If you’re curious as to how Chipotle makes corn salsa, one worker has taken you behind the scenes.
A TikTok video from what looks to be a fledgling Chipotle content creator, billing herself as Sam from Chipotle (@urfavchipotlebae), walks though the corn salsa recipe. Posted on Saturday, the video’s scored nearly 122,000 views and more than 4600 likes in its first two days up.
“So first of all, I’m adding our macaerations,” she explains, “which is the jalapenos, onions, cilantro, and citrus juice.”
She then splits a big bag of corn between two bowls.
@urfavchipotlebae as requested! #chipotle #chipotleismylife #fyp ♬ original sound – sam
“Then you just give it a good little mix, and that’s about it,” she adds, then moving on to shuttling it into pans using a spatula and her own gloved hands.
“Don’t come for me for how I do this,” she adds. “Most people just use a scoop, but I don’t like dishes and I just think this is faster.”
The comments led to a conversation about the corn.
“My locations were totally strict about having thawed corn,” one commenter noted. “If we pulled it out the box still frozen like that, we’d get written up.”
“RIP, I’ve never worked at a store that actually thaws it,” she responded.
One commenter was surprised by the macerations. “Wait, there’s jalapeños in the corn at chipotle? Why is it never spicy?”
Sam remarked, “Some stores don’t follow the recipe so it alters the taste! it’s only supposed to be a medium heat and the corn is pretty sweet itself so it evens out.”
Another was grateful for the knowledge, saying, “Bless tik tok for bringing me to this.”
The reveal isn’t quite so new, though. An article on the Easy Family Recipes site, dating back to October 2020, declared, “The secret is out! This Corn Salsa recipe was shared by the Official Chipotle account on TikTok. Here is the recipe they gave us, plus some expert tips from Chipotle employees to get it just like your favorite Roasted Chili Corn Salsa in the restaurant!”
That recipe revealer added, “As you can see, they gave us the ingredients, but weren’t super specific on the quantities or ingredient details. I have done some sleuth work and grabbing intel from some employees and taken what they have said, combined with what Chipotle gave us and came up with a recipe that tastes just like the restaurant!”
Indeed, the TikTok video still lives on the Chipotle account.
@chipotle Voice over take 10 🤦 @abigailand_ #chipotle #recipe #fyp ♬ original sound – Chipotle
In addition, many creators have taken to TikTok to show their takes on the Chipotle treat.
Others coming into Sam’s video demanded recipes for rice and queso, possibly spawning future content in the process.
And, to Sam’s credit, no one has come for her about the hand-spatula technique as of yet. In fact, she got a few complements for her ingenuity, including one who said, “girl u so smart for doing it like tht instead of with the spoon fr.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via TikTok comment and Chipotle via email.
