A golden corn lid over a Chilean home-cooking classic
In Chile there is a dish that arrives on the table with the start of summer. Pastel de choclo is Chile's corn pie: a spiced meat filling (pino) covered with a thick layer of ground fresh corn and baked in the oven.
Choclo is the Quechua-derived word for corn, and pastel is the Spanish word for pie or cake. The surface bakes to a crisp golden brown. Underneath are layers of savory meat, salty olives, sweet raisins and mellow boiled egg. As you break through it with a spoon, sweet corn and the deeply savory filling mix in your mouth, and you can see why Chileans call it a taste of summer.
A traditional Chilean dish that grew out of a meeting between the corn cooking of the Mapuche people and the meat dishes of Spanish colonists. It was once a seasonal dish made when corn was harvested during the Chilean summer (December to March), but frozen corn now makes it possible to eat all year.
English-language sources widely describe it as "Chile's national comfort food." It sits alongside Brazilian feijoada and Peruvian ceviche (in Japanese) among South America's classic dishes, and it is built on the same kind of meat filling, called pino, that is used in Argentine empanadas (in Japanese). This article re-creates the taste of a Chilean home kitchen with ingredients you can find in an ordinary supermarket.
Ingredients (serves 4)
Contains dairy (butter, milk), egg, and possibly wheat (corn itself is gluten-free, but cornstarch can contain traces of wheat). If you avoid dairy, replace the butter with coconut oil and the milk with oat milk.
Method
Make the pino (meat filling)
Make the corn paste
Assemble and bake
If the surface does not brown, switch to the oven's top heat (grill) for the last 5 minutes only. The temperature rises quickly, so watch that it does not burn. The golden color is what defines the look of pastel de choclo.
Tips
The heart of pastel de choclo is the sweetness of the corn. In Chile, summer choclo (fresh white corn) is used; elsewhere sweet corn is the closest. In season, fresh corn is best, but in winter 600 g of frozen corn works well. With frozen corn, use a little more butter and milk when cooking to make up the flavor.
Adding basil (albahaca) to the corn paste is traditional in Chile. Without it you get a corn paste that is merely sweet. The freshness of basil bridges the sweetness of the corn and the savoriness of the pino. If you have no fresh basil, 1 tsp dried basil can stand in.
If too much liquid remains in the pino, the corn lid will collapse and sink while baking. Drive off the moisture in the pan until it is neither dry and crumbly nor wet.
Variations
Chilean variations
Pastel de papa — The version with a lid of mashed potato instead of corn, made in autumn and winter when corn is out of season. The result is close to shepherd's pie. Make mashed potato from 600 g potatoes, 30 g butter and 100 ml milk, and assemble in the same way.
For a more serious exploration, you can also change the meat.
Seafood version — Instead of pino, use a filling of shrimp, scallops and white fish steamed in white wine. A popular variation on Chile's coast, with a seafood culture shared with Peruvian ceviche (in Japanese).
Japanese-inspired twist
Wafu pastel de choclo — Use the filling of nikujaga (Japanese braised meat and potatoes) in place of the pino. The sweet-savory Japanese seasoning goes surprisingly well with the sweetness of corn, and soy sauce gives depth in place of the cumin.
Changing the corn paste gives another face.
Canned cream-style corn version — When short of time, mix 2 cans (400 g × 2) of cream-style corn with 15 g butter, 1 egg and a little salt and heat; it makes a quick corn paste. It will not have the texture of the real version, but it saves 15 minutes. Like Mexican mole poblano, Latin American dishes adapt well in home kitchens elsewhere.
Background: where the Indigenous and Spanish meet
The corn culture of the Mapuche
The origin of pastel de choclo goes back to the food culture of Chile's Indigenous Mapuche. According to La Olla Deleitosa by Professor Sonia Montecino (Universidad de Chile), a researcher of Chilean food culture, the Mapuche were making humita, a dish of ground corn wrapped in leaves and steamed, before the arrival of the Spanish.
In the sixteenth century the Spanish colonized Chile. European meat-cooking techniques then merged with Mapuche corn dishes. The idea of the Spanish empanada filling met the Mapuche corn paste, and pastel de choclo was born.
Chile's "comfort food"
In Chile, pastel de choclo is an object of national nostalgia as "grandmother's summer cooking."
Each household differs in the amount of olives, whether raisins go in, whether there is chicken, and how much sugar. That there is no single right version is the richness of Chilean home cooking, a culture shared with the secret spice blends each family keeps for Jamaican jerk chicken. As introduced in the primer on South American cuisine (in Japanese), South American food culture is deeply rooted in seasons and celebrations.
Nutrition (per serving, of 4)
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 580 kcal |
| Protein | 32 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 68 g |
| Fiber | 6 g |
| Sodium | 620 mg |
Pastel de choclo is a balanced dish, with plenty of fiber from the corn and good protein from beef and chicken. The total calories are somewhat high, so watch the portion size.
More dishes to cook alongside
- A primer on South American cuisine (in Japanese) - Shares ingredients and aromas with this region.
- How to make chimichurri - Shares ingredients and aromas with this region.
- How to make empanadas (in Japanese) - Shares ingredients and aromas with this region.
- How to make Jamaican festival - Shares ingredients and aromas with this region.
Frequently asked questions
Answers for people trying Chilean cooking for the first time, from choosing ingredients to storage.
Q1. Can I make it without fresh corn?
Yes, 600 g of frozen corn works fine. Many modern Chilean households use frozen corn too. Bring it to room temperature before processing, and use a little more milk (120 ml) to make up the flavor. Canned corn is also possible; drain the water-packed kind first.
Q2. What if I do not have clay dishes?
Gratin dishes, ramekins or heatproof glass dishes work. In Chile the traditional vessel is a clay dish called a paila, but any material is fine as long as it is oven-safe. You can also make it in one large baking dish and serve from it.
Q3. Can I leave out the boiled egg and olives?
You can, but each plays an important part. The egg gives mellowness and the olives a salty accent. Leaving both out tends to flatten the flavor, so I recommend including at least one.
Q4. Is it good the next day?
Yes. Reheat in a microwave or in a 180°C oven for 10 minutes. The corn lid crisps up again and the texture comes close to freshly baked. It keeps 3 days in the refrigerator.
Sources
- Montecino, Sonia. La Olla Deleitosa: Cocinas Mestizas de Chile. Catalonia, 2015. (A detailed history of the meeting of Mapuche food culture and Spanish colonial cooking)
- Pilcher, Jeffrey M. Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food. Oxford University Press, 2012. (A comparative study of corn culture in Latin America)
- Chile Travel. "Chilean Gastronomy." 2025. https://www.chile.travel/en/gastronomy/ (Food culture introduced by the Chilean tourism board)
Summary
Pastel de choclo is the identity of Chilean food itself, born when the corn culture of the Indigenous Mapuche met the meat cooking of the Spanish colonists. Under a lid of sweet corn are hidden cumin-spiced meat, salty olives, sweet raisins and mellow boiled egg, and every spoonful brings a new combination of flavors.
It is best made with sweet corn in season, but frozen corn reproduces it well. With a gratin dish and an oven you can try it today. Together with Brazilian feijoada, Peruvian ceviche (in Japanese) and Argentine empanadas (in Japanese), experience the richness of South American food.
