Looking for ways to use up that sweet summer corn? Look no further! This simple Mexican Corn Salad hits all the right notes: lots of veggies, black beans for protein, and a nice citrusy dressing; it’s the perfect light Mexican side dish, taco filling, or appetizer with chips for all your summer cookouts, BBQs, or potlucks.
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Taco bar
For Easter we had a (not so traditional) taco bar with fajita veggies and this easy to make Mexican Corn Salad! It’s always a hit – young and old. Vegan, meat eater, gluten-free, everyone loves it! And, I’ve made this salad many times since then, it’s perfect as a Mexican side dish or a side dish for taco night.
Taco Bar Menu
When we host Easter we always do a taco bar.
Here’s my detailed menu for when we have about 40 people coming.
And, if you’re hosting a taco bar party of any kind, here are my tips and tricks with links to tons of great recipes!
Dan grilled up a big ol’ mess of fajita veggies and carne asada. We had rice and beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, tortillas. Tons of yummy stuff!
And, I thought it was really wonderful that all of the family got into the Mexican theme as well. Teri even made guacamole deviled eggs! They were so yummy!
One of the things I made for the Easter Taco Bar was this easy to make Mexican Corn Salad.
Corn Salad
I really like the bright light salad at the Easter table. It was great on my tacos.
I loved dipping chips into it and eating it like a dip. It could be a salsa or a salad.
Variations on the recipe
Super flexible. Serve it how you’d like. If you had fresh summer corn on the cob, you could grill that and cut the kernels off the cob for a fun smokey taste to your salad.
No black beans at home? Switch ’em out for kidney beans or white beans.
Don’t like zucchini, use cucumbers, or just leave them out.
Want to add some avocado? Yum!
Well, I think you get the idea.
Fits lots of different diets
And, it fits with lots of different eating requirements. It’s vegan, vegetarian, colorful, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, filled with veggies, good for you, and super yummy!
I didn’t really count how many servings it made because it was on the table for anyone to eat, so I’ve guesstimated it in the recipe.
Tostada with Mexican Corn Salad
You can make this corn salad into a delicious corn salad tostada .
“Traditional” Easter taco bar with Mexican Corn Salad
I hope your Easter was great! Have you ever tried a non-traditional holiday gathering like this?
How did it go? I’d love to hear your stories!
The lime dressing can be used on other salads as well. It’s easy to make and delicious with a bright citrus flavor.
Can this be made ahead?
Absolutely this can be made ahead! It’s the perfect summer salad for parties because it’s easy to make, pop it in the fridge, and take it out when you’re ready to serve.
I like to make the dressing in a little mason jar and give it a good shake right before tossing it into the salad.
Be aware that some oils, especially olive oil can solidify in the fridge. If your dressing does solidify, simply leave it on the counter a bit to come to room temperature. If you want to read more about oils solidifying in the fridge, hop over to my Chimichurri recipe and take a gander at the info there.
And, I’ll typically make the salad and store it separately from the dressing so the veggies don’t get too soggy from marinating in the dressing.
Other recipes that are perfect for a potluck or summer BBQ
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This Mexican Corn Salad pin has been pinned over 27,000 times on Pinterest!
Pin it for yourself, and be sure to read all the “tried it” comments. People love it!
I have a dedicated Pinterest board for Mexican Foods; make sure to follow it for all the yummy Mexican inspired recipes.
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Mexican Corn Salad Recipe
Mexican Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen corn defrosted
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup red onion chopped
- 1 can 15 ounce black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium zucchini chopped
- large handful fresh cilantro leaves chopped
DRESSING
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or light tasting oil of your choice
- juice of 2 limes
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place veggies in a large serving bowl, and lightly toss to combine. Toss in chopped cilantro.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together or shake in a tightly sealed jar. Adjust the seasonings to taste, and add the dressing to the veggie mixture. Lightly toss to coat. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Kayleen, when we host Easter (which we aren’t this year), it’s so many people that a taco bar with fajita veggies is the perfect solution! And, this salad is always a hit! Thanks for the comment!
This is a great recipe. I felt like it needed a touch of sweetness in the dressing so I added about two teaspoons of Agave. I made it for my team of about fifteen food pantry volunteers, added small shell pasta to make it go further and it was a big hit. Thank you for a good recipe.
Oooh, this looks delicious and yes, so many ways to enjoy this dish. Great appetizer with tortilla chips, but I think my favorite is to stretch it a bit and serve it over salad like you did. About how long will this last in the refrigerator? I would like to take it to our next potluck.
Sandra, I think it should last a good 3 days and still be nice and fresh.
On of my favorite salad! Such beautiful color and all the best flavors! I have a whole box of fresh corn just in time to make it!
My family absolutely loved this. My son is a vegetarian and ate it for days and did not get tired of it. I’m actually making again as the huge bowl I made is gone from the days ago already. Thanks a bunch from my family to yours 🙂
Made the Mexican Corn Salad for a graduation party. It was a tasty and refreshing addition to our Mexican themed menu. I did prep too much of it for the party (made 6 times the recipe!! – loaded/layered ALL of the ingredients for a double recipe in a gallon ziploc bag, and stored the dressing, all mixed up and ready to go, separately), but we spent the next few days enjoying the mixed salad leftovers from the party. In fact, we dressed the last bag of salad 4 days later (I was somewhat leery about this!)……. we were so surprised at how fresh it mixed up with the dressing even after those extra days!! A definite do-over for this family! THANK YOU!
This sounds amazing. Lots of veggies and nice spices. Reminds me of some eastern Mediterranean and North African salads. Very flavorful.