots 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Our Tips for Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip

• Use fresh corn if you can. 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. Some stores even sell frozen roasted corn, which would work well in this dip.

• Adjust the heat to your liking. If you don’t like spicy food, you can swap the jalapeño for a mild poblano pepper instead. You can also use less chipotle. For more spiciness, leave the seeds in the jalapeño or add extra chipotle peppers to the blended mixture.
• Use an immersion blender. To blend the corn and peppers with the sour cream, mayo, and chipotles, we suggest using an immersion blender. You can also use a food processor, but an immersion blender is usually easier to use and gives you a creamier texture. 
• Save some corn for the top. Instead of completely incorporating the rest of the non-blended corn with the creamy mixture, we like to leave a few tablespoons (up to ¼ cup) of corn to sprinkle on top of the tip. If you’re making this dip to share, having some corn on top also tells your guests exactly what’s in the dip.
• Can be prepped and partially made ahead. Short on time? Prep the corn and chop veggies the night before. You can even sauté them and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to make the dip.

How To Serve & Store This Corn Dip

We love eating this as a dip with chips, but that’s not the only way to enjoy it. Here are some alternatives:

• Spoon it onto tacos or nachos (add it to these Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos for extra flavor).
• Enjoy it as a side for grilled meats or burgers (or top these 5-Ingredient Turkey Burgers with it)!
• Inside a quesadilla (we haven’t tried doing this yet, but it’s definitely on our list!)

This dip tastes and looks best fresh, but it can be stored up to 3 days in the fridge. For ideas on how to make it ahead of time, check out our Tips section.

Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip

5 from 1 vote

This is the dip you’ll be craving all summer and probably the rest of the year. If you love traditional esquites or elote, you’re going to love this Creamy Chipotle Corn Dip. Made with sweet corn, chipotle peppers in adobo, queso fresco, fresh lime, and cilantro, it comes together quickly with no oven needed.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:10 minutes mins

Total Time:25 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Dip, Snack

Cuisine: American, California

Keyword: Corn, Easy, Quick

Servings: 6

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

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
  2 tbsp neutral oil
• Add the corn, red onion, jalapeño, chili powder, and salt and cook until the corn is golden brown, about 10 minutes.
  3 corn cobs, ¼ red onion, 1 jalapeño, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp sea salt
• Remove the corn mixture from the heat and mix in ½ tbsp lime juice.
  1 ½ tbsp lime juice
• 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.
  ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, 1 tbsp adobo sauce, 1 ½ tbsp lime juice
• In a bowl, combine the blended mixture with the remaining cooked corn (optional: reserve 1 to 2 tbsp corn for garnishing the dip), all of the cilantro, and queso fresco.
  ¾ cup cilantro, ½ cup queso fresco
• Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Go Ahead, Make a Double Batch

If you’re bringing this to a party, we definitely recommend making more than you think you’ll need! It disappears pretty quickly. 

And if you find another way to serve it, let us know. We’re already thinking about that quesadilla we mentioned earlier.