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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, salad, 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!
My husband 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. It’s a great Mexican Side Dish!
Looking for other great corn recipes? Be sure to try my Crock Pot Corn Dip and Creamed Corn recipes!
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.
Recipes that are perfect for a potluck or summer BBQ
Be the life of the party when you bring these summer side dishes to the potluck. Balsamic Dressing Pasta Salad, Skinny Avocado Ranch Pasta Salad, Loaded Southwestern BBQ Pasta Salad, and Summer Salad.
And if you’re looking for more Mexican Side Dishes, I have a bunch! You’ll love my Roasted Corn Guacamole, 4 layer stuffed avocados, Chipotle Sweet Potatoes, and Tamale Pie.
Pin this recipe on Pinterest
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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via the pin.
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.
Vicky
This is awesome!
Allison @ Clean Wellness
Can I just say that I want a taco bar at my next easter shindig? What a great idea! I introduced the idea of a “world christmas” last year where we choose the country and cook the food from that region. I always find it makes for a less stressful and more relaxed celebration!
And I need to make this! I love all of those flavours. Super zingy and fresh.
Renee's Kitchen Adventures
This is really light and delicious and I love that you added zucchini to it! perfect!
Nicole Neverman
This looks really yummy Debi 🙂 Nice and simple too!
Nicky
This is delicious Debi. Taco bars are great whenever you have a large group to feed. This salad is fresh and great with or without tacos.
Vohn
This is so fresh and yummy! It’s great with a summer barbecue.
Dawn
Great salad for a bbq and weekend get together.
Cate
This is great! Easy to make and everyone loved it!
auntbeesrecipes
absolutely gorgeous salad!
Stephanie Pass
I love this salad. Made it twice now!! It’s such a bright and light salad. yum!
Nancy Fox
Oooh…Love this Debi
Kate
What a lovely colourful salad!
Chelsea
This is literally one of the best things I’ve had since I went vegan. Fantastic!
Kecia
Fantastic! Colorful, flavorful and totally healthy goodness!
nettie
This is such a gorgeous salad, perfect for grilling season!
Kim
This is absolutely amazing….I just ate a big ole bowl of it right now!
Heidy L. McCallum
vegan, vegetarian, colorful, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, filled with veggies—- How awesome is that??? I hit the jackpot here! We are always looking for something more healthy!!!
Kayleen Miller
Came across this as we prepare for our fajita bar for Easter this weekend. Such a great idea!
Nina Regan
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.
Sandra Shaffer
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.