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
- 14 Cinco de Mayo Recipes For a Fiesta To Remember
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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I used roasted garlic for the dressing and had enough left over to put in with the rest of the salad ingredients!! AMAZING.
Absolutely wonderful! Beautiful colors. Kids and adults alike said it was delicious.
This salad is just so delicious. It is very forgiving and easy to throw together with substitutions. I usually make a double or triple portion when I get fresh corn. I only had one can of black beans so I added some pink beans too. Still looked visually appealing and tasted great. I use less honey and less oil ( used avocado oil). Those chipotles in adobo really are a great secret ingredient. They punch up the flavor significantly. Thanks for another foolproof recipe!
I’ve made this salad on several occasions and it is a universal hit! Everybody loves the colorful array of vegetables and the sauce adds a great kick – even my friends’ toddlers were fans. Thanks for such a delicious addition to our summer table.
This was a huge hit!! Only used one chipotle pepper (instead of two) and this was the right heat level for us (who don’t care for super spicy) but still had a nice kick. Everyone wanted the recipe!
Found this recipe a couple of weeks ago and already made it four times (in batches of two to four servings, so I ate it A LOT! :-D)
I love it because it tastes great, it’s quick and easy to make and it keeps well in the fridge. And also because I looooove chipotle!
For a quick meal I like to eat it with a sweet potato.
Thanks for the recipe!!
I try to avoid beginning every review on this site with WOW, but another wow. I have long been hoping I might reproduce the taste of the chipotle salad at home.
This is a perfect copycat…copycat is kind of the wrong way to say it because its better. Addictive too. I like to mix in romaine and brown rice for a meal that will keep me full for a while. I’ve also made this sans avocado and just topped with guacamole at the end. All in all, just a knockout recipe.
Hey there,
I am looking into making the Black Bean & Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette for company, I have a few people who do not like to much spice. On a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (extremely) how spicy would you say this dish is if I followed the recipe?
Thanks for your help
also, could the use of Avocado oil be used instead of vegetable oil?
Yes, I think that would work fine 🙂
Last thing.. What would your opinion on making the dressing before hand be? How long would it keep? Maybe freeze it?
Thanks!
Hi Ashley, The dressing can definitely be made 2-3 days ahead of time but I wouldn’t freeze it.
Hi Ashley, I’d say it’s about a 5 but it really depends on the chipotle peppers — some are larger and hotter than others. I would start with one and dress the salad. Then taste and add another if necessary.
I made this recipe for the first time today and can not get enough of it! Simply delicious, so flavorful with the perfect amount of heat. I can’t wait to make it for company. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipies!
Just made this salad for the second time! I’m totally sold on this being a great addition for bbqs!
This evening I made this recipe along with making sweet potato home fries for the first time. They were so filling together. And my parents enjoyed it!
We will enjoy the leftover salad with grilled hamburgers
Thank you!!! Can’t wait to introduce this recipe to more family members!