Black Bean and Corn Salad Recipe
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Looking to add a burst of flavor to your mealtime? Try our Mexican-inspired black Bean and Corn Salad Recipe!
This salad is a quick and simple recipe that tastes amazing! It uses a mix of salad ingredients: crisp lettuce, red peppers, and red onions, some store-cupboard staples: canned corn and black beans, herbs, spices, and Cojita cheese.
But that’s not all—a creamy avocado dressing and crunchy tortilla strips transform this salad into a delightful mix of textures and flavors that will leave you wanting more!
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While you may prefer to skip to the recipe card, we recommend reading through the blog post to avoid missing valuable tips and substitution suggestions and to ensure you have the necessary ingredients, equipment, and understanding of the steps and timings.
Easy Black Bean and Corn Salad
Salads are one of our favorite recipes—from a simple salad with a handful of fresh ingredients to ones with heartier components like our Greek-Style Crispy Deep-Fried Squid Salad or Balsamic Steak Salad with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, and Feta.
Everyone should know how to make a great salad, and our black bean salad recipe is definitely one for your consideration!
It is also an easy dish to customize to your own tastes:
- Don’t like iceberg lettuce? Switch it to romaine.
- Want extra salad veggies? Throw in chopped cherry tomatoes and green onions.
- Forgot to buy canned corn? Use grilled fresh sweet corn.
- Don’t have time to cook tortilla strips? Open up a bag of tortilla chips and use them instead.
- Can’t find Cojita cheese? Feta or Parmesan work well too.
The dressing ingredients are simply avocado, sour cream and fresh lime juice. But you can make swaps here too: Greek yogurt instead of sour cream; and lemon juice or red wine vinegar for that zing. If you’re a fan of spicy food, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for an extra kick.
Serving Suggestions
The bean salad is a perfect side dish for Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes, and it’s also fantastic as a standalone dish for a light lunch or dinner.
Why not make a large bowl of this easy salad to serve family style with cooked proteins like chopped chicken, shrimp, steak, or even ground beef spiced with chili powder and other taco spices. Everyone can then make their own customized salad.
If you enjoy meal prepping, make a big batch of this salad as part of your prep for the week ahead. Store in an airtight container and help yourself throughout the week. Or pack it up into individual glass containers to grab on your way to work or school. Remember to add the dressing when ready to enjoy for maximum freshness!
How To Make Black Bean and Corn Salad
If you want the quick printable recipe card, scroll to the bottom of this post to print it out. But for all the tips, keep reading!
Number of Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Additional Time: n/a
Total Time: 20 minutes
Step 1 – Gather Your Ingredients
The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – Iceberg Lettuce, Red Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Avocado, Limes, Cilantro (Fresh Coriander).
- Chilled & Dairy – Sour Cream.
- Pantry – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sea Salt, Black Pepper
- Flour Tortillas
- Ground Cumin
- Smoked Paprika
- Canned Black Beans – This salad also works well with Canned Red Kidney Beans.
- Canned Sweet Corn Kernels
- Cotija Cheese – An aged Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk in Cotija, Michoacán. It’s firm, white cheese that has a salty, milky taste. The “young” variety is similar to mild Feta, whereas aged Cotija resembles hard, aged cheeses like Parmesan.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post.
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Step 2 – Kitchen Tools
- Rimmed Baking Sheet
- Large Salad Bowl
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping/Cutting Board
- Cooking Utensils
- Mixing Bowls
- Blender – for making the salad dressing.
The complete ingredient list, along with their measurements, is provided on the recipe card. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide measurements in US customary, imperial, and metric units. Still, it’s essential to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial units (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric units (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Step 3 – Preheat and Prep
Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6.
Cut the tortillas into strips and place them in a bowl. Toss with olive oil, ground cumin, and smoked paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 4 – Bake The Tortilla Strips
Transfer seasoned tortilla strips to a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oven and set them aside to cool.
Step 5 – Make The Salad
Place the lettuce, black beans, corn, red pepper, and red onion in a bowl and toss together. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Step 6 – Make The Dressing
Place the avocado, sour cream, and lime juice into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Step 7 – Garnish and Serve
Transfer the dressed salad to a large serving bowl (or individual bowls/plates). Top the salad with the cooled, crispy tortilla strips and sprinkle with cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers & Freezing
- Storing Leftovers:
- Store the tortilla strips and dressed salad separately.
- Transfer both to separate airtight containers and store the salad in the fridge for 3-4 days. Store the tortilla strips at room temperature for 3-4 days. Alternatively, bake the strips fresh when you serve leftovers.
- Freezing Instructions:
- This dish is not suitable for freezing.
- With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
- You can always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).
Printable Black Bean and Corn Salad Recipe Card
The printable recipe card is below. Please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!
Black Bean and Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 6”15 cm flour tortillas, quartered and sliced into thin strips
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 medium head iceberg lettuce thinly sliced (approximately 4 cups)
- 1 14-oz./400g can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 14-oz./400g can corn, rinsed and drained
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 avocado peeled and pitted
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 medium limes juiced
- ½ cup cilantro roughly chopped
- ¼ cup cotija cheese crumbled
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C/Gas 6. Cut the tortillas into strips and place them in a bowl. Toss with olive oil, ground cumin, and smoked paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Transfer seasoned tortilla strips to a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oven and set them aside to cool.
- Toss the lettuce, black beans, corn, red pepper, and red onion in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, as desired.
- Place the avocado, sour cream, and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
- Transfer the dressed salad to a large serving bowl (or individual bowls/plates). Top the salad with the cooled, crispy tortilla strips and sprinkle with cilantro and cotija cheese. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Dinner Party Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the salad or side dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
More Mexican & Tex-Mex Recipes
Want to make more Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes? Check out these recipes next:
- Best Vegetarian Sheet Pan Meatless Nachos Recipe
- Black Bean Salsa Cups Appetizer
- Tex-Mex Chicken Soup with Black Beans
- Quick & Easy Steak Street Tacos with Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Fully Loaded Mexican Street Corn with Mexican Crema & Cotija Cheese
- Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
Look here for more: 70+ Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes for Parties & Family Meals