Corn Salsa Recipe for Canning

Corn salsa is an easy corn canning recipe that’s safe to preserve with water bath canning.

This past year we found a local farm selling sweet corn in bulk for just a few pennies an ear.  I couldn’t pass it up, and once we’d eaten our fill of corn on the cob I set to preserving what was left of the batch.

Freezing vegetables generally works wonderfully, but soon realized it’d take up too much space in the freezer.  I pulled out my dehydrator and started a few dehydrator recipes, but you can only fit a few ears in to process at a time.

Corn canning recipes came to the rescue, and I put up a few batches of plain pressure canned corn (and creamed corn).  Those will come in handy for recipes all winter long.

Using a pressure canner can be kind of an ordeal though, as much as I love pressure canning recipes.  When I started looking for more corn canning recipes that are safe for water bath canning, I stumbled upon this really delicious corn salsa recipe.

Why do I love this corn salsa recipe?

It’s delicious, and not too sweet, but also not too vinegary.  It actually doesn’t have any vinegar at all, which is rare for a vegetable salsa canning recipe.  It uses fresh lime juice instead, which gives it an amazing flavor.

There are actually very few corn salsa recipes for canning, and I could only find two approved for water bath canning in all my canning books. 

The other recipe I found (which I don’t like) is very similar, but it uses quite a bit of vinegar along with lime juice and then adds in a boatload of sugar to help balance out the tang.  It’s almost more like a corn relish or a corn chutney than a salsa, with all that sour vinegar in there.

There are a few other corn salsa canning recipes approved for pressure canning, like this black bean and corn salsa recipe.  Once you add black beans in there, it means you absolutely have to bring out the pressure canner.

Right now it’s the height of summer, and I’m hoping to put the pressure canner away and do all the work in my outdoor canning kitchen, using my Amish-made high-capacity water bath canner.

It’ll let me put up corn without heating up the kitchen (or dragging out the pressure canner).

Ingredients for Corn Salsa

This corn salsa recipe is adapted from The All New Ball Book of Canning, which has dozens of tested canning recipes updated for modern kitchens (and tastes).

The original recipe is called “cherry tomato and corn salsa” and it uses a few baskets of cherry tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes.  They cook the same, and are equivalent for canning purposes, so feel free to use whichever you prefer.

I’m going with regular tomatoes since I don’t like a bunch of tomato seeds in my salsa.  Peeling and seeding regular tomatoes for canning is much easier, though peeling/seeding is optional for this recipe.

The other thing that’s unique about this recipe is that it’s tested with fresh lime juice (instead of bottled).  Most canning recipes specify bottled lime juice since it’s standardized to a consistent acidity, but this recipe was tested using fresh lime juice to give it a more fresh flavor.

Feel free to use fresh if you have it, or bottled, if you prefer.

The recipe is for a small batch, just 3 pints, which is perfect for farmer’s market quantities.  This particular recipe can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled without issue. 

I had quite a bit of corn, so we made a big batch, enough for a few pints for each month of the year.  Feel free to increase the batch size as you see fit.

To make approximately 3 pints of salsa, you’ll need:

• 2 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, roughly chopped (peeling/seeding first is optional, but weight after prep, whatever prep you choose)
• 1 cup corn kernels (from about 2 ears fresh)
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded (or not) and chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 to 4 limes)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt

How to Make Corn Salsa

Making corn salsa starts by prepping the corn, which means stripping it off the ears.  I think it’s easiest to do using a bundt pan to hold the corn in the center, and then running a sharp knife down each side of the corn cob.

The bundt pan catches the kernels as they fall, and the center holds the cob steady.

In a pinch, you can use frozen corn kernels (defrosted first) for this recipe, instead of fresh.

Once the corn is off the cob, the rest of the instructions are pretty straightforward.  Chop the onions, peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro.  Peeling and seeding the tomatoes is optional, but recommended for full-sized garden tomatoes.  If you’re using cherry tomatoes, just skip peeling and seeding, but quarter them before adding them to the pot.

Prepare a water bath canner (if canning) before you start heating the ingredients, and prepare jars and lids as well.

Place all the ingredients in a stockpot or dutch oven and bring up to a gentle boil.  Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all the ingredients are evenly mixed.  At this point, the salsa is ready for canning!  (Yes, it’s that easy.)

