Black Bean and Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
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Packed with black beans, sweet corn, and a tangy vinaigrette with just the right balance of smoky heat and sweetness, this salad is perfect for a cookout, potluck, or taco night. Bonus: it holds up beautifully in the fridge and makes a fabulous dip, too.
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 tequila lime 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 salad. 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!
“This recipe is absolutely outstanding! I’ve made it countless times, and it never fails to impress— It’s so delicious that it’s nearly impossible to stop eating!”
What You’ll Need To Make Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Fresh corn and Red Bell Pepper: These veggies add sweetness, color, and crunch. Fresh corn is ideal, but frozen or canned corn works in a pinch.
- Red onion: Brings sharp flavor and vibrant color. Soaking it in water first helps mellow the bite.
- Black beans: They help make the salad hearty, creamy, and satisfying. Draining and rinsing them thoroughly washes away excess sodium and gives you better texture and flavor.
- Fresh cilantro: Offers a fresh, herby punch that ties everything together. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, parsley is a good alternative, or you can just omit it.
- Avocado: Adds a creamy, buttery element to the salad—a nice contrast to the crisp corn and bell pepper. Add just before serving to keep it from browning.
- Vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, fresh lime juice, and honey: Together, they form the tangy, sweet base of the vinaigrette that brightens up the whole dish.
- Garlic: Adds sharp, savory flavor to the dressing—just toss it right into the blender.
- Ground Cumin and Dried Oregano: Add a warm, earthy flavor and a subtle herbal note that pairs perfectly with the beans and corn.
- Canned chipotle peppers in adobo: These smoked, dried peppers are packed in a rich, smoky tomato sauce and add bold heat and depth to the dressing. You’ll find them in the Latin section of most supermarkets. You won’t need the whole can—save the rest to spice up my baja fish tacos or chipotle chicken quesadillas a try. You can transfer any remaining peppers to a plastic container and store in the fridge for at least a month; freeze for longer storage.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the corn. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the corn, and simmer (covered) for about 10 minutes. Let it cool slightly, then cut the kernels off the cob.
Step 2: Prep the onions. Chop the red onion and soak it in cold water for 10 minutes. A quick soak in cold water makes raw onions taste milder and less pungent—perfect for people who usually pick them out (you can skip this step if you aren’t bothered by raw onion flavor).
Step 3: Make the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a mini food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Step 4: Combine the ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the corn, onions, beans, and remaining ingredients except for the avocado. Pour the dressing over top.
Pro Tip: Store canned beans upside down in your pantry. It helps the liquid settle near the top, so when you turn the can right-side-up and open it, the beans slide out more easily, and you’re less likely to have to dig them out from the bottom.
Step 5: Toss and chill. Toss everything together and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight—it’s even better once the flavors meld and the veggies soak up the dressing. Gently fold in the avocado just before serving. Enjoy!
Got leftovers? This black bean and corn salad is also great to keep in the fridge for easy lunches or for giving leftovers a little boost. Here are a few ideas for how to use it:
- Tuck it into tacos or burritos – Add some shredded cheese, avocado, or grilled chicken for a quick meal.
- Serve it over greens – Instant taco salad with a scoop of this on top and a drizzle of ranch or vinaigrette.
- Spoon it over grilled chicken or fish – Adds fresh flavor and a pop of color.
- Stuff it into quesadillas – Mix with cheese and a little hot sauce, then crisp it up in a skillet.
- Top baked sweet potatoes – A hearty, satisfying lunch with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.
- Mix into cooked rice or quinoa – Makes a fast grain bowl with minimal effort.
- Serve it with scrambled eggs or in a breakfast burrito – A great way to use up the last scoop or two.
More Tex-Mex Recipes You’ll Love
Black Bean & Corn Salad with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 ears fresh corn
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 (15.5-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 to 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground 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
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 is a terrific salad and you could literally drink the dressing it’s so good. I do think it would make an amazing dip too so next time I’m in charge of the appetizer, I’m making this! Thanks for all your wonderful, delicious recipes!
I love this salad! I used frozen corn as fresh is not that great this time of year and it was fine. No need to cook it, either. Just throw it in. The following day I added some jarred basic salsa to some of it as a dip for tortilla chips. DELICIOUS! Use the chipotle’s to your taste as they can be very spicy. Don’t leave out the cilantro unless you’re one of those people lacking the ability to taste of the true flavor of cilantro!
I eat buckets of this salad! I’ve made it twice this week. I cut the amount of chiles in half because I’m a wimp, so it’s just spicy enough for me. Yum!!
Just made this for dinner tonight and added cajun baked chicken breast….it was fabulous! I also added some quinoa.
Delicious and healthy!
Yum, that was good!
I was looking for a winter salad that was both healthy and fresh. This hit the mark!
I made it with chipotle peppers and used some of the sauce too. A nice amount of heat.
Made some guacamole to have with tortilla chips.
Can I add shredded chicken or shrimp to make it a main dish?
Sure, Diane – I think either would work well.
Oh.My.Word. This is…. TO.DIE.FOR!!!!!! The dressing was INCREDIBLE! Everyone LOVED this!! Thank you for another AWESOME recipe!!! I know I will be making this a lot from now.
I made dressing using 1 small chipotle pepper and squeezed out the seeds, then added a just lil bit of the chipotle juice. Added olives.
Hi Jenn!
I am planning on making this salad, but since I do not live in the States and do not have the canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 🙂 any suggetions on what to replace them with? Thank you!
Unfortunately, there’s no great substitute for the chipotle peppers in adobo, but I do have a very similar recipe that doesn’t require them, so you could make that one instead. Hope you enjoy if you try it!
Jenn,
This dressing recipe has lime and cumin added to it. Is this chipotle dressing different than the other dressing you posted? Thank you.
Yes, it is different. The other dressing has lime but no cumin.
Jenn
do you think the dressings from this recipe would be good on your quinoa salad with corn,tomatoes and lime. maybe take away the lime juice in the quinoa salad?
thanks for any input
Sure, Carrie, that should work nicely. I agree that you can omit the lime juice and probably the second Tbsp. of oil too. Also, the second half of the tsp. of salt may make the dish too salty, so I’d probably just add salt to taste after using the first 1/2 tsp. when cooking the quinoa. Please LMK how it turns out!
I made this last night and it turned out really good however just a word of caution and I like spicy but those 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce were hot so I only used one and that was enough kick. Didn’t have a red pepper so I added red grape tomatoes cut in half, some minced garlic and Penzey salsa and pico spice ..didn’t add cumin to the sauce. Everyone loved it – will make again.
You can seed the chipotle peppers and it decreases the heat by a lot!!