Black Bean Corn Salad

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad is a flavorful mix of black beans, corn, bell pepper, and creamy avocados, all tossed in a delicious chili-lime dressing. This salad is perfect for potlucks or a quick lunch!

Try some of my other favorite bean salads next: cowboy caviar, garbanzo bean salad, or this tuna-white bean salad.

Best Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad Recipe

As soon as the weather warms up, I crave fresh, quick dishes that don’t require the oven or stove. This Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad ticks all those boxes! Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad is perfect for summer—fresh with a tangy dressing, quick to make, and totally delicious! It’s also a total crowd-pleaser at any spring or summer gathering.

It’s very versatile—great as a meal, side dish, or appetizer (as a salsa). When I want a more filling meal, I love using it to top grilled chicken, fish, or flank steak.

Ingredients

Only 5 simple ingredients plus a dressing to get the very best black bean corn avocado salad!

• Black Beans: Rinse and dry well to avoid making the salad soggy.
• Corn: Read more about this in the next section.
• Red Bell Pepper: Dice small to the same size as your other ingredients.
• Avocado: Adds creaminess. Add just before serving to prevent browning.
• Cilantro: Chop finely, if you’re not a fan of cilantro you can leave it out or add parsley or basil instead.
• Chili Lime Dressing: Combine all ingredients in a mason jar, shake well, and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake again before dressing the salad.

Preparing The Corn

For Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad, you can prepare the corn in several ways. I like to use raw corn cut straight off the cob. It’s safe to eat, crunchy, and sweet. Make sure to use the freshest sweet corn for the best flavor.

If you aren’t sure about raw corn on the cob or prefer it cooked, here are some options:

• Grill the corn on an outdoor grill until lightly charred all over. See “quick tip” box below.
• Grill the corn on an indoor grill pan until lightly charred all over.

If fresh corn isn’t in season or you don’t have access to it, I’d recommend one of the following options:

• Buy pre-roasted canned corn (near regular canned corn in the grocery store) and use two cans, drained.
• Buy regular canned corn and roast it for a few minutes on the stovetop.
• Or, use frozen corn. Char it in a skillet until thawed and lightly roasted.

Let corn fully cool before adding to this Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad.

How To Make Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad

1. Make the Dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar. Shake well and pop in the fridge until ready to use. 
2. Prepare the Salad: To a large bowl add black beans, corn, diced red bell pepper, diced avocado, and chopped cilantro. Add avocado last to prevent browning.
3. Dress the Salad: Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately with chips for dipping if desired.

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad Serving Suggestions

• As a side salad or appetizer
• With tortilla chips as a dip
• As a salad, spooned over romaine lettuce
• Serve in lettuce wraps
• Layer over cilantro–lime rice for a vegetarian option
• Add in 1 to 1-1/2 cups cooked diced chicken or shrimp for additional protein.

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad Tips

• Ripe avocados are key for this salad, adding creamy texture and great flavor. To check ripeness, gently press near the stem; if it gives, it’s ready to use!
• Make sure all of the ingredients are roughly the same size. Cut the veggies small so they integrate better with the beans. Plus, if you’re eating this as a dip, everything will fit better on a dipping chip!
• Taste the salad before serving. You might need extra salt and pepper depending on the veggies and dressing. Add more if the flavors seem flat. This salad needs good seasoning to taste its best!
• Adjust the spice level: For more heat, add diced jalapeño or extra cayenne. For no spice, use sweet paprika and skip the cayenne.

Salad Variation Ideas

• Replace the diced red pepper with diced tomatoes
• Use lemons in place of the limes in the dressing
• Add chicken: dice up some grilled chicken or a hot rotisserie chicken and toss in this salad
• Add in 1/3-1/2 cup diced red onion
• Sprinkle on some cheese: you can add some queso fresco or cotija cheese 

More Tasty Salad Recipes

• Chipotle Chicken Salad ready in 30 minutes
• Thai Quinoa Salad with the best peanut dressing
• Fresh and tasty Caprese Quinoa Salad
• Chickpea Salad Sandwich with fresh herbs
• Mango Salad filled with mangoes and berries

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5 from 9 votes

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad

By Chelsea Lords

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad combines black beans, corn, bell pepper, and creamy avocado, all tossed in a zesty chili-lime dressing. It’s a perfect dish for potlucks or a quick lunch!

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Wide-mouth jar or other sealable container

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

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Dressing

• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 to 3 large limes
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• ▢ 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 2 teaspoons honey
• ▢ 1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper optional
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Salad

• ▢ 2 (15.25-ounce) cans black beans
• ▢ 2 cups fresh corn or frozen corn, 3 ears
• ▢ 1 heaping cup diced red bell pepper 1 pepper
• ▢ 2 cups diced avocado diced, 2 large Hass avocados
• ▢ 1/3 cup lightly packed, finely chopped cilantro 1/2 bunch
• ▢ Chips for dipping, optional

Instructions 

• Zest and juice limes to get 3/4 teaspoon zest and 3 tablespoons juice. Combine lime zest and juice with all dressing ingredients in a wide-mouth mason jar. Season to taste (I add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Shake vigorously to mix, using a spoon if needed to mix in the honey. Pop in fridge until ready to use, shaking again before dressing the salad.
• Thoroughly drain and rinse black beans, then dry with paper towel or salad spinner. Add to a large bowl with corn (see note 1), diced red pepper, diced avocado, and cilantro. Toss gently and drizzle with dressing (only add to what you will eat immediately). Toss again, taste, and adjust salt/pepper as needed. Serve with chips if desired.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: There are several ways to prepare the corn for this salad. If using fresh, sweet corn, you can enjoy it raw—cut right off the cob for a crunchy, sweet flavor. Alternatively, you can grill it. For grilling, peel back husks, remove silk, then rub corn with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill at 400–450°F, rotating every 3–4 minutes until lightly charred, about 12 minutes.

If fresh corn isn’t available, consider these options:

• Use two cans of pre-roasted corn, drained and dried.
• Char frozen corn in a skillet until thawed and lightly roasted (see this recipe for more details).

Let the corn cool fully before adding it to the salad.

Storage: This salad is best enjoyed within 3–4 hours to prevent avocado browning and dressing breakdown. Without avocado and dressing, it lasts 2–3 days refrigerated in an airtight container. Add dressing only to the portions you’ll eat immediately, and store leftovers, avocado, and dressing separately. Alternatively, leave out the avocado.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 70.6g | Protein: 17.5g | Fat: 26.3g | Sodium: 853mg | Fiber: 22.1g | Sugar: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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