This black bean and corn salad is a fresh mix of black beans, corn, red peppers, jalapeno and avocado, all tossed in a zesty cilantro lime dressing. An easy salad that’s the perfect side dish for any meal!
Black bean salad is full of different flavors and textures, and makes a great side dish. You can even serve it as a dip for chips or as a topping for grilled meats or fish.
I love this time of year when all the fresh foods come into season. One of my favorite dishes to make is this black bean and corn salad. With fresh avocados, red peppers, corn, and jalapeno, it feels like a veggie lover’s dream.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD?
This black bean salad is as easy as they come. In one bowl, mix your black beans, corn, red peppers, and avocado. In a secondary bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the zesty cilantro lime dressing and combine for delicious side dish or appetizer.
You can make this black bean salad up to a day in advance. However, you’ll want to leave the avocado out initially, and then add it in with everything else once you’re ready to serve. If you leave the avocados to stew overnight in the black bean and corn salad, they’ll turn brown and nobody wants that.
This recipe contains one jalapeno. If you’re looking for a mild taste, remove the jalapeno seeds and ribs before you mince the pepper. If you love your spice, leave the seeds and ribs in and enjoy that extra kick of heat!
HOW DO YOU MAKE BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALSA?
It’s actually pretty easy to convert black bean and corn salad into salsa. It’s all the same ingredients, you’ll just want to chop them up finely. Whether turned into a salsa or left as is, it’s delicious served on the top of tacos, with tortilla chips, or over a piece of grilled chicken.
IS BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD VEGETARIAN?
My version definitely is! In fact, this dish specifically, is perfect as a vegetarian main dish. If you remove the honey, it’s also a vegan dish. Between the protein in the beans and the healthy fat in the avocado, this is a salad that will keep you full for a long time.
I love that this dish is full of so many flavors and textures. Not only that but it’s fresh and healthy which hits the spot for the warmer months. It’s the perfect summer dish because it can become more than just a side dish, it can be anything you want it to be!
MORE SALAD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Chickpea Salad with Avocado
- Avocado Tuna Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Thai Cucumber Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups corn kernels fresh, frozen or canned
- 1/4 cup red onion minced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 avocado peeled, pit removed and diced
- 1 jalapeno ribs and seeds removed, then minced
- 1/3 cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the black beans, corn, red onion, red bell pepper, avocado and jalapeno in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, honey, chili powder, cumin and salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the beans and vegetables and toss gently to coat. Serve.
Janice Meiburger says
Ok, I’m really not a cilantro fan. What would you suggest I use instead of the cilantro?
Sara says
Green onions are fine!
Margaret Eifler says
Excellent recipe. Made it just as the directions said and added celery. The family loved it as a side dish. Will definitely make this recipe frequently over the summer.
Laura Denman says
excellent dish!
MariLynne Infantino says
Excellent salad. I added finely minced celery and tomato, a clove of finely minced garlic. I marinated in the fridge for a few hours. The avocado makes it perfect.
Shelly says
This was so good! I used pinto beans cause hubby doesn’t like black beans and a green pepper cause that’s what I had. It was delicious! I will make the dressing by itself to serve on taco salads.
Cindy says
Hey! This looks delicious. As for the black bean cans, how many oz/grams does each one have?
Sara says
It’s 15 ounce cans!
Catherine says
Thank you for this! About how many days do you think it will keep (without dressing or avocado)?
Sara says
3 days in the fridge!
Catherine says
Thank you!!
Norma says
I served it as a main course with warn corn tortillas! It was really great!
Robin says
Perfect for a summer cookout side dishes. With all the compliments, I felt like a master chef. The recipe is perfection as written. No changes needed!
Tasha says
Would this be ok to make a day In advance (minus the avocado)??
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
ana says
Even if you use avocado, it will be okay because of the lime in the dressing prevents the avocado from turning black. It actually marinated together quite beautifully!
Steven Tadlock says
I made this for three people. I halved the black beans and corn, kept everything else the same and also added 1 small clove of garlic, finely minced. It is delicious! Surprisingly filling, too. We ate it with grilled chicken wings, wonderful!
Next time, I’ll dice the red onion a bit finer, maybe add a bit more jalapeno but those are my preferences.. The beauty of this recipe is that it is so versatile and lends itself well to small modifications according to one’s personal tastes.
Thank you!
Mary Sakuma says
I made this according to recipe, except minus the jalapeño but added green onion. Delicious!
Tonia says
What is the serving size ? 1 cup?
Sara says
Yes that’s correct!
Sarah says
Is there something you think would work well as a substitute for the honey in the dressing?
Sara says
Any other sweetener will work!
Amy says
What do you think about adding quinoa to this? I was thinking a grain to bulk it up a little for a potluck tomorrow. Do you think it would detract from the dish?
Sara says
I think that would be a great addition!
Terri P says
This is wonderful!!! I cant wait til summer when i can use really fresh produce !!!! Thank you for this recipe!
Angee says
Does the dressing keep the avocado from turning brown? I’m taking this to a tailgate & will have to mix everything up before I leave my house. Just want to make sure the avocados will remain fresh & green.
Sara says
It should be fine because the lime juice in the dressing should keep it from going brown!
PJWeaver says
Great recipe! I used only one can of beans and added small shrimp. Yum! Lemon juice with EVOO for the dressing worked great especially with the avocado in there. Goes great into the cooler for boat trips using corn scoop chips. Thank you!!
For some reason my iPad will not register the star rating. Five stars from Panama City Florida !!!!!
Elizbaeth says
Soooo yummy, this complemented my Salmon very well. I did not include the bell peper only because the kids dont like it. I love getting complements on my dishes 🙂
Susan says
Made this with fresh, grilled corn and it was outstanding. My only change was subbing white onion for purple – I find the white to taste a little more mild sometimes, but I’ll bet the purple is prettier! I’ll be making this again, no question. Perfect side dish for the southwest grilled chicken breasts we had for dinner.