Black Bean Salad with Corn, Avocado & Lime Vinaigrette
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This make-ahead and festive black bean salad is a huge crowd-pleaser. Perfect for a summer cookout!
This black bean salad recipe was sent to me by one of my readers (thank you, Ellen!). It’s a huge crowd-pleaser and one of the most popular recipes on my website. The salad is ideal for entertaining because you can make it ahead of time — in fact, you should because it gets better and better the longer it sits. Try pairing it with my grilled tequila lime chicken or blackened chicken and cornbread for a delicious (and easy!) cookout. Or, for an appetizer spread, serve it tortilla chips for scooping and chicken quesadillas.
Table of Contents
“I have made this about 4 times in the last couple of weeks. My family loves it! The flavors and textures come together perfectly!”
What You’ll Need To Make Black Bean Salad with Corn, Avocado & Lime Vinaigrette
- Black Beans: Form the hearty base of the salad, providing protein and texture.
- Corn: Adds sweetness and crunch and contributes to the salad’s vibrant color.
- Red Peppers: Offer a pop of color and juicy sweetness to the salad.
- Garlic and Shallots: Infuse the salad with aromatic depth of flavor.
- Salt and Cayenne Pepper: Season the salad, balancing flavors and adding a hint of heat.
- Sugar: Balances the acidity of the lime juice and enhances the overall flavor profile of the salad.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Creates a luscious and smooth vinaigrette, binding the ingredients together.
- Lime Zest and Lime Juice: Provide brightness and tanginess, elevating the salad’s flavors.
- Fresh Cilantro: Adds a burst of freshness and herbal aroma to the salad.
- Avocados: Contribute creaminess and richness, complementing the other ingredients perfectly. If you’re unsure of the most efficient way to prepare an avocado, see my step-by-step guide on how to cut an avocado.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the corn in boiling salted water.
A few minutes is all it takes — you want it super crisp. Refresh the corn under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Place the corn on a clean dish towel set over a cutting board, then use a serrated knife to cut the kernels of the cobs. (The dish towel both dries the corn and prevents it from bouncing all over the place.)
Next, rinse and drain the black beans.
Combine the corn and black beans with the remaining ingredients, except for the avocado.
Toss and chill until ready to serve.
Before serving, dice the avocado and add to the salad. It’s important to add the avocado at the last minute to keep it from turning brown.
Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. You may find that it needs a bit more salt or a squirt of lime juice, as the flavors tend to mellow in the fridge.
That’s all there is to it. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, I recommend chilling it for a few hours or overnight. If necessary, you can make it up to 1 day ahead. Just hold off on adding the avocado until you’re ready to serve to keep it fresh and vibrant.
This is best with fresh corn but when it’s not in season, you can use canned or frozen corn. Just drain and rinse canned corn before adding and if using frozen, ensure it’s thawed beforehand. You’ll need a total of about 2-1/4 cups of corn kernels for the salad.
To add a kick of heat, you can double the cayenne pepper or add a diced jalapeño. For the jalapeño, adjust the amount based on your preference for spiciness, keeping in mind that the heat of the peppers lies in the seeds and veins.
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Black Bean Salad with Corn, Avocado & Lime Vinaigrette
This make-ahead and festive black bean salad is a huge crowd-pleaser. Perfect for a summer cookout!
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 ears fresh cooked corn, kernels cut off the cob
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots, from one medium shallot
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Colavita
- 1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 2 Hass avocados, chopped
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a more chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Serving size: 3/4 - 1 cup
- Calories: 464
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 15 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Sodium: 591 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.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Absolutely delicious! I made it exactly as described (I was a bit heavy handed with the fresh lime 🙂 and will definitely add it to our regular rotation. Added your pan butter shrimp as a dinner addition.
I have made this recipe several times and absolutely love it. It’s great as a side salad or as a chip dip, but I often use it in chicken or shrimp tacos and it’s amazing.
Good fresh corn is not yet available, so I used frozen steamed until it was just crisp tender. I also added 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes as my garden is producing masses daily.
This dish has become a fridge staple and our go-to summer snack . Thank you so much!
Oh, and it’s excellent spooned into fish tacos too. The hot flaky fish and crunchy cold salad with just the right touch of acid is a divine combo.
This is absolutely delicious and as you stated I’ve already been asked to share the recipe!
Along with being so fresh tasting it is very attractive on the table.
I’ve made it in advance for a weekend with a vegan guest, and for a summer barbecue!
Only changes made were to substitute cherry tomatoes for the red peppers.
Thank you very much for your wonderful recipes.
If anyone is still on the fence in making this…please don’t hesitate!! It is an absolutely delicious salad!! It’s flavor town in your mouth!!
Thank you Jenn, for once again, an absolutely delicious recipe! Might I add, I doubled the recipe, just for my family of 5 and it was gone in less than 2 hours!! They couldn’t get enough of it!!
Kudos Jenn!!!
Excellent side dish! Very flavorful, quick and yummy! I accidentally forgot to buy fresh corn so I used frozen corn that I cooked up instead. It was still amazing!
I have been making this dish multiple times for almost every summer outing including my children’s birthday parties. This dish is perfect the way it is, did not need alter it. Each time I make it, I always get asked for the recipe.
I will be making this on a Friday, but wont be able to serve it until Sunday, since we will be out of town and arriving home Sunday with company arriving as well, can not prepare it the day before because of time . Would it still be good and flavorful from being in the refrigerator for 2 nights?
It will still be delicious, Grace – just give it a taste before serving. You may need to adjust the seasoning a bit as the flavors tend to mellow. And, of course, wait to add the avocado until the last minute.
Thanks will do!
This was awesome! I did change some minor things.
1. I oven roasted the corn.
2. I added a very thinly sliced jalepeno (seeds and all)
3. I added the spices to the olive oil and lime juice and whisked instead of just mixing it all in at once.
Big hit! I will make this every chance I get.
Absolutely amazing!
Everybody loved it.
Served it with the tequila lime chicken recipe.
Delish!
Thank you
This is my all time favorite salad which I always make for pot luck dinner. Whenever I bring to party, it’s gone in a sec! It’s very easy and very flavorful. It’s something that I can make ahead too.
I love bean salads and this one is my all time favorite. It makes a lot. Salad tastes great for days, although I only add avocado to the portions served so it stays fresh.