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 and cornbread for a delicious (and easy!) Southwestern-themed 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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I love it!
Yummo. I cut the sugar in half, but everything else was perfect.
Made this to pair with your shrimp tacos. Yummy! This salad will be a regular in our household now. So healthy, easy to make & flavourful!!!
this is a beautiful delicious salad and way to eat veggies. Great for company and summer days! I’ve made this and the similar salad with chipotle honey vinagrette. Both are fabulous. I’m reaching for this one more often though as it’s easier and faster with no blending and just as delicious. Great to have both in the toolkit for variety and different tastes. Thanks again Jenn!
Loved this!! It’s not easy finding summery salads like this with no tomatoes…dating a man who doesn’t eat them. Crazy right?? Anyway, everyone loved it…the only thing I added was some chopped up pickled jalepenos.
Wow!! Hit of the party! Thanks, Jenn! I always trust your recipes to be “HITS”!
I have made this recipe countless times (ok, maybe 30 or so), and it continues to be a go-to! I usually use it as a meal – add lots of grilled chicken and eat on lettuce or with tortilla chips. Love it! Thanks for sharing!
I have made this several times in the last year, and it is always a hit. What I find unnecessarily annoying is measurements like “9 Tablespoons” or even “6 Tablespoons” when one could more helpfully list: “1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp oil” or “1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp of lime juice.”
Is the corn cooked? If so how did you cook it first?
Hi Lisa, if you’re using fresh corn, you should cook it first. Check out this recipe for guidance on cooking it.
Great recipe and easy to make. I made only two changes – I reduced the oil by 1 Tablespoon and cut the sugar and salt by half given our palettes.
Made this salad and it was absolutely delicious!!
Everybody loved this salad, I ate the leftovers for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Only thing I altered was the amount of sugar, which I halved.
I have made this many times for picnics and potlucks, and EVERY time it gets raves. Fresh corn makes all the difference, so save this one to be a seasonal treat! Because it can be made ahead, scales easily and holds at ambient temps, it is a great “no stress” side dish. I could make a meal of it by itself!
I made this for my book club recently. It was really delicious, and kept well in the fridge for a few days afterwards – a good thing because it made an enormous amount. I couldn’t find canned black beans (they’re not common where I live) so substituted red kidney beans, and used frozen corn. It was even good without the avos which makes it easy to serve year-round. This’s going into the recipe file.
This has become a family favorite. I make it for every occasion. It keeps a long time in the refrigerator and gets better every day. My daughter is allergic to avocados so I just leave a portion out for her. It’s wonderful even without the avocados. I also use frozen corn. Easy and delicious.
Amazing salad. We loved it and will use it as a go to all summer! Beautiful to look at and delicious!
My family loves this salad! We usually double the recipe so we’ll have leftovers. We use half as much oil and keep the avocado on the side (I’m allergic, sadly), and serve it with Jenn’s tequila lime chicken. This also makes a great salsa served with chips the next day!
This is one of my go to vegan recipes that always wows people. The flavors dance in your mouth. It’s a perfect summertime pot luck dish.
This is one of our favorite recipes! It has become a go-to for any kind of potluck or picnic. It’s great by itself or on top of a salad. We used frozen corn and dried cilantro last time with good success. I like it with olive oil best, but you can’t really taste a specific oil in the dressing. Soaking the onion in water really makes a big difference in the strength of the onions!
I love this recipe! The first time, I made it exactly as written. However, I’m the only one who likes black beans and even with the recipe halved it lasts a few days. So when making it for just me, I leave out the avocado altogether. And because I really like things tart, I decrease the olive oil by half and added fresh lemon juice to the lime juice. Sorry, I can’t help tweaking recipes! The cayenne adds just the right amount of heat. I would never have thought to do that. When I make it for guests or a potluck, I make it as is. Thanks for a great recipe, Jenn!
This is a great recipe. The honey, chipotle dressing makes the salad. All my family and friends request I bring this to all pot lucks. I recommend taking the time to use fresh corn.
