Black Bean and Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
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This make-ahead black bean and corn salad is a real crowd-pleaser. Bonus: it doubles as a dip!
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Perhaps the best compliment this salad ever received was from one of my readers, who confessed to me, “I’m having an affair with this salad…please don’t tell anyone.” Another reader told me that she made this salad for a party, and later found one of her guests in her study, printing out copies of the recipe to hand out. It’s just one of those crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipes that everyone loves. Whether I serve it with grilled chicken or as a dip with tortilla chips (highly recommend!), the bowl is always empty and the plates are always full.
This recipe is similar to my popular Black Bean, Corn & Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette. The difference is that this version is dressed in a smoky and sweet chipotle-honey vinaigrette, similar to Chipotle’s honey vinaigrette. I think you will love both variations!
What You’ll Need To Make Black Bean and Corn Salad
In addition to the basics, the recipe calls for canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These are small peppers (usually red jalapeños) that have been dried and smoked that come in a spicy, smoky tomato sauce. I love their flavor and am always looking for ways to incorporate them into recipes (see these baja fish tacos and these chipotle chicken quesadillas).
You can find them in the Latin section of most supermarkets. Once you open a can, you can transfer any remaining peppers to a plastic container and store in the refrigerator for at least a month. You can also freeze them.
Step-by-step Instructions
Begin by cooking the corn. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn and simmer, covered, for about ten minutes, then cut the kernels off the cob. Next, chop the red onions, soak them in cold water for about ten minutes, then drain; this takes the sharp raw onion taste away. (If you’re a raw onion lover, feel free to skip this step.)
Rinse and drain the black beans.
Then make the dressing. Simply combine all of the ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and process until smooth.
Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour the dressing over top.
Toss and refrigerate for at least one hour or, preferably, overnight. The salad tastes infinitely better cold, especially once the flavors have a chance to marry and the vegetables soak up some of the dressing.
Right before serving, add the avocado and gently toss. Enjoy!
you May Also Like
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
- Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken
- Baja Fish Tacos
- Restaurant-Style Salsa
- Guacamole
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Black Bean & Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
This make-ahead black bean and corn salad is a real crowd-pleaser. Bonus: it doubles as a dip!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 ears fresh corn
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
- 1 red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh chopped cilantro (plus a bit more for garnish, if desired)
- 1 avocado
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from 1-2 limes
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (2 peppers, not 2 cans; use smaller peppers and if they are all large, use only 1½)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the corn, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the water and let cool.
- Meanwhile, place the chopped red onions in a small bowl and cover with water. Let sit about ten minutes, then drain completely in a sieve and set aside.
- Place the beans in a sieve; run under cold water to rinse well. Let drain completely and set aside.
- Holding the cooled corn upright in a large bowl, cut the kernels off the cob in strips. Add the beans, red onion, red bell pepper and cilantro.
- Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or mini food processor; process until smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or, preferably, overnight.
- Right before serving, slice the avocado in half. Remove the pit; using a butter knife, cut a grid in each half. Holding the avocado halves over the salad, use a spoon to scoop out the diced flesh. Toss the salad gently, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add a squeeze of fresh lime to freshen it up). Garnish with a bit of fresh chopped cilantro if desired. Serve cold.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: approximately 1 cup
- Calories: 357
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 12 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Sodium: 306 mg
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This salad is absolutely delicious!
I’ve made this bean salad 3 times since I saw it a month ago & it’s one of our all time favourite salads!! Delicious!
Wow! It takes a lot for me to write a review, but I have to say, this is one of the best side dishes I’ve ever made. It’s also quite easy to make. The sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy and the combination of black beans, fresh corn, red pepper and avocado makes this recipe a taste sensation! The chipotle is a bit spicy, so for the first time, you might want to go a bit lighter and add more to taste. I think I’ll try 1 1/2 chipotle’s next time, but the flavor was still unbeatable. You’ll love this recipe!!!
I brought this to a potluck while camping with a group. The container was practically licked clean! The fresh corn makes it so amazing. I followed the recipe as directed (I used less dress thinking it might be too spicy for kids, but I will use the full amount next time).
“less dressing”, not “less dress” 🙂
I too think this recipe is wonderful. I added red onion but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. I can’t say what makes this recipe so much better than similar ones, but it’s my favorite by far –and I have tried many. Also, I found that if I added a bit more lime juice the avocado stayed good in the refrigerator for a day or two.
This was fantastic. My 3 teenagers, 2 of their friends, my husband & I all ate it right up. So fresh tasting and very appealing to the eye. My guys love spice, so I’ll probably up the chipotles in the next batch, however it really is perfect as is for a potluck with varying tastes. Thanks, yet again, Jenn!
I was wondering if it would be possible to use can or frozen corn rather than fresh corn. If so which would recommend/a certain kind and how much?
Thanks.
Hi Robin, Nothing beats fresh but you can use frozen in a pinch — 1-1/2 – 2 cups.
I used Trader Joe’s organic super sweet cut corn but I bet their frozen roasted corn would be good too. If you don’t have Trader Joe’s, a lot of regular stores have frozen super sweet corn on the cob or in a bag. I’m sure regular frozen corn would work too but I just know that of the 10 times I have made this, I had to use frozen twice and the super sweet was perfect. This recipe is so good in the first place that I think it would take a lot of effort to mess it up just because a vegetable wasn’t fresh from the farm truck. Next time I have the grill going though, I am going to grill some corn for the express purpose of cutting it off and storing it for this recipe.
Hi Jenn
This is the second recipe that I have made from your blog. This was as good as the first salad recipe (Asian Kale Salad w/ Creamy Ginger Peanut Dressing) that I made. The next time I make this salad, I will make barbacoa and substitute this salad for the salsa.
This recipe is way too hot for my taste. Next time I’ll only use 1 chippotle pepper and see how that works and adjust from there.
This recipe is delicious! I served it with the Grilled Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa. A little time consuming but both are great recipes which I know I will be making again.