Black Bean and Corn Salad

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This black bean and corn salad is a great side dish or vegan meal. It is super flavorful, while also being quick and easy to make!

This salad includes red onion, red pepper, and a tasty, savory avocado dressing. Enjoy this healthy and refreshing salad any time of year, but it is an especially great addition to a summer meal. Bring it to picnics, barbecues, or any gatherings or parties.

Ingredient overview

Here is what you will need for this recipe:

*For quantities and instructions, scroll down to the recipe box.

• Canned black beans
  • You could also cook dry black beans, but this will be much more time consuming.
• Corn (I use frozen)
  • You can cook raw corn as well, but again it is so much easier to just use frozen.
• Red onion
  • Chopped finely. If you find the taste of raw onion too strong, green onion is a great substitute that tastes much more mild.
• Red pepper
  • This can be substituted with a different bell pepper.
• Jalapeno
  • Diced finely so it doesn't overpower any single bite.
• Cilantro (optional)

Dressing:

• Avocado
• Lime juice
• Garlic powder
• Cumin
• Onion powder

Step by step

Making this black bean and corn salad is incredibly easy!

Start by rinsing off the black beans and adding them to a large mixing bowl. Don’t use the liquid from the can.

Add the remaining salad ingredients to the bowl: corn, red onion, red pepper, jalapeno, and cilantro if desired.

Next, simply mix together all of the dressing ingredients. Mash the avocado with a fork, then mix in the other ingredients.

Scoop the avocado dressing onto the salad and mix it in evenly.

Tips

• Don’t make the dressing until you are ready to eat this black bean and corn salad. The avocado will brown, so it's best not to leave it sitting for too long once the dressing is made.
• Prepare the avocado dressing on a plate. It is much easier to mash an avocado on a plate than in a bowl! Mash it on a large plate with a fork.
• Chop the red onion and jalapeno finely. This will ensure that these strong ingredients will not overpower any single bite of salad. Also don't forget to remove the seeds from your jalapeno pepper!
• Use canned black beans and frozen corn to keep this recipe quick and easy.

Adjustments

• If you don’t have red pepper, you can simply omit it or swap it with a different bell pepper.
• If you want cilantro in your salad, add as much as you’d like. I personally don’t like to add any.
• If you don’t have red onion or you find the taste too strong, green onion is a good substitute.
• Feel free to omit the jalapeno pepper.
• Using canned black beans and frozen corn is quick and easy, but you can cook these if you’d like.

Storage

Store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge. Because of the avocado dressing, it will only last a couple of days.

More vegan salad recipes

• Chickpea salad
• Vegan potato salad
• Healthy quinoa salad
• Hummus pasta salad
• Broccoli salad
• 5 bean salad

Recipe

Print Recipe

Black Bean and Corn Salad

This black bean and corn salad is a great side dish or vegan meal. It is super quick and easy to make!

Total Time20 mins

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: plant-based

Author: Bree Sheree

Ingredients

• 2 cups canned black beans
• 2 cups corn (I use frozen)
• ½ cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped (seeds removed)
• Cilantro* (optional)

Dressing

• 1 avocado
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

• Start by opening your can of black beans and rinse them before adding to a large bowl.
• Add the corn, red onion, red pepper, and jalapeno to the bowl as well.
• When you are ready to eat the salad, prepare the dressing. Mash the avocado with a fork, then add the other dressing ingredients and mix everything together.
• Add the avocado mix to the salad and mix it in evenly.
• Sprinkle on some ground black pepper to taste if desired.

Notes

*A lot of people enjoy adding cilantro to their black bean and corn salad, so add some to taste if desired. I personally hate it so I haven’t tested and found the ideal amount.

You can store this salad in a sealed container in the fridge for a couple of days.

Don’t make the avocado dressing until you are ready to eat this salad. Soon after you cut open an avocado, it will start to brown.