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 recipe is so good and versatile! It is great to take to just about anything, Jenn, I love your advice on soaking the red onions. I love red onions, but not everyone does, so this certainly helps cut the strong flavor of them. I would never leave them out. This is great as a side, a dip with chips or addition to many salads. I pre-ordered your cookbook after I made this. I was so excited to finally get it. It will be on display in my new kitchen when my house is through being built. Love lots of your recipes, but this is definitely a favorite! ❤️
I have been making this salad for years and it is a family favorite. I bring it to pot lucks and family events and make it at least a couple times a month. I like to grill the corn, peppers, and red onions as it adds a really great flavor to the salad. I often add quinoa or potatoes and serve with a piece of meat for the non-vegetarians and as is for the vegetarians/vegans.
Love this salad! I only change one thing, I roast my corn on a hot grill for about 8 minutes, then make the salad as directed. YUM! Love it with tortilla chip as a change of pace.
Really delicious! I noticed too late in to making the dish that it needed chilled for at least an hour and just had to serve it right away which was definitely good still, but when we had it a little later after it had chilled noticed it all came together and was amazing. I did add an extra can of beans though because I somehow had more dressing than I expected, but we love beans so it was honestly an added bonus. Thanks for another great recipe!
Love the salad and it’s been a big hit, much requested. Enjoying the cookbook too.
Just curious about the chipotle peppers in Adobe. Do you scrape the seeds out before adding or not? I usually do, some seeds always remain anyway.
Hi Denyse, glad you enjoy the salad! I do generally scrape away some of the seeds, but like you, find that some of the seeds remain attached when I incorporate them into the recipe.
This salad is delish! My husband loves it, I took it to a potluck last night and it was well received. I’m keeping track of my nutrition facts on my fitness pal, is a serving 1/2 cup for this recipe? Thanks!
I’d approximately that each serving is approximately 1 cup. Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I served this salad at a diner party and it was a big hit! Everyone commented on the flavor of the salad. It was a perfect summer salad. The recipe was made per the directions, and I would not change anything.
I made this for our 4th of July tamale feed and it was a success. Literally everyone loved it. Being able to make it the day before freed me up to just enjoy the day. The flavors marinated wonderfully.
I made this for a group of pretty picky and tough customers/used to eating out all the time and to good food in general and one of them went out of their way to say: “Oh, the Corn Salad…so Good!” (She closed her eyes as she said this. Wow!) The fresh corn really makes this dish sing/stand out/makes it incredibly difficult to stop eating. Some nice heat from the chipotle. The tip about soaking the red onion in water (I used ice water) — excellent/worked like a charm! Thank you Jenn–yet another for the permanent rotation.
This is the best recipe! It is my go to salad when I go to a bbq . Everyone that tries it always asks for the recipe.