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This avocado corn salad is a fresh and flavorful summer salad made with grilled corn, chunks of avocado, cilantro, queso fresco, and crunchy pepitas. The salad is tossed in a chili lime vinaigrette and is the perfect healthy summer salad for your next barbecue, picnic, or potluck!
Looking for more salads using grilled corn? Try this blueberry corn feta salad or this Mexican street corn pasta salad.
Why you’ll love it
Flavor – Between the char grilled flavor of the corn, the salty queso fresco, and the zesty chili lime vinaigrette, this is a flavor packed summer salad!
Crowd pleaser – This salad is a good one to take to barbecues, picnics, and potlucks! People can’t resist the flavors and textures. You won’t be coming home with leftovers!
Versatile – First and foremost this is a salad. However, you could also treat it like a dip and serve it with tortilla chips for scooping up.
The ingredients
- Avocados – Use ripe avocados, but not overly ripe or they’ll fall apart when you toss the salad together.
- Corn – Fresh grilled corn gives this salad the best sweet and smoky flavor.
- Red onion – Has a sweeter and milder favor compared to yellow onion and adds a sharp bite to the salad.
- Jalapeño – Adds a spicy kick to the salad.
- Cilantro – Fresh and flavorful herb often used in Mexican and Southwest cuisine.
- Queso fresco – A salty, crumbly cow’s milk cheese. Similar to feta, but milder in flavor.
- Pepitas – Pumpkin seeds without the hull.
- Olive oil
- Honey – Used to sweeten the vinaigrette. Maple syrup can be used as an alternative.
- Lime – Freshly squeezed lime juice is best.
- Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder – A classic Mexican and Southwest spice combination.
How to make avocado corn salad
This is an overview of the recipe with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Start by grilling the corn. Remove the husk and silk from the corn and spray or rub it with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and grill it for about 8-10 minutes, rotating it every few minutes so cooks evenly.
Once the corn has cooled enough to handle, use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels.
Combine all of the ingredients for the honey lime vinaigrette in a bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisk them together until well combined.
In a serving bowl, add the grilled corn, diced avocado and red onion, jalapeño, crumbled queso fresco, cilantro, and pepitas.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad ingredients and gently toss everything together until it’s coated in the vinaigrette. Taste the salad for seasoning and add additional salt if needed.
Substitutions and variations
- Fresh grilled corn can be substituted with 2 cups frozen corn. Fire roasted frozen corn will give you the grilled flavor.
- For an extra spicy kick, leave the seeds in the jalapeño.
- Substitute queso fresco with crumbled cotija cheese. Cotija cheese is saltier so you may not want to use as much.
- Add grilled chicken to the salad to make it a main dish salad or make this similar chicken avocado corn salad.
- Add a can of drained and rinsed black beans.
Tips for making avocado corn salad
- Taste the jalapeño before adding it to the salad so you know how spicy it is and can adjust the amount used if needed.
- Toast the pepitas for the best flavor. Toast them in a small skillet over medium-low for a few minutes. The same way you toast nuts.
What to serve with corn avocado salad
I love to serve this salad with anything off the grill. Here are a few of my favorites!
Storage
This avocado salad is best eaten the day it’s made. Unfortunately the avocado will brown and soften the longer it sits in the refrigerator.
It’s still edible for 1-2 days after making it, it just won’t look as visually appealing.
More summer salad recipes
Did you make this avocado corn salad? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Avocado Corn Salad
Ingredients
Avocado Corn Salad
- 2 avocados peeled and diced
- 4 ears of corn husks and silk removed
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 jalapeño seeds and vein removed and finely diced
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted pepitas toasted
Honey Lime Vinaigrette
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 400° F. Rub the corn with a little olive oil and sprinkle on salt. Grill for 8-10 minutes, turning it every few minutes so it cooks evenly. Remove from the grill and let it cool for several minutes before cutting the kernels off.
- Whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a measuring glass or small bowl.
- In a serving bowl, add all of the ingredients for the salad and pour the vinaigrette over the top of them. Gently toss the salad together with spoons until everything is coated in the vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.