Hot Corn Dip — an easy warm appetizer made with cream cheese, corn, jalapeno, and plenty of cheese and spice! Serve freshly baked from the oven topped with cilantro, green onions, and tomatoes. Don’t forget the tortilla chips for dipping!
I have been loving my Crop Share from Nalls Produce. I was pleasantly surprised to find corn on the cob in a recent order. I have no idea how one acquires corn on the cob in the middle of January, but I don’t even care. It felt like a sneak peek of summer in 20-degree weather, so I’m not complaining.
So, when I found corn in my crate, I knew immediately what I had to make with it. I keep seeing corn dip recipes floating around Pinterest, so I knew that I needed to make it to go with my enchiladas verdes. Talking about corn, you might want to check our how to boil corn on the cob.
In my recipe, I used cream cheese instead of mayo. This dip is so simple to make and everyone loved it! Next time, I might add a little crumbled bacon to the mix, I think that a little smokiness would be so good in this. I somehow like this alongside the cheesy potato casserole as a companion dish, try it! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Cream Cheese, at room temperature – is the creamy base of this dip.
- Jalapeno, minced – adds fresh heat to the dip. Use more or less depending on how spicy you like things.
- Garlic Powder – adds delicious flavor.
- Chipotle Chili Powder – is the perfect smoky spice for this dip.
- Salt and Pepper – enhances the flavors.
- Corn Kernels (fresh or frozen) – are sweet and slightly savory. Baked into a dip, they provide great texture. and flavor.
- Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend – There are a lot of Mexican-inspired flavors happening here, so using a Mexican cheese blend just makes the most sense.
- Chopped Tomatoes, Green Onions, and Cilantro – are used as a colorful and flavorful garnish. The cold tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro on top of hot, bubbly corn dip on top of a tortilla chip are out-of-this-world good.
- Tortilla Chips – are used as the dipping vessel. You can also serve with crackers, veggies, Fritos, pretzels, crusty bread, etc.
How To Make – The Steps
Step 1: Put the cream cheese, jalapeno, garlic powder, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix together until well combined. Add the corn. Love having fresh corn in the middle of winter. Mix until everything is combined. Add 2 cups of the cheese and stir until combined.
Step 2: Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. (I was making one for later in the day and one for pictures and a snack.) Pour corn into the pan and top with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and it is hot all the way through. Top with chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions, and cilantro. Serve with chips.
Tips & Tricks
- The easiest way to remove the corn kernels from the cob is to hold the ear of corn upright in a large bowl and then slice downwards, cutting away the kernels so that they fall into the bowl.
- For an even more rich flavor, try roasting or smoking the corn kernels first. For the smoky option, try our recipe for smoked corn on the cob.
- Freshly grated cheese melts into gooey, creamy, cheesy goodness. The pre-shredded stuff will work just fine. but I’m telling you -shredding the cheese yourself makes all the difference. To go all in on cheese, serve it along a perfect cheese plate & caramel apple butter.
- Try baking corn dip in single-serving oven-proof ramekins. It makes it so fancy! For more corn-based recipes, try our corn casserole or corn cheddar chowder.
Variations
When baked into a yummy dip, the flavors mesh together into the best hot-dip EVER. Here are a few ideas to make this corn dip NEXT LEVEL delicious
- Use any mixture you like of shredded cheese — pepper jack, cheddar, Colby jack, etc. If you are a fan of corn and beef, you might as well explore the Spicy Corn and Bacon Macaroni and Cheese recipe next!
- Add taco-seasoned beef. Stir in about a cup of taco-seasoned cooked ground beef before baking.
- Make it with spicy ground sausage!
- Try adding black beans, a can of Rotel tomatoes, or crumbled bacon. The options are endless. For a bacon-flavored twist, try the Baked Chili Cheese Fries with Bacon and Ranch.
How to Store and Reheat
Storing: Hot corn dip should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Make-Ahead and Freezer Options
Freezing: Dairy-based dips do not freeze well. For quality purposes, I therefore recommend not to freeze them. You may be forced to have all that dip withing 4 days, lucky you! In contrast, dips without dairy, such as Cowboy Caviar Dip, can be frozen and enjoyed later.
FAQs //
Sure! Mix all of the dip ingredients ahead of time, store it in the fridge for up to 4 days and then bake right before serving (you may need to bake a little longer since the dip will be cold).
I haven’t personally tried that out, but I imagine dumping the ingredients into a slow cooker and cooking on low for 1 to 2 hours or until the cheese is melted and bubbly will work just fine.
I prefer a hot bubbly dip, but if you’d like to eat it cold, go for it. It will be harder to scoop, so I recommend using a thick cracker (like Ritz).
Hot Corn Dip
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce brick cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon jalapeno minced
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups corn kernels fresh or frozen
- 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- tomatoes
- green onions
- cilantro
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Put the cream cheese, jalapeno, garlic powder, chipotle powder, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix together until well combined. Add the corn. Mix until everything is combined. Add 2 cups of the cheese and stir until combined.
- Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. (I was making one for later in the day and one for pictures a snack.) Pour corn into pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and it is hot all the way through. Top with chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions, and cilantro. Serve with chips.
I absolutely love this dip, I’ve been making it for years and everyone always loves it. Just wanted to comment, that I very frequently freeze this dip, and it turns out perfect every time.
Thanks so much Chloe!