Sweet Chipotle Corn Casserole

Sweet Chipotle Corn Casserole is a combination of traditional Mexican Street Corn and vintage Southern corn casserole recipes. The Sweet Chipotle peppers add a little bit of "sweet heat" to this summer favorite!

Use fresh, canned or frozen corn - this pairs beautifully with Mexican food, ham or barbecue and is ready in 40-minutes!

This recipe was inspired the Mexican street corn - you know, corn with cheese and sour cream, usually served in a cup with Parmesan and a little lime! 

You'll love this recipe!

• Quick and easy - use canned, fresh or frozen corn
• Affordable - this recipe costs under $10 and goes a long way
• Delicious - the addition of the Sweet Chipotle peppers gives a little hint of sweetness to offset semi-spicy cheese
• Different- Not the same old Mexican Street Corn recipe you've had before and not the traditional corn casserole

Here's what you'll need:

Corn, mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, ground cumin and...this new product...Sweet Chipotle Peppers!

This is a new product, usually found on the Mexican aisle along with salsa, jalapenos, refried beans and hard taco shells. It's a bit sweeter than chipotle peppers in adobo sauce...

You can use frozen, fresh or canned corn. You'll need about 4 cups of corn, one cup of mayo, ¼ cup sour cream and 4 ounces of Pepper Jack (or Monterey Jack) cheese, plus a little chili powder and ground cumin.  

Here's how to make it:

Strain the sweet chipotle peppers and reserve the liquid in a bowl (you'll add a little to the corn mixture later).

I used two peppers for this recipe (there's about 4 in a can). Start with 2, give it a taste, and see if you want it spicier. (See Recipe Notes below)

First, remove the seeds and chop the peppers. Just slice the pepper in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds.

Chop that up real fine then, dump everything into a large bowl! Combine well, place in lightly oiled baking dish and bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes @ 350ºF! 

What kind of corn?

For best results, use sweet yellow or golden corn. You can use fresh, frozen or canned; however, if you use canned corn, rinse and strain it first.

Are Chipotle peppers hot?

You'll most often find canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and yes, they've typically got a bit of heat to them. This recipe uses San Marcos brand Sweet Chipotle peppers that are in a sweet piloncillo sauce. 

Piloncillo is often referred to as Mexican brown sugar. This offsets the heat of the pepper, and offers a really nice combination of "sweet" & "heat."

Can't find Sweet Chipotle peppers? 

For this sweet chipotle corn casserole, if you can't find "sweet chipotles", use the plain chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce to the corn mixture and two heaping, packed tablespoons of brown sugar. 

Cheese substitutes

If you don't care for Pepper Jack cheese, you can use Monterey Jack, Queso Fresco, or Mozzarella. The important thing is to use a "melting cheese" in the casserole-not a "crumbling" cheese.

This recipe calls for 4-ounces of Cotija cheese to be crumbled over the finished dish. It tastes very similar to Parmesan so, if you can't find Cotija, substitute with real shredded Parmesan.

Note: do not add Cotija to the casserole-it doesn't melt and you'll have a clumpy mess.

Serving size information

This recipe yields about 5 cups of corn casserole. If you serve this as a side dish, allow each serving to be ½ cup; this will easily serve 10 people.

For large groups or groups with "big eaters", I recommend doubling the recipe...my husband eats at least 1 cup everytime I make this...

Make in advance

Assemble recipe and refrigerate uncooked or, bake the casserole and refrigerate. Either way, you can make this ahead of time!

When you're ready to serve, just heat oven to 350º and bake uncovered. 40-minutes if it's not cooked; about 20-minutes to reheat the cooked casserole.

I think you'll enjoy the Southwestern/South of the Border flair added to corn casserole! You can serve it hot or at room temperature! Sweet Chipotle Corn Casserole pairs beautifully with barbecue, ham, fajitas, carnitas or your favorite Mexican food!

Related recipes:

Here are some other ideas to serve with Sweet Chipotle Corn Casserole!

• Adobo Chicken
• Beef Fajitas
• Tex-Mex Sour Cream Enchilada Sauce
• Easy Red Enchilada Sauce
• Sweet Corn Tomalito
• Are Corn Tortillas Keto Friendly?

📋 Recipe

Sweet Chipotle Corn Casserole

Sweet and spicy Mexican Street Corn Casserole

5 from 8 votes

Print Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican, Southwestern

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Total Yield: 5 cups

Author: Anecia Hero

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

½x1x2x3x

• 4 cups corn , canned or frozen; strain if using canned
• 7.5 ounces Sweet Chipotle Peppers , straineded; reserve liquid
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 4 ounces Pepper Jack cheese , shredded
• 4 ounces Cotija cheese (garnish)
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (about one lime)
• ½ cup green onions (divided); (about 2 green onions)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt kosher

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF
• Lightly oil baking dish
• Strain and rinse frozen corn or canned corn; place in large mixing bowl
  4 cups corn
• Strain sweet chipotle peppers; reserve liquid
  7.5 ounces Sweet Chipotle Peppers
• Remove 2 sweet chipotle peppers from can; slice lengthwise; remove seeds; dice finely; add to corn
  
• Pour 4 tablespoons of the sweet chipotle liquid into the corn
• Add mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, lime juice, salt and Pepper Jack cheese; combine well
  1 cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup sour cream, 4 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Add half of the green onions to the mixture (¼ cup of green onions); reserve the other ¼cup for garnish; combine well
  ½ cup green onions
• Pour corn mixture into lightly oiled baking dish
• Bake uncovered at 350º for 35-40 minutes
• Allow to rest for 5 minutes; garnish with crumbled Cotija cheese and remaining ¼ cup of green onions
  4 ounces Cotija cheese

Notes

Can't find Sweet Chipotle peppers? 

• Use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of the sauce to the corn mixture and two heaping, packed tablespoons of brown sugar. 

Cheese:

• Feel free to substitute with Monterey Jack, Queso Fresco, or Mozzarella. The important thing is to use a "melting cheese" in the casserole-not a "crumbling" cheese.
• This recipe calls for 4-ounces of Cotija cheese to be crumbled over the finished dish. It tastes very similar to Parmesan so, if you can't find Cotija, substitute with real shredded Parmesan. Note: do not add Cotija to the casserole-it doesn't melt and you'll have a clumpy mess.

NOTE:

I re-made this once and accidentally put the whole can of sweet chipotle peppers and adobo sauce in the corn mixture. It came out TOO spicy and watery. 

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 624kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 14gFat: 49gSaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 1446mgPotassium: 354mgFiber: 8gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 2980IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 308mgIron: 2mg

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