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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AMAZING!
It was my first time ever making a salad like this & I used it to meal prep at work (I’m a nurse so I usually work 3-in-a-row) & this was great even the 3rd day!
I did use red onion instead of shallots, 6 instead of 8 tablespoons of olive oil, & left out the sugar and it was STILL. SO. GOOD!
Can’t wait to make it again next week. 🙂
Exactly how many minutes should I boil the corn to get the right crispness.
Hi Marcia, I usually cook my corn by bringing a pot of water to a boil; once it boils I turn off the heat, put the corn in and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the salad!
This recipe is easy and delicious. Yes, like another reader said I would definitely eat this salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
I plan to double this recipe but have 3 orange bell peppers and 1 red bell pepper. Should I go get more red bell peppers? I’ve made this before (it’s perfect as is) and don’t want to mess with the flavor.
Hi Santiago, Orange bell peppers will work nicely; no need to go to the store. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
I don’t care for cilantro. Any suggestion? Would basil work?
Thanks
Diana
Hi Diana, I think parsley or basil would work nicely. Hope you enjoy!
This salad is delicious (loaded with flavor), strikingly beautiful, & a great take-it-to-a-picnic choice. My suggestion is to make sure to use quality canned beans (Goya, Bushes Best – does anyone have another recommendation?). I did this the first time I made it & the salad was perfection. The next time I used an off-brand: brownish, soft, mushy beans that made the entire salad look like mud & although the taste wasn’t compromised, it was a mess to look at. Thank you Jenn, for your wonderful recipes.
Dear Jenn,
Last week I made this salad for the first time and my family loved it. Two nights later I paired some of my leftover rotisserie chicken from Costco (pulled apart, sprayed lightly with olive oil, and broiled just a few minutes) with the corn and black bean salad (warmed up, but not heated for one minute in the microwave) and served it to my family with a small, corn tortilla , the sliced avocado and chopped tomatoes. I heated the tortillas briefly in our electric skillet which was placed in the center of the table, and then we all made our own “tapas-like” creations. My family had great fun making these and eating them together – and everyone pronounced them delicious!
Love that idea, Laula. Thank you for sharing!
What does it say about me that I want to eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
LOL!
We are hosting a baby shower for 30 at lunch time and are serving brats and 3 salads. If people just take a spoonful of this salad do you still think it serves 6-8? Thinking it might be more like 12?
Yes, Ann, if you think people will be taking very small portions, I think you could get 12 servings out of it. To be safe though, you could make 1.5 times the recipe. Hope the shower is nice!
This salad is amazing!! I made this for a family BBQ and atleast 5 people went homemade with the recipe in hand! Quick and easy to make, especially that you can make it the day before!
I make this salad when we have company over or when I need to bring a dish to a bbq. It is truly a crowd pleaser. I usually follow this recipe exactly as written but one time I was out of cayenne so I sprinkled some Cholula Hot Sauce to replace it and it worked. I’ve also been out of shallots and replaced them 1:1 with red onion and it was great. Thank you Jenn!!!