If you’re going to eat a salad today, it should definitely be this Avocado Corn salad. Grab some fresh cherry tomatoes, corn, all your favorite herbs, bell pepper, black beans and an avocado. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil, toss it all together, and done. It’s summery, healthy, and so good!
Black Bean Avocado Salad is a vegetarian feast packed in a summer with black beans, Avocado, herbs and spices. Creamy avocado meets hearty black beans, while grilled corn, sweet cherry tomatoes and crisp red pepper add a juicy crunch. A zingy lime and cayenne dressing ties it all together, lifting every bite with a citrusy kick and just the right touch of heat.
Tomatoes, corn and avocado flavors have married together well here and the black beans have a less chalky texture and absorb a lot of the flavors. It is worth serving the beans at room temperature because the flavors come out more and beans are a better texture. This is much more of a lunch salad, meal prepping salad, or light summer dinner salad. It’s beyond good, so unbelievably easy, and super fresh.
Serve with tortilla chips, as a topping for tacos, or as a side dish!
Avocado Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn, (or 2 cups canned/frozen kernels)
- drizzle olive oil, (to use if grilling corn)
- 15 oz can black beans, (2 cans)
- 1 red onion
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 red pepper
- 2 large ripe avocados
- ½ cup fresh cilantro juice, of 1 lime
- 4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place a grill pan over a medium high heat. Brush the corn cobs with a drizzle of olive oil and add to the hot grill pan. Grill until charred them set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the black beans, peel and finely dice the red onion.Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Cut the red pepper in half, remove the seeds then dice it. Peel and de-stone the avocados then roughly chop. Finely chop the cilantro.
- When the corn is cool use a sharp knife to cut away the corn kernels.
- To a large salad bowl, add the corn, black beans, red onion, cherry tomatoes and red pepper.
- In a separate small bowl add the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Use a fork to whisk until the dressing is emulsified.
- Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the salad bowl and toss thoroughly to combine.
- Add the avocado and chopped cilantro then gently toss to combine.
- Check for seasoning then add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Main Ingredients
The secret to an amazing salad is to use fresh, ripe ingredients.
Corn — Corn on the cob is usually very cheap especially when it’s in season. Frozen corn is another great (and cheap) choice because you can get a giant bag for $1-2. Personally, I never buy canned corn because I do not like it.
Black beans — Canned beans are ready to eat – you just wash them when you open the can.
Olive oil — Always go for Extra Virgin Olive Oil first cold press when adding it to salads. It has significantly more flavor, more nutrients and antioxidants than oils subjected to heat during processing.
Cherry tomatoes – I just find the taste of cherry tomatoes to be superior to the vine tomatoes or grape tomatoes.
Avocados — Choose avocados that are just ripe this way they will be creamy but not mushy.
Lime juice — Be sure to use fresh lime juice as opposed to bottled.
Red bell pepper — Crisp, fresh vegetables (like red pepper, corn and tomatoes) will add crunch that contrasts beautifully with the soft avocado and black beans.
Cayenne pepper will give the Black Bean and Avocado salad some extra “bite” in terms of its flavor.
How to make Avocado Corn Salad
Grill your own corn! Place a grill pan over a medium high heat. Brush the corn cobs with a drizzle of olive oil and add to the hot grill pan. Grill until charred them set aside to cool.
Prepare the veggies: Meanwhile, drain and rinse the black beans, peel and finely dice the red onion. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Cut the red pepper in half, remove the seeds then dice it. Peel and de-stone the avocados then roughly chop. Finely chop the cilantro. When the corn is cool use a sharp knife to cut away the corn kernels.
Mix salad ingredients: To a large salad bowl, add the corn, black beans, red onion, cherry tomatoes and red pepper.
Make salad dressing: In a separate small bowl add the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Use a fork to whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the salad bowl and toss thoroughly to combine.
Add the avocado and chopped cilantro then gently toss to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper.
Salad Tips and Variations
Herbs — Use ground cumin, fresh red chili or red pepper flakes
Salad Dressing — The dressing is zesty thanks to the fresh lime juice. To sweeten it, you could add a small amount of honey or maple syrup.
Add avocado last — The avocado is folded into the salad as a last step as this helps it keep its shape and avoid mashing it. If meal prepping, follow the recipe to step 6 then add the avocado just before serving.
Storage
This Black Bean Avocado Salad will keep in an airtight container in the
fridge for 1-2 days. The avocado is a limiting factor in terms of freshness as it
will brown and turn mushy after a time. To prolong the life of this salad only
add the avocado just before serving.
I made this and had it with grilled hotdogs takes less than 15 minutes to prepare
Made a salad into Salsa so incredibly good!