Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad
This delightful Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad features the peak of season sweet corn and just shouts summer! You’ll love every delicious bite!
A delicious way to enjoy the fresh, seasonal corn on the cob. Tossed with a light lime vinaigrette, you’ll want to make this Corn Salad Recipe again and again.
Why You Must Make
- It’s the perfect way to showcase fresh, sweet corn on the cob.
- This recipe can be tweaked in multiple ways by adding or removing ingredients. Use scallions instead of red onion or add another can of black beans. Toss in a generous pinch of cumin. Chop everything into a finer dice and use this mixture as a salsa with corn chips. So many marvelous options.
- The lime vinaigrette is fresh and delicious with a touch of sweetness from the addition of honey.
How to Make
How to MakeI’ve lived in the Midwest most of my life, so have always had access to sweet, fresh summer corn. When we get tired of corn on the cob, I turn to some other yummy options like this corn salad.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the salad dressing ingredients.
- Stir in the corn, beans, onion, peppers, and cilantro, if using.
- Gently mix in the avocado cubes next or wait until after the salad is chilled, to minimize signs of oxidation at serving time.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Expert Tips
- This highly adaptable salad is best when you can procure fresh, local sweet corn, but even without that option, it’s a delicious dish.
- Steam, boil or microwave the corn on the cob as desired. Fresh corn only needs about 3 minutes of cooking just to eliminate the raw flavor. If your corn is extremely fresh and tender, it can be used raw.
- PRO-Tip: If corn is out of season, you can substitute a good quality frozen corn, defrosted.
- PRO-Tip: To cut corn off the cob, position your cooked cob upright in a large bowl and cut from the top to the bottom around the perimeter. You’ll want to slice close to the cob. A big bowl will help contain kernels that might fly off the cob.
- I like using some larger segments of corn as shown in my photos, but feel free to break the corn into very small pieces if that’s your preference.
- If you’d like to serve this salad as a salsa, cut the ingredients into smaller pieces and serve with tortilla chips.
- This salad is highly adaptable. Add or delete ingredients according to your tastes. Use chopped fresh garden tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes. If you love black beans, add a second can. Add some chopped cilantro, pickled jalapenos instead of fresh, or sliced green onions instead of red onion. Make it your own. And if you like this combination of ingredients, this Quinoa Black Bean Salad is marvelous, too!
- PRO-Tip: If you do not like the sharp taste of fresh onions, soak your chopped or minced onion in cold water for 15 minutes before using. Drain well and add to your salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this black bean salad can easily be made the night before. Don’t add the avocados until just before serving as they are fragile and can break apart when you toss the salad. Always recheck the seasonings before serving as you may want a touch more salt or lime juice depending on your palate.
If you don’t have access to sweet, local corn on the cob, feel free to use a couple of cups of defrosted frozen corn. I’m not a fan of canned corn, so I would not recommend replacing the fresh corn with canned.
Acids like lime juice prevent fruit like avocados, apples, and bananas from oxidizing or browning. Make sure all the avocado cubes are coated in vinaigrette and that should keep them nice and green.
This salad does not contain any perishable ingredients, but store covered in the refrigerator to keep it fresher for longer. It’s safe to leave it out at room temperature for a couple of hours as the acidic dressing hinders bacterial growth.
This salad is perfect with grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, chops, and steaks! In fact, I’d pair it with almost any summer meal. However, I probably wouldn’t serve it with spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, or other heavy pasta dishes.
You May Also Like:
When Indiana sweet corn is in season, we take full advantage and eat it once or twice a week. Tender and delicious, it’s perfect for salads, salsas, and more!
- Fresh Corn and Basil Cakes from Noble Pig
- Spicy Mexican Corn Salad
- Grilled Corn with Basil Butter
- Corn, Tomato, and Basil Salad.
- Easy Sauteed Corn
- Plus all my Best Salads
Corn and Black Bean Salad
This delightful summer salad was inspired by my friend, Diane.
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
- 4 ears of cooked corn, cut off the cob or 2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons minced red onion
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half.
- 1 avocado, diced
- ½ small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- chopped cilantro, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients.
- Stir in the corn, beans, onion, peppers, avocado and cilantro, if using.
- Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Notes
If you're making this salad well ahead of serving time, make sure to wait and add the avocados right before serving so they won't discolor.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 259Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 274mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 9gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g
13 Comments on “Fresh Corn and Black Bean Salad”
Dear Liz, there is no such thing as having too many salad recipes – love the ingredients in this one, the fresh flavors of the corn, the black beans, the tomatoes and the avocado go so well together. And this salad is so healthy and colorful – just perfect for a summer’s day!
Hope you are all doing well!
Andrea xo
Such a beautiful, vibrant, and fresh salad – love all the flavours and textures going on! This would definitely make me happy 🙂
this is one of the few “salads” my husband will eat, and what I whip up is very similar to your recipe. I always use lime juice, but only because he hates vinegar, and There are always onions and cilantro. Beyond that it’s so fun to get creative with the ingredients! Pretty photos.
Yum!!! Can’t wait to try this as soon as those fresh cobs appear over here.
This salad is delicious! You could also use a Bundt pan when cutting kernels off the cob.
This salad looks absolutely beautiful dear Lizzy! hugs and love for you and yours!
This corn and black bean salad is fantastic over grilled Tex Mex spiced mahi mahi… will be making again. Yum!
Just pass the tortilla chips! This salad is perfect for digging in on a hot summer day. Great flavors!
This is definitely perfect for the bbq party!
This salad is so fresh and delicious! I love that is great with both fresh and frozen corn!
I love how flavorful this recipe is!! The combination of flavors is amazing!
A definite keeper and would be easily a daily lunch for me!
I make so much of this in the summer…makes a perfect lunch. Thanks for stopping by 🙂