Black Bean and Corn Salad
on Aug 30, 2021, Updated Jul 31, 2024
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Tossed in jalapeño lime dressing, this black bean and corn salad is fresh and full of so much flavor. One of the best things about this recipe is that you grill the corn. You also have the option to roast it. The salad has red peppers, tomatoes, red onions and cilantro. It’s one of those salads that doubles as a side dish.
If you’re a fan of bean salads, you have to try this Mediterranean three bean salad too.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Salad
This an incredibly versatile salad that can be served as a salad, a side dish and more. I am such a fan of no-lettuce salads like this one because they are just as tasty when you first make them as they are as leftovers. You can also eat it with chips like black bean corn salsa.
There are 2 ways to cook the corn. I have heard from some Last Ingredient readers that they don’t have a grill, so I’ve been trying to give non-grilling options that still taste just as great. For this recipe, you can roast the corn in the oven instead of grilling it.
It has so much fantastic flavor and texture. Smoky grilled corn and lime are the perfect pair. Then there is even more layered in with jalapeños, red peppers, black beans and cilantro.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
- Corn: When you’re buying corn, look for ears that are tightly wrapped in their husks because they are less likely to be dried out. The silk at the end should be damp too.
- Black beans: The recipe calls for a can of black beans. You can just pour them into a strainer and rinse them with cold water.
- Red bell peppers give the salad crisp, fresh bites. You can substitute with an orange or yellow pepper. Avoid green peppers which can be bitter.
- Tomatoes: Either cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes are best. I like small tomatoes because they hold their shape when you toss them in a salad.
- Red onions: Finely chop the onions, so they end up well mixed into the grilled corn and beans. You can substitute with thinly sliced scallions.
- Cilantro is the best fresh herb to use in this salad. It makes sense with all the Tex-Mex flavors. If you aren’t a cilantro person, then leave it out.
- Cotija cheese has a pleasantly strong salty flavor. Crumbled feta is a good substitute.
- Jalapeño lime dressing: It is a combination of minced jalapeños and garlic, fresh lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Optional Additions
The salad is wonderful as the recipe is written, but you can also add one or more of the following:
- Avocados: Dice an avocado, and it will give the salad a little creamy richness.
- Lettuce: I know I’ve been going on about how great it is to have a no-lettuce salad, but you can add greens such as chopped romaine.
- Cooked grains: Try stirring in brown rice or quinoa.
How To Make This Black Bean Corn Salad
Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on high heat.
1. Prep and grill the corn. Lightly rub the ears of corn with oil. Grill, turning occasionally, until they are lightly charred, about 5-7 minutes. Let the corn cool slightly before slicing the kernels off the cobs.
2. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl. That includes the grilled corn, black beans, red bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, cheese and cilantro.
3. Make the dressing. Whisk together the jalapeños, garlic, lime juice, oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Drizzle the dressing into the salad. Give everything good stir, so the salad is fully mixed.
Alternate Cooking Method: Roasting Corn
To roast the corn, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. The difference between grilling and roasting is that you will need to slice off the kernels from the ears of corn before you cook them. Toss the corn with 2 teaspoons olive oil and spread them across 2 sheet pans. Roast for 25-30 minutes until the corn is golden, crisp and lightly browned at the edges.
Serving
If you have the grill heated for a protein such as chicken or salmon, you can serve this bean corn salad as a side dish. For a vegetarian main dish, pair it with barbecue tofu veggie skewers, grilled vegetable burrito bowls or sheet pan vegetarian fajitas.
Leftovers & Storage
You can grill the corn (or roast it) up to 2 days in advance. After you finishing grilling, slice the corn off the cobs and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Also, you can make the dressing 2 days ahead of time and keep it in a mason jar in the fridge. Let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before tossing it in the salad.
Keep leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Take it out at least 15 minutes before you plan to eat it, so it isn’t as cold.
Recipe Tips
I highly recommend making the salad with grilled or roasted corn. If you use canned corn, you will miss out on that smoky grilled or roasted flavor, which makes this salad special.
You can make this salad 2 hours in advance. Because there are no greens, you can assemble the salad and stir in the dressing. This will give the flavors more time to develop too.
If you want to stretch leftovers, you can combine them with grains or greens. Stir leftovers with brown rice, quinoa or chopped romaine.
More Corn Recipes
Grilled Corn Couscous
Zucchini Corn Salad
Grilled Mushroom Corn Pizza
Corn Tomato Wild Rice Salad
Mushroom Corn Penne
Grilled Corn Broccoli Salad
Mexican Chopped Salad
Healthy Taco Salad
If you’re a salad person, don’t miss my easy seasonal salad guide for inspiration all year long.
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Ingredients
For salad
- 5 ears corn
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onions
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
For dressing
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeños
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Juice of 2 limes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on high heat.
- Rub the corn with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Grill, turning occasionally, until lightly charred, about 5-7 minutes. Let the corn cool slightly before slicing the kernels off the cobs.
- Combine the grilled corn, black beans, red peppers, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro and cheese in a large bowl.
- To make the dressing, whisk the jalapeños, garlic, lime juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the dressing into the salad. Stir to combine.
Notes
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the kernels off the ears of corn and toss them with 2 teaspoons olive oil and spread them across 2 sheet pans. Roast the corn for 25-30 minutes until it is golden, crisp and lightly browned at the edges. You can make the salad up to 2 hours in advance. You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Before serving the salad, let it sit out at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, so it isn’t as cold. Optional additions:
- Diced avocados
- Chopped romaine
- Brown rice or quinoa
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wonderfully tasting recipe! Thank you!
I love this – corn on the cob on the grill is amazing… and I hadn’t tried slicing it off into a salad. Love the smoky flavor!