Fresh Corn Salad
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This fresh corn salad is crisp, bright, and easy to make ahead—perfect for cookouts, potlucks, or any summer meal.
When sweet summer corn is at its peak, this fresh corn salad is one of my favorite side dishes. It’s colorful, crisp, and full of bright flavor—and unlike corn on the cob, you can make it ahead and serve it at room temperature, so it’s ideal for cookouts, picnics, and summer entertaining.
For the sweetest, most tender kernels, cook the corn just until crisp-tender; a few minutes is all it takes. I also like to add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the cooking water to enhance the corn’s natural sweetness. If your corn is already perfectly sweet, you can certainly skip it, but I think it’s a worthwhile bit of insurance.
“I brought this salad to a potluck lunch. People kept telling me how wonderful it was and asking how I made it. It made me feel like a star!”
What You’ll Need To Make Fresh Corn Salad
- Fresh Corn: Use the best corn you can find—look for bright green husks and plump kernels you can feel through the husk. Keep it in the fridge with the husks on until you’re ready to prep. Frozen or canned won’t give you the same texture or flavor.
- Scallions & Fresh Herbs: Scallions add a mild onion bite without overpowering the salad, and fresh basil brings a clean, fragrant note. Mint, cilantro, or parsley would all work nicely here too.
- Vegetable Oil & White Wine Vinegar: A light, balanced dressing—neutral oil keeps things smooth, and vinegar adds just enough acidity. You can use lemon juice instead of vinegar for a citrusy twist.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step instructions
Step 1: Cook the corn. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. If your corn isn’t straight from the farm stand, I like to add a tablespoon or two of sugar to the water—it helps coax out the sweetness in grocery store corn, which can be hit or miss. (Yes, I know it’s not necessary with peak-season corn, but sometimes you’ve gotta hedge your bets.) Once the water’s boiling, add the corn and cook for just a few minutes.
Step 2: Cool it down. Drain the corn and run it under cold water to stop the cooking. You want to preserve that fresh crisp texture.
Step 3: Cut the corn off the cob. Place the corn on a clean dish towel set over a cutting board, and use a serrated knife to slice off the kernels. The towel helps dry the corn and keeps the kernels from scattering all over your kitchen. Try to keep the chunks of corn intact—it looks pretty and shows that you used fresh corn.
Step 4: Combine the salad ingredients: Use the dish towel to transfer the kernels to a large bowl. Add the white wine vinegar, vegetable oil, scallions, salt and pepper. Toss well to combine. At this point, the corn salad can be refrigerated for up to two days before serving.
Step 5: Add basil and serve. Right before serving, toss in the fresh basil and taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve and enjoy!
More Summer Corn Recipes You May Like
Fresh Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 5 ears of corn, shucked
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup finely sliced fresh basil leaves
- Sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (see note). Boil the corn until tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain the corn and immerse it in very 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.)
- In a large bowl, combine the kernels with the oil, vinegar, scallions, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. If the salad tastes too tart, add a bit more oil; if it tastes bland, add a bit more vinegar or salt and pepper. Try adding a ¼ teaspoon of sugar if the corn isn't as sweet as you'd like. Serve the salad cold or at room temperature.
Notes
Pair with
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.
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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My family loves this salad.
We made this on 4th of July instead of corn on the cob. It was FANTASTIC. It was a party favorite. Incredible taste, texture, and an incredible side! Highly recommend!
Easy, fast and de!icious.
We loved this salad! So fresh and crisp. I also added a 1/4 cup of diced orange pepper to add a bit of colour.
I have always enjoyed this recipe and its so perfect on a hot summer day. We are now trying to eliminate using vegetable oil. Would olive oil work as well? Thanks for all of your amazing recipes, they never fail! We have recently enjoyed your recipes for lemon squares, burgers and key lime pie!
Hi Kate, glad you like it! I use vegetable oil here as it’s more neutral in flavor, but it’s fine to use olive oil instead if you’d prefer.
Great recipe. I added a couple of ingredients cause we have abundance in our garden. This was our 4th of July menu along with your lobster roll and blueberry
Great recipe. I added a couple of ingredients cause we have abundance in our garden. We served with your lobster roll and blueberry pie recipes.
I love this salad. I need to double amount. Should everything be doubled as listed or will that not work?
Mary Ellen
Yes, I’d double all the ingredients (and glad you like it)!
Perfect summer salad. I never boil corn. Wrap each ear in paper toweling, wet and microwave for 3 minutes. For this recipe I did 2 minutes as I wanted them with more bite. Used canola oil. Wonderful. Will make all summer.