This Black Bean and Corn Salsa Salad is full of fresh, crisp, flavorful ingredients! Serve this salad as a side dish with your favorite protein or as a salsa with tortilla chips.
This recipe and photos have been updated from their original publish date on 4/11/2013
I finally got my garden planted a couple weeks ago. In Colorado it’s generally best to wait until the middle of May to plant your summer garden thanks to our spring snow that almost always pops up sometime in May.
This year I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, a variety of herbs, jalapeños, green chiles (first time for those), lettuce and variety of herbs. I tend to plant things that I cook and eat frequently. I’m excited to use many of those ingredients later this summer to make this Black Bean and Corn Salsa Salad!
Ingredients For Black Bean and Corn Salsa Salad
- Black beans
- Corn
- Cucumber
- Tomatoes
- Poblano or Anaheim chile pepper or bell pepper
- Jalapeño
- Red onion
- Cilantro
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Olive oil
How to Make Black Bean and Corn Salsa Salad
This is a really easy salad recipe, the only work is chopping the vegetables. Dice the cucumbers, tomatoes, poblano, jalapeño and red onion and add them to a large serving bowl. I like to use Persian or English cucumbers for this recipe so that I don’t have to peel them or scoop out the seeds.
Drain and rinse the black beans and chop the cilantro, then add them to the salad. Combine the vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar. Screw on the lid and shake until the vinaigrette is thoroughly combined. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and stir everything together.
Always taste before serving. You may find that the salad needs more salt or pepper. If you want the salad to be slightly sweeter you may need to drizzle in a little extra honey.
Is It Salsa or a Salad?
The beauty of this recipe is that it can either be served as a salad or salsa. It’s delicious as a healthy dip with tortilla chips or you can serve it as a salad alongside your favorite grilled protein. I really enjoy having it with this Chimichurri Grilled Chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This salad can be made the night before serving and holds up great. It can be served cold or at room temperature, which makes it a great option to bring to barbecues, potlucks and other get togethers.
I suggest substituting the honey with maple syrup. If that isn’t an option for you agave would also work.
The salad keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. The longer it sits the more liquid will be released from the tomatoes and cucumbers, but it still tastes great.
This all depends on the jalapeño you end up with. Some are spicy and others are as mild as a bell pepper. If you are sensitive to spice just omit the jalapeño. Some people find poblano or Anaheim chiles to be mildly spicy, although I’ve never encountered this. If you’re concerned, use a green or red bell pepper.
More Salads without Lettuce
- Blueberry Corn Feta Salad
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad
- Mediterranean Lentil Salad
- Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad
Black Bean & Corn Salsa Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes and quartered them)
- 1 1/2 cups diced cucumbers
- 1 cup fresh or defrosted frozen corn
- 1 cup diced poblano or Anaheim chile peppers or bell pepper, core and seeds removed
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the salad ingredients to a large serving bowl. In a small jar with a lid or a measuring cup, combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Shake or whisk together until combined.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and stir everything together. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve the salad immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 197Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 310mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 9gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g
This salad is SO GOOD! It is fresh and tasty. You just want to put your face in the bowl and smell it for a few mintues before eating it. (That really is what it did!) I will be serving this salad to guests this weekend. Thanks again, Danae!!! Another winner!!
I laughed when I pictured you sticking your face in the bowl taking in the smells! So glad you liked the salad and I’d love to hear how it goes over with your guests this weekend.
Everyone LOVED the salad! It makes plenty so I served it with chips as an appetizer and along with the meal. Very tasty. When all was said and done, I was left with about a half a cup to myself. Next time I will set some aside before I serve it ;)
I’m glad to hear the salad was a success! Definitely set a bowl aside for yourself next time.
Hi,
I saw you on My Family Recipe Rocks and had to come to your blog to get the recipe, looks yummy can’t wait to make it!!!
Thanks Shannon! Let me know what you think of it, it’s definitely one of my favorite salads!
I made this salad yesterday after watching your appearance on My Family Recipe Rocks. It was/is delicious. So glad I saw the show!!!
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, always good to get positive feedback on my recipes!
Looks yummy and can’t wait to try. Can you use olive oil in place of the grapeseed oil? I have family members that can’t have spice, what is the spice level? Thanks!
Thanks Jill! I would recommend using vegetable or canola oil instead of olive oil, you want a flavorless oil. The spice level is very low as long as you remove the seeds from the jalepeno. Hope you and your family enjoy it!
Hi – I also saw you on My Family Recipe Rocks. This black bean and corn salad that you prepared on the show looked so refreshing and delicious. I’m pleased you have a blog with other recipes and a newsletter. So looking forward to making the salad this week.
Thanks!
Thanks Jojo! I hope you enjoy the salad, it’s one of my favorites and so perfect for summer!