Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salad is a super easy and refreshing summer salad full of black beans, corn, and tomatoes!  This black bean and corn salad comes together in a snap and has the most flavorful chili lime and garlic dressing!

corn and black bean salad

Yay for easy summer salads!  Especially when they’re actually pretty darn healthy but don’t skimp on flavor. I call this a summer salad, but it’s really good all year round. It’s really good with Grilled Chicken Thighs, or Carne Asada and we do love it with Ground Beef Tacos! I love this corn salad so much I could probably eat it for dinner all by itself.  I mean – corn, black beans, red onion, tomato, and a tangy chili lime dressing.  That’s a meal, right?

How to Make Corn and Black Bean Salad:

  • I love using fresh corn when available to make this salad.  However, you can absolutely use canned corn year round, or if that’s what you have on hand.  This recipe calls for 4 ears of corn which equals to about 3 cups of corn total.
  • If you are using corn on the cob, you will want to boil it for about three minutes to soften slightly.  Then, you can simply add it to a large bowl with your drained and rinsed black beans, chopped red onion, and sliced cherry tomatoes.
  • I love the cherry tomato for this recipe.  If you’d like, you can use any kind of tomato and chop them up into small pieces.
  • Next, you will use a small bowl and whisk together your dressing ingredients and add to the salad.  Toss well to make sure all of the flavors are well combined.
  • This black bean and corn salad is best when chilled for at least one hour before serving.  You can also store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days if you’d like to make it ahead of time.

corn and black bean salad

This salad pairs perfectly with anything you’re planning to toss on the grill for dinner.

I’m partial to these Cajun Grilled Shrimp and these Grilled Steak & Garlic Bread Kabobs.

You definitely also need to know it doubles as a tasty salsa – *runs and gets bag of tortilla chips.*

AND, it’s the perfect topping for tacos.

corn salad with black beans

Yeah, this one will pretty much stay with us a few times a week all summer long.

It doesn’t get easier than throwing some simple fresh ingredients into a bowl, then letting them chill and marinate for max flavor.

Enjoy!

~Nichole

5 from 9 votes

Mexican Corn & Black Bean Salad

Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salad is a super easy and refreshing summer salad full of black beans, corn, and tomatoes!  This black bean and corn salad comes together in a snap and has the most flavorful chili lime and garlic dressing!
Prep 20 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Servings 8

Ingredients 

  • 4 Ears Corn, Shucked
  • 1/2 Cup Red Onion, Diced
  • 1 Can Black Beans, Drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Cut in half
  • FOR THE SAUCE:
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
  • 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice, About 1 lime
  • 1 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning
  • 1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Cilantro, For garnish, optional.

Instructions 

  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes.  Drain and place corn into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  Once the corn is cool, cut the kernels from the cobb into a large bowl.
  • Add the red onion, drained and rinsed black beans, and sliced cherry tomatoes to the bowl with the corn.  Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, lime juice, taco seasoning, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the corn mixture, stir to combine.  Chill the salad for at least 1 hour before serving.  Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Notes

NOTE:  You can use canned or frozen (cooked) corn for this recipe instead of fresh if desired.  This comes out to about 3 cups.

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Like this? Rate & review this recipe below!
Recipe originally posted in June 2018.

Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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22 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious and fresh. I am questioning the calories. 1 kcal = 100 calories. Recipe is listed as 100 kcal or 10,000 calories. Is this correct?

  2. 5 stars
    I added bell pepper and more cilantro into the salad, and used oil instead of butter and it was delicious!

  3. I’m curious as to how you arrived at “sauce” w/butter versus “dressing” w/oil. Not only was I surprised to see butter in the recipe, but also to find in the instructions that the dish would be served chilled rather than room temp. Will definitely try with butter, though! Thanks!

  4. I’m really looking forward to making this for our upcoming baby shower! When you say one can of black beans, are you basing that on the average size can — around 15 ounces? Just want to make sure since we purchased the giant industrial sized cans. Thank you!