Black Bean and Corn Salad
If you love fresh, flavorful salads, this black bean and corn salad is a must-try. It combines hearty black beans with sweet corn for a bright, satisfying dish that’s perfect for picnics, potlucks, or a quick, easy lunch.
This veggie-packed side dish adds texture and color to any meal, making it a great way to add variety to your diet. With just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time, you can easily whip up this delicious black bean salad with corn, which is sure to be a hit!
I love all types of salads, but this black bean salad really stands out and is a constant staple in our house during the summer and fall!
It tastes incredibly fresh and balanced, with no single ingredient overpowering the others. One of the things I love most about this salad is its versatility, and you can enjoy it as a side dish or turn it into a fun, flavorful bowl by mixing it with rice and a little enchilada sauce.
I love to eat this salad with a piece of chicken, pile it in some tortillas, or scoop some with hearty tortilla chips.
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Ingredients and substitutions
Helpful
Tips
- The beauty of this recipe is although I love the way it is written best, you can vary it any way you like to suit your tastes.
- If I bring this bean salad to a BBQ and know that it will be eaten in one sitting, I add a couple of chopped avocados. If I’m making it for hubby and I to eat it, I don’t add the avocado to the mixture, but I will add chunks to the individual bowls.
- If you are using canned beans like I do, make sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly.
- When you cook the corn, don’t salt the water.
- If you use fresh corn, try to keep the kernels intact as much as you can. I cut it as close to the cob as I can.
- Use a 2:1 ratio of oil to vinegar.
- Salt and pepper to taste, I use a scant ¼ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Love fresh parsley or cilantro? Add it (I usually do add cilantro, but I didn’t have any on hand, and I was too lazy to run to the store.)
- As the salad sits, the flavors meld and become more delicious – it’s excellent leftover. You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for at least a week.
- I like to sprinkle some cotija cheese on top of the salad before I serve it.
- I always chill the corn salad before serving it. It helps the flavors meld.
How to make black bean and corn salad
Pre-step
Get a large bowl, rubber spatula, sieve, citrus squeezer, and measuring glass.
Step one
Gather the ingredients – tomatoes, black beans, red onion, and corn. (A)
Step two
Cook 1.5 cups of frozen corn (according to the directions) in some boiling water so it can cool off before adding the corn to the salad. You can use fresh corn if you like; one to two ears should be ample.
If you do use fresh corn, cut the kernels as close to the cob as you can.
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Step three
Open two cans of black beans and empty them in a sieve. Run cold water over them and drain before adding them to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Step four
Cut a tomato into little chunks, dice ½ of a purple onion, mince the garlic, squeeze a few limes, and measure out the fresh lime juice, measure out the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (B)
Step five
Add each ingredient above to the bowl, ending with the oil, vinegar, garlic, dried parsley, cumin, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper.
Mix it all together with a rubber spatula.
Transfer the black bean salad to a serving bowl!
Close-up of the big bowl.
I hope you enjoyed this black bean salad with corn recipe.
What is one of the staples that you always have in your house? Leave me a comment as I’d love to know.
Other popular salad recipes
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
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Black Bean and Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 30 ounces black beans (2 cans, rinsed and drained)
- 4 tomatoes (small to medium, diced)
- 1.5 cup frozen corn (cooked and cooled)
- 1/2 purple onion (diced)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/16 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or fresh cilantro)
- 2 ounces lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (optional)
Instructions
- Boil water for the corn; once done, set in the corn in the refrigerator for faster cooling.1.5 cup frozen corn
- Place rinsed and drained beans in a medium mixing bowl.30 ounces black beans
- Add tomatoes, onion, corn, salt, pepper, parsley, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chipotle powder, oil, and balsamic vinegar and mix with a spatula until it is incorporated.4 tomatoes, 1.5 cup frozen corn, 1/2 purple onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/16 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 2 ounces lime juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- Transfer to a serving bowl, it makes for a very pretty dish.
- Serve, eat, and enjoy.
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Helpful tips
- The beauty of this recipe is that although I love the way it is written best, you can vary it any way you like to suit your tastes.
- If I bring this bean salad to a BBQ and know that it will be eaten in one sitting, I add a couple of chopped avocados. If I’m making it for hubby and I to eat, I don’t add the avocado to the mixture, but I will add chunks to the individual bowls.
- If you’re using canned beans, as I do, be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly.
- When cooking the corn, don’t add salt to the water.
- If you use fresh corn, try to keep the kernels intact as much as you can. I cut it as close to the cob as I can.
- Use a 2:1 ratio of oil to vinegar.
- Salt and pepper to taste, I use a scant ¼ teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Love fresh parsley or cilantro? Add it (I usually do add cilantro, but I didn’t have any on hand, and I was too lazy to run to the store.)
- As the salad sits, the flavors meld and become even more delicious – it’s excellent when eaten as leftovers. You can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for at least a week.
- I like to sprinkle some cotija cheese on top of the salad just before serving it.
- I always chill the corn salad before serving it. It helps the flavors meld.
Nutrition
Originally published August of 2016.
“Salad of Goodness”… you really couldn’t be any more accurate with that one! Healthy, delicious and perfect for picnics or family BBQs! Yum!
Thank you so much, Karly!
This was amazing and so easy too! My family loved this!
Thanks Krissy!
What a fantastic summer staple! I made it and inhaled it with chips. I also put it on tacos, on top of hot dogs, pretty much any which way! I especially love the red onions – so much flavor and such a beautiful pop of color!
Thanks Monica! I agree that it can go on anything, and I love the red onion in it too!
Black beans are my favorite bean of all, and they go so well with corn! This is an excellent recipe! YUM!
Thank you Kelly! I think I love black beans the most too!
I love all ingredients! This black bean salad with corn was absolutely scrumptious!
Thank you Helena!
I stocked up my pantry with beans and was looking for more interesting recipes to use them. This was very delicious!
Thanks Jessica!! It’s such a quick and easy side dish!
Black beans, corn, balsamic vinegar… This salad was delicious and has all of my favorite things in it!
Thanks, Claire.
Such a great recipe! Super versatile and hearty.
Thank you Heather, I appreciate it!
Ingredients that are all so good for you, I love this recipe and especially how easy it is! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thank you Sally! 🙂
This is definitely one of my favorite mexican inspired salads. It was really good and so flavorful.
Thanks, Natalie!