Another awesome recipe! This was simple and quick to make and was especially tasty the next day. I served it alongside some chicken tacos for dinner. My husband, who wasn’t sure he liked black beans, really liked this recipe. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day with some chicken, it was so good! I am happy to say I can practically make this with my eyes closed, it’s so easy!
My extended family and us love this recipe! I’ve made this several times over the past few months. I made it for our family dinner last fall and surprised and shocked my family with how tasty the dish. It was the hit of the evening! Even the 4 year old ate the salad and everyone said she wouldn’t like it due to the peppers. I never told her about them and she didn’t complain or fuss. EXCELLENT recipe!!
This is the perfect salad for summer lunch. Lots of fresh flavors that are tied together with a great dressing.
This is one of the recipes I made when I bought a dozen limes. I also made the Tequila Lime Chicken and Cilantro Lime Sweet Corn when I made this salad. This salad is substantial and makes a great go to work lunch. It also can be served to vegan or gluten free friends. The black beans are also great for my cholesterol reduction goals. The best part is that this salad tastes great and has numerous layers of flavor.
like so many, this is my FAVORITE recipe so far! it’s my go-to for any gathering and is always the first bowl empty.
when i cook the corn, i cook it in veggie broth (i use Seitenbacher Vegetarian Vegetable Broth) to add a little depth of flavor to the corn. thank you for this incredible recipe Jenn! xx
I love this salad! I made it this summer for a taco bar party and it was a hit! I just made it to add to my work Thanksgiving Feast tomorrow. Yes, Thanksgiving, Texas style! I only made one change both times. I omitted the cayenne pepper and substituted 1 fresh Jalapeno seeded and finely diced. (We grow them; please wear gloves when you handle hot peppers). I think it adds a little heat taste that goes well with the other ingredients. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Hi can the lime juice be substuted for lemon juice?
Sure, Graeme, I think that would work though it will have a slightly different flavor. Enjoy!
I used your dressing on 1 can of black beans and a variety of veggies I had in the fridge. Delicious!
Fresh and fabulous! Easy to make and very satisfying. The cilantro is delicious here and even my daughter who prefers no cilantro usually agrees it was great. A definite keeper. Thanks Jenn.
I made this last week with a friend, and LOVED it. I thought it was good right after it was made but it really does get better as it sits.
Recently took this to a potluck and expected to have some to take home! Boy was I wrong, it was all gone! Made it just as written except used frozen car. Thanks for another great recipe!
I’ve tried making several black bean/corn salads and this one is the BEST. I even use it as an appetizer with corn chips and everyone loves it. Make sure not to mash the avocado when stirring because they are “fragile”. Leave them in small chunks. I also use Green Giant White Shoepeg corn rather than fresh corn on the cob just to cut down on time.
Due to a rain delay and an emergency room, I’ve a lot of experience with this recipe. Here’s what I’ve learned:
Don’t waste time with dried beans. Canned are equivalent.
The salad will not hold more than a day after the lime juice is in. It’s safer to marinate not so long than dump and redo when the ingredients are over-marinated.
I’d pan-sauté the corn, even if that means using olive oil from the dressing to keep it light.
As you might glean, I worked hard for a serving of this salad. That’s because I stole some from the rain-delayed batch and it was perfection. I couldn’t give up!
Great recipe.
I substituted a mango for the sugar the first time I made it. Yesterday I tried using a large nectarine. I should have used two. Mango is best though, in my opinion. The salad definitely needs to sit overnight. It’s much better the next day.
Can this be made the evening before a mid afternoon bbq the next day without sacrificing texture or freshness? Or best to do chopping prep the night before (except avocados, do that the day of) then combine in morning to allow a few hours for flavor mingling?
Haven’t actually made it yet (clearly), but expect it’ll be worthy of 5 stars!
Yes, you can definitely make it the night before. It actually gets better as it sits! Just add the avocado right before serving.
