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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This salad is perfect! It is spicy and refreshing with ingredients I love.
This is a visual and palate pleasing accompaniment to anything that comes off the grill, especially carne asada! Easily comes together and while intended as a salad, it inevitably finds its way onto tortilla chips. Thanks, Jen for the honey-chipotle twist, it adds an unexpected depth of smokiness and sweetness! A refreshing crowd pleaser and keeper!
I’ve made this recipe several times and always get rave reviews. It’s also become a staple as a bbq side dish. The flavors are terrific. I’m not huge raw onion fan, but soaking the onions definitely tempered the raw harshness. Great trick! Thanks, Jen for another wonderful recipe.
This is easy and delicious. Frozen corn substitution works fine; just need to be sure it’s thawed and if needed, drained. High school seniors at a picnic at our house said it was the best thing on the whole menu!
Love this! Added mangoes one night and the next time we tried it, added blood oranges, both equally awesome.
I am addicted to this recipe, making it exactly as written. Last night I added some cheese and made a burrito, it was surprisingly good.
This was a delicious side to your tequila-lime chicken. Everyone loved it, and sadly there was nothing left in the bowl for lunch today! Two suggestions on the dressing:
1) The recipe as written makes more than is needed to to dress the salad, so consider using half the quantity and only using more if you need it.
2) The chipotles in adobo add a wonderful smoky flavor to the salad, but they also bring a LOT of heat! If you want to reduce the spice level, slice open the peppers and scrape out the seeds and ribs before blending all the dressing ingredients together.
Meant to give 5 stars and be it’s own review rather than a reply!
We made this for a party and it was a hit! Everyone loved it. It will be my new go to and the dressing was delicious. It can be used in salads as well. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Jen
I have been making this recepie and was surprise to see in your e mail. I do two things differently. I roast corn. Also I roast cumin seed before grinding.
This is really delicious! I also used the dressing on grilled romaine and it was so good! Do you know how long the dressing lasts in the refrigerator?
Glad you enjoyed this, Deb! The dressing should last nicely in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Help! I think I put in too big of a chipotle pepper! How can I make it less spicy?
Hi RobBee, You’ll have to make more of the dressing w/o the chipotle to dilute it. Hope that helps!
This was a hit at a recent family dinner. I followed the recipe as written. The dressing w/the chipotle pepper was so so delicious! Served w/chicken kabobs. This will be on repeat especially over the summer! Many thanks for the recipe.