This Mexican salad is a blend of mixed greens, black beans, tomatoes, corn, avocado, cotija cheese and tortilla strips all tossed in a tangy lime dressing. The perfect salad to accompany any Mexican meal, or add grilled chicken breast to make it a main course!
Whenever I’m making Mexican food, I like to include a variety of side dishes including pinto beans and rice, Mexican street corn and this simple yet satisfying Mexican style green salad.
I serve a salad as part of our dinner most nights, and this salad has become a family favorite. It’s loaded with beans, corn, tomatoes and avocado, then finished off with a sprinkle of cheese. We can’t get enough of it!
For a south of the border feast try pairing this salad with hearty main dishes like cheese enchiladas, a taco bake or sizzling chicken fajitas!
Table of Contents
Mexican Salad Ingredients
When you make Mexican salad you will need lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, corn, avocado, black beans, cotija cheese and tortilla strips. For the dressing you will need olive oil, fresh lime juice, honey, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper.
How Do You Make Mexican Salad?
This salad starts with chopped romaine lettuce which is topped with tomatoes, corn, black beans, avocado and shaved red onion. A drizzle of homemade dressing goes over the top, then the salad is tossed until everything is coated. Add a sprinkle of tortilla strips and cotjia cheese, and you’ll be ready to eat!
Mexican Salad Dressing
The dressing for this salad is a blend of lime juice, olive oil, cilantro and spices. The ingredients are all whisked together until well combined. I like to make a double batch of dressing as it keeps well in the fridge for up to one week, and is great to have on hand.
Tips For The Perfect Salad
- You can chop your own romaine lettuce, or use the pre-prepared bags of lettuce to save a little time.
- Fresh, thawed from frozen and canned corn kernels all work well in this dish.
- While I like to use cotija cheese for an authentic flavor, feta cheese will also work just fine.
- I use a mandoline to thinly shave my red onions.
- Freshly squeezed lime juice works best in this recipe, skip the bottled juice.
- You can use halved cherry tomatoes or diced plum tomatoes, whatever you have on hand will work.
Quick Tip
Choose a ripe, yet firm avocado so that it won’t get mushy when tossed in the salad,
Recipe FAQs
I prefer freshly cut heads of romaine lettuce for Mexican salad. However, you could also use chopped iceberg lettuce or a pre-packaged spring mix.
Mexican salad is a healthy dish. It is full of nutrients from the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, black beans and corn. If you want to lighten up the salad go easy on the dressing, tortilla strips and cotija cheese.
Cotija cheese is the best cheese for Mexican salad. However, you can substitute feta cheese for cotija cheese. You could also change up the salad with some shredded cheddar cheese.
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Mexican Salad Variations
There are so many different ways to customize this salad based on the ingredients you have on hand.
- Protein: You can add chopped grilled chicken breast, ground beef or grilled shrimp to turn this salad into a meal.
- Toppings: I love to add store bought pepitas or my own roasted pumpkin seeds. You could add olives or pickled jalapenos for extra flavor.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add other veggies to the salad such as thinly sliced radishes, cucumber, diced bell peppers or jicama.
This salad is bright, colorful and packed full of flavor. It features fresh, delicious vegetables and the satisfying crunch of tortilla strips. Whether you’re looking for an accompaniment to a Mexican feast or simply searching for a light and fresh side dish, this one will definitely be a winner.
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Mexican Salad Video
Love This Recipe?
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Mexican Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup corn kernels can be fresh, canned or thawed from frozen
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
- 1 cup black beans
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese finely crumbled
- 1/3 cup tortilla strips
For the dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the salad
- Place the lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, corn, avocado and black beans in a large bowl.
For the dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, honey, chili powder, cumin, cilantro and salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the lettuce mixture and toss gently to coat. Top with cotija cheese and tortilla strips, then serve immediately.
Notes
- You can chop your own romaine lettuce, or use the pre-prepared bags of lettuce to save a little time.
- Fresh, thawed from frozen and canned corn kernels all work well in this dish.
- Choose a ripe, yet firm avocado so that it won’t get mushy when tossed in the salad.
- You can use halved cherry tomatoes or diced plum tomatoes.
Absolutely delicious! I was asked to make a salad for a cinco de Mayo potluck and found this recipe. Looked beautiful and easy to make! Not only easy and beautiful but absolutely delicious and everyone raved! Love the dressing! I made no changes to the recipe! I’m thrilled to have found a salad that I will make again…and again!
Really good salad and great dressing. Easy to make.
This might be the best salad I’ve ever made. I left out the raw onion because it doesn’t agree with me. Everyone loved this !
We eat this on repeat during the summer! My whole family loves it!
We absolutely adored the Mexican Salad packed with vibrant flavors and textures. It’s a refreshing and satisfying salad that we can’t get enough of!
Fresh, delicious, and packed with flavor. Definitely putting this in the weekly rotation!
I made this salad for a party over the weekend and it was perfect! Full of flavor and so easy to make!