Yes! Definitely make it the day before, leaving the avocados out. The salad needs to sit for the flavours to come out. Wait for the last minute before serving to add the avocados.
Love this recipe. For me personally I will omit the sugar next time as I feel the peppers are sweet enough on their own and the added sugar was just too much for me. I may also add a little cumin next time as it is another flavor I love. Thanks for sharing!
Are you supposed to add vinegar to this recipe?
Hi Ke, no vinegar is necessary for this. Enjoy!
I added a little apple cider vinegar and really liked it. I left out the shallots and sugar, used green instead of red pepper, and red pepper flakes instead of cayenne, and added rice. May grab cilantro from the store tonight to add to it, but its really good w/o it too. How would you freeze this?
Hi Chas, unfortunately, this recipe won’t freeze well- sorry!
Delicious summer salad; a perfect side for a grilled entree or Mexican cuisine. I had to make a few modifications (based on what I had in my refrig). These included substituting minced red onion for the shallots (worked well and added color); did not use lime zest since I already had 4 limes in my refrig from which the zest had been used. The lime flavor came through with just the juice. In terms of procedures, I did not bother boiling the corn. I like the “fresh” corn flavor and if you use a ceramic knife to remove the kernels the corn won’t “bleed” juice into the dressing. This recipe is hearty enough to serve as a meatless lunch. Will make it often.
This is so good. I can’t wait for company to make it so I cut in half when it’s just us. I use Trader Joe’s frozen grilled sweet corn and Goya low sodium black beans. delicious. Thanks Jen.
Just made this exactly as written and it was delicious. My only critique was that it was slightly sweeter than I would have liked so next time I will half the sugar. Great recipe!
Hi I would like to try this salad for a graduation party this week. If I use frozen corn how much should I use? What is the equivalent of 3 ears fresh corn?
Thank you so much!
Hi Jennifer, You’d need between 2 – 2 1/4 cups. Hope everyone enjoys!
I made this black bean/corn/red pepper & avocado in lime cilantro vinaigrette salad this weekend and it is delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I did make a few changes to suit our tastes: I used only 1 red bell pepper, 1 clove of garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper, and 8 Tablespoons of olive oil. Everything else was done as the recipe called for. Just before serving I cut the avocado into pieces and put about 1 tablespoon lime juice over the avocados before adding to the salad. I believe this helped to keep the avocado from turning brown, as the second day they still looked green and the salad was delicious. My company enjoyed this new recipe also. Thank you!
OMG! This salad is AWESOME!! It’s my new favorite. I loved every part of the salad. I am new to avocados and appreciated the creaminess it added to the salad. If the salad is served over more than 2 days I would add the avocado fresh each time it’s served so it doesn’t lose its fresh creaminess. With or without the avocado it’s really fabulous!
The black bean salad was great! I would like to use it in a wrap. Would I have to make any changes to the recipe? How long could they be refrigerated without becoming soggy?
Hi Linda, glad you like the salad! You could use this in a wrap with no adjustments, but I do think they would get soggy if assembled in advanced. I’d roll them into the wraps right before serving.
I made this last night and it was a huge hit. But my question is, why is there sugar in the recipe? I was going to leave it out but since I had never made this before I decided to stick with the recipe. Why the sugar?
A little sugar works beautifully to balance the chile heat and give it more dimension, and it underscores the sweetness of the corn and red pepper.
Luv luv luv this salad. I add extra cilantro and lime juice.
One of my favorite salads EVER!
can I used canned corn? How many cups of corn?
Hi Judy, Yes, you can use canned corn. You’d need between 2 – 2 1/4 cups. Enjoy!
Love this recipe. I cook my own black beans using black heirloom turtle beans. When getting close to done I add low sodium roasted chicken base. To give the beans more flavor. Cooking until still a little firm. Then drain. I also add some diced jalapeño. To give it a little more kick. Everyone loves them. Great recipe!