Canning Corn Salsa

After 5 minutes of simmering, all the ingredients should be heated through and ready for canning using the hot pack method.  Be sure your water bath canner is pre-heated to around 180 degrees F (barely simmering).  If you’re not familiar with water bath canning, I’d encourage you to read my beginner’s guide to water bath canning before beginning.

Ladle the contents into canning jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Seal with 2 part canning lids and tighten rings to just finger tight.

Process jars (pints and half pints) in a water bath canner for 15 minutes if under 1,000 feet in elevation, adjusting for altitude (see below).  After the 15 minutes are up, turn off the heat and leave the jars in the canner for an additional 5 minutes before removing with a jar lifter to cool on a towel on the counter.

Leave the jars undisturbed for 12-24 hours until completely cool, then check seals.  Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.

Properly sealed and canned jars will keep on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months.

Altitude Adjustments for Canning

If above 1,000 feet in altitude, you’ll need to adjust the total canning time.  Here are the times for other elevations:

• 0 to 1,000 Feet: 15 minutes
• 1,001 to 3,000 Feet: 20 minutes
• 3,001 to 6,000 Feet: 25 minutes
• 6,001 to 8,000 Feet: 30 minutes
• 8,001 to 10,000 Feet: 35 minutes

Yield: Makes 2 to 3 Pints

Corn Salsa Recipe for Canning

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Canning Time (Optional): 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This simple corn salsa recipe is an easy way to preserve corn in a water bath canner, and it has the perfect balance of sweetness from the corn, balanced by heat from the peppers and tart zing lime juice.

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, roughly chopped (peeling/seeding first is optional, but weight after prep, whatever prep you choose)
• 1 cup corn kernels (from about 2 ears fresh)
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded (or not) and chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 to 4 limes)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Prepare all vegetables by washing and chopping. Seed the peppers for a milder salsa, or leave the seeds in for more heat. Peeling and seeding the tomatoes is optional, but recommended. Strip the corn from the cobs. (Frozen corn kernels can also be used, just defrost first.)
2. Prepare a water bath canner (if canning), along with rings, lids, and jars.
3. Place all ingredients in a stock pot or dutch oven and bring them to a boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure all ingredients are evenly distributed and heated.
4. Ladle into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal with 2 part canning lids.
5. Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes (adjusting for altitude, see notes). After 15 minutes, turn off the heat but leave the jars in the canner for an additional 5 minutes. (This helps prevent siphoning from thermal shock.)
6. Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter and allow them to cool on a towel on the counter for 12-24 hours. Check seals and store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.

Notes

Batch Size

I've kept this as a small batch recipe, but it can be easily scaled up depending on your needs. Some canning recipes (like jam/jelly) cannot be doubled, but this recipe is fine to double, triple, or quadruple. Just be sure to stir the ingredients thoroughly to ensure the lime juice is well distributed through the pot, and to heat all the ingredients evenly.

This recipe should make right about 3 pints, but you may end up slightly less depending on how watery your tomatoes are. Use paste tomatoes for a better yield (and firmer texture). Or use cherry tomatoes for a sweeter flavor.

Lime Juice and Canning Safety

This recipe is specifically tested for safety with fresh lime juice. Most canning recipes specifically require bottled citrus for standardized acidity, but this recipe can be made with either fresh or bottled. I'd recommend fresh, as it gives better flavor.

Be sure to measure the lime juice, and use a minimum of 1/4 cup. More is fine, but less is not safe for canning. Don't just go by the "3 to 4 limes" guidance, you actually need to measure the juice.

Altitude Adjustments

If above 1,000 feet in altitude, you'll need to adjust the total canning time. These times are approved for half-pint and pint jars, but it's not tested for canning in quarts.  Here are the times for other elevations:

• 0 to 1,000 Feet: 15 minutes
• 1,001 to 3,000 Feet: 20 minutes
• 3,001 to 6,000 Feet: 25 minutes
• 6,001 to 8,000 Feet: 30 minutes
• 8,001 to 10,000 Feet: 35 minutes

Summer Canning Recipes

Looking for more easy water bath canning recipes to fill your pantry this season?

• Canning Peaches
• Canning Whole Tomatoes
• Canning Tomato Sauce
• Canning Cherries
• Canning Cherry Pie Filling