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 suggest reading the entire 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 in this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers like Amazon or Amazon Fresh.

• 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.

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 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 US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (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

Below is the printable recipe card. To save ink, any demonstration photos on the recipe card are not printed out.

*NEW FEATURE!* Tap the Add To Shopping List button to save the ingredients list to your phone!

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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

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