Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
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This Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad is fresh, vibrant, and so flavorful! Savory black beans, crisp corn, sweet bell pepper, and creamy avocados make up the base salad recipe with a show-stopping chili-lime vinaigrette. This salad is packed with protein, healthy fats, and lots of good-for-you ingredients.
Try some of our other favorite bean salads next like this cowboy caviar, garbanzo bean salad, or this tuna-white bean salad.
Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
This Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad is fresh and lively with a zippy tangy vinaigrette that everyone goes crazy for. It’s the perfect thing to bring to a Spring or Summer potluck — it’s a total crowd pleaser!
One of the fun things about this salad is how multi-purpose it is. Later in this post I share more serving suggestions for how to serve this salad, but it’s nice that it can stand as a meal on it’s own or as a side dish or even as a salsa. Beyond using this salad as a salsa for chips we even like using it as a salsa to topped grilled chicken, grilled fish, or grilled flank steak — yum!
This salad whips together quickly and is easy to make, plus it won’t heat up your kitchen — no oven required! Below I’ll share some tips and then more ideas for how to serve this black bean corn avocado salad. Enjoy!
Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad Tips
- Fully ripe avocados are game changers for this salad. A ripe avocado can add an incredible creamy texture and a far superior flavor. You can tell an avocado is ripe by gently pressing near the stem. If the avocado yields to that gentle pressure, it’s ripe and ready to be added to this salad!
- 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!
- Don’t forget to taste before serving. Depending on the ripeness of veggies and actual ingredients used in the dressing, you may need additional seasoning. Taste the salad a few times before serving and add a touch more salt and/or pepper if the flavors seem at all flat. The flavors in this salad should sing! You may be surprised how much salt this salad needs, but with raw veggies and un-seasoned beans, it benefits greatly from generous seasonings.
- Add some spice (or take it away): As written I would not consider this salad spicy. If you’d like to add some heat, add a finely diced jalapeño and/or a bit more cayenne pepper. For no trace of spice, use sweet paprika and leave out the cayenne pepper.
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 entree, sprinkled with some crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
- Add in 1 to 1-1/2 cups cooked diced chicken or rock shrimp for additional protein.
QUICK TIP
Although this Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad is vegetarian, it’s actually still loaded with protein and fiber! One cup of cooked black beans contains roughly 15 grams of fiber and over 15 grams of protein.
Let’s talk corn
There are a few different options for preparing the corn for Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad. We actually prefer the corn cut right off the cob (raw or uncooked). It’s totally safe this way and has a slightly different taste and texture — a bit crunchier and surprisingly sweet. Be sure you are using sweet corn — the freshest you can find if enjoying it raw (for flavor purposes).
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.
QUICK TIP
How to grill corn: Peel back husks and remove the silk. Rub vegetable or olive oil on all sides of the corn and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place on heated grill (400-450 degrees F) and rotate every 3-4 minutes or until charred, about 12 minutes total. (This also works on a grill pan!)
If fresh corn isn’t in season or you don’t have access to it, I’d recommend one of the following preparation methods:
- 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. More details on how to do that here.
- 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.
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
Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad Storage
Without the avocado and dressing added, this Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad sits fairly well and will last 2-3 days refrigerated in an airtight container.
Add dressing only to the portions that will be enjoyed immediately; for leftovers, store salad, avocado, and dressing separately. Or simply omit the avocado.
QUICK TIP
When making this black bean corn avocado salad, I recommend dicing the avocado last (and right before enjoying) to keep it as fresh as possible. Since avocados brown quickly, you don’t want to chop them too far in advance. You’ll also want to make sure you don’t dress or add avocado to any of the salad that you plan to save for leftovers.
More Tasty Salad Recipes
Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
This Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad is fresh, vibrant, and so flavorful! Black beans, corn, bell pepper, and avocado makes up the base salad recipe with a show-stopping chili-lime vinaigrette. This salad is packed with protein, healthy fats, and lots of good-for-you ingredients.
Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
This Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad is fresh, vibrant, and so flavorful! Black beans, corn, bell pepper, and avocado makes up the base salad recipe with a show-stopping chili-lime vinaigrette. This salad is packed with protein, healthy fats, and lots of good-for-you ingredients.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2-3 large juicy limes (3/4 tsp zest; 3 tbsp juice)
- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, paprika
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/16 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, optional
- Fine sea salt & cracked pepper
Salad
- 2 cans (15.25 oz. EACH) black beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 cups fresh corn cut off the cob (~3 ears)
- 1 heaping cup diced red bell pepper (1 pepper)
- 2 cups diced avocado (2 large Hass avocados)
- 1/3 cup lightly packed, finely chopped cilantro (~1/2 bunch)
- Optional: chips for dipping!
Instructions
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DRESSING: In a wide-mouth mason jar combine all the dressing ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper, I add 1 tsp fine sea salt and 1/4 tsp cracked pepper; add to preference. Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to combine. You may need to use a spoon to stir and make sure the honey is incorporating. Place in the fridge until ready to use, shaking once more before dressing the salad.
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SALAD: Throughly drain and rinse black beans. Dry with a paper towel (or in a salad spinner). Add to a large bowl. Add in the corn (See Note 1), diced red pepper, diced avocado, and cilantro. Toss gently and (Read Step 3 before adding dressing to the entire salad) drizzle on the dressing. Toss once more and then taste, add additional salt/pepper as needed — the flavors should sing! Serve with chips for dipping if desired. Salad is best enjoyed the same day it is made — within 3-4 hours of being made otherwise the avocado does start to brown and dressing breaks down ingredients.
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STORAGE: Without the avocado and dressing added, this Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad sits fairly well and will last 2-3 days refrigerated in an airtight container. Add dressing only to the portions that will be enjoyed immediately; for leftovers, store salad, avocado, and dressing separately. Or simply omit the avocado.
Recipe Notes
- Grill the corn on an outdoor grill until lightly charred all over.
- Grill the corn on an indoor grill pan until lightly charred all over.
- How to grill corn: Peel back husks and remove the silk. Rub vegetable or olive oil on all sides of the corn and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place on heated grill (400-450 degrees F) and rotate every 3-4 minutes or until charred, about 12 minutes total. (This also works on a grill pan!)
If fresh corn isn’t in season or you don’t have access to it, I’d recommend one of the following preparation methods:
- 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. More details on how to do that here.
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 70.6g | Protein: 17.5g | Fat: 26.3g | Sodium: 853mg | Fiber: 22.1g | Sugar: 12g
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.
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