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Crispy and a touch spicy, these Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Fritters with Chipotle Aioli make for the best simple summer appetizer. In less than 30 minutes you’ll have a batch of golden crisp corn fritters seasoned with jalapeño, garlic, and chive. Serve these fun summer bites with creamy chipotle honey aioli to balance out the heat. The best, slightly addicting, summer appetizer that will be equally great for upcoming fall game days.

I’ve had these corn fritters on my list of recipes to make all summer long. But I wanted to wait until the corn was finally sweet enough to really be delicious. Not sure about you all, but around here our corn, tomatoes, and peaches have finally come in and they are perfectly sweet and ripe. I’m so glad I waited to make these until the corn was just right, because oh my gosh, you guys?

These are some of the best corn fritters. Think crispy, spicy, a little bit cheesy, and um, well, corny? Yes, that’s cheesy to say, but not really sure there’s a better way to put it, so I’m sticking with corny.

And then there’s that aioli? It adds that creamy touch that’s very much needed to balance out the heat from the jalapeños.

Definitely not your average corn fritters, but they sure are delicious. And fun….and only just a little bit addicting too.

The inspiration? Ok and a little story.

I couldn’t really tell you exactly when I had this idea, or how it came to be. But when creating this recipe I actually turned to an older recipe I shared way back in the day. If you’ve been reading HBH for a while, you might remember these chipotle cheddar burgers? I made them as a game day burger for the upcoming fall football season back in August of 2014. So six years ago…pretty close to the day.

Still can’t believe we’ve been working on HBH for so many years now. This October will be our eighth year working full time on HBH…craziness.

It’s so fun to look back at those old blog posts and see how far we’ve come. Six years ago I would have never imagined we’d be doing all that we’re doing today. Cookbooks, collaborations, and even cooking live on GMA. And more coming soon that I can’t wait to share. Anyway, seeing the growth excites me!!

Plus those burgers? I had completely forgotten about them. How did I even think those up? The photos are not my best, but they sound delicious. I really should remake them again…soon.

The details of these summer corn fritters…

Have you ever made corn fritters? There are a few ways to do so, but I went the more southern route and fried my fritters. I don’t normally love frying, but this time, I think it was a good idea.

Again. These. Are. So. Good.

And incredibly easy too. Essentially a corn fitter is just fried pancake batter with corn in the mix. They’re light and airy on the inside and crispy on the outside. These fritters, however, have a few additional flavors.

Enter the jalapeños, garlic, and cheddar. Just my three favorite foods to pair with sweet summer corn. Mix up the batter, flour, baking powder, garlic, and cheddar. Then add some milk, stir in plenty of corn, jalapeños, and chives.

Heat just a bit of oil, and fry um up. Then drain and that’s pretty much it. Easy, right?

Oh but, you do need that aioli.

For the aioli, I made a “cheaters” aioli. I just used my favorite avocado oil mayo, lots of fresh lemons, and a good pinch of chipotle chili powder…for some added smokiness. But the key to this aioli? A little touch of honey. The honey helps to balance the jalapeños in the fritters. It’s the perfect balance of spicy, smoky, and sweet.

Also, I want to note that the lighter colored sauce was just plain mayo with garlic, chives, and lemon. I was thinking about a two dip situation, but honestly, the chipotle aioli is all you need.

Once the fritters have all been cooked, serve immediately with aioli.

Oh. So. Very. Good!

This is very cheesy of me to say, but these fritters are a real summer treat and should be enjoyed properly. With double the aioli, your favorite drink in hand, and ideally on the porch while watching the sunset with friends…or family…or both…everyone loves corn fritters!

Everyone. So, on that note, maybe double the recipe. Yep, that would be smart.

Looking for other summer corn recipes? Try these:

Instant Pot Chipotle Cheddar Corn Chowder

Sheet Pan Chipotle Cheddar Corn Chicken Enchiladas

Grilled Street Corn Salad with Avocado “Mayo”

Lastly, if you make these jalapeño cheddar corn fritters with chipotle aioli., be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!