This black bean salad with corn and avocado is a delicious and healthy option for any meal! Packed with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, it’s a satisfying dish that will keep you feeling full and energized.
Made with fresh ingredients like black beans, sweet corn, creamy avocado, and a tangy lime dressing, it’s perfect as a side dish or a main meal. Try this easy and flavorful recipe today!
This black bean salad with corn & avocado comes together in 10 minutes and is great to keep on hand in the fridge. It’s filling, healthy, and delicious, and pairs with lots of main courses like Carne Asada, Turkey Burgers, and Grilled Chicken Breast.
This is one of those recipes that I truly eat all the time.
As much as I love to eat elaborate and complicated things sometimes, I also need quick fixes that I can keep in the fridge to nosh on.
I usually rotate between a bunch of the recipes in the salad section of my recipe index, with Coleslaw, Mexican Street Corn Salad with Black Beans, and Greek Zucchini Salad being a few of my favorites. Â
Since they’re not lettuce-based recipes, they’re all sturdy enough to last a couple of days in the fridge. They’re also great for taking to a summer cookout or potluck since they keep so well.
The bonus is that there’s still a lot of freshness in this dish, with some help from pantry staples like chickpeas and black beans.
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Tips For Black Bean Salad with Corn & Avocado Best Results
Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving – This is the type of salad that will benefit from being made slightly ahead of time, so the flavors can meld. But don’t worry if you need to serve it right away, it will still be delicious!
Use the freshest ingredients possible – Because we are using some canned ingredients here, we need the other ingredients to be of peak freshness. Flavor deteriorates as fresh ingredients age, so try to use the freshest herbs and citrus.
Use a slightly underripe avocado – You will want to use a firmer avocado here so that it doesn’t break up too much when you stir everything together. I have also written an article on Toasted Almond Drink Recipe – A Deliciously Nutty Drink.
Black Bean Salad with Corn & Avocado Fixings
- Corn kernels
- Avocado
- Grape tomatoes
- Chickpeas
- Black beans
- Parsley or basil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Pepper
Method
In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the avocado.
If serving right away, gently stir in the avocado, and season the salad to taste with additional salt and pepper, as necessary. Adding the avocado at the end keeps it from getting mashed up.
Ideally, allow the salad to sit for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld, but it’s perfectly fine to serve right away.
If you wish to make this dish ahead, you can mix everything except for the avocado up to 2 days ahead, then add the avocado right before serving. The salad will keep this way in the fridge for up to 5 days, though freshness will deteriorate after 2 days. Enjoy!
How to Serve This Dish?
This easy corn black bean salad avocado makes for a delicious side dish for mains like Grilled Ribeye and Grilled Flank Steak, or a Smoked Pork Butt.
This salad is also wonderful tossed with this Cilantro Lime Dressing if you’d like something fancier than olive oil and lemon.
We often pack this up for picnics along with other portable options like Curry Chicken Salad, Salmon Salad, and Red Potato Salad. Bring along some tortilla chips to enjoy it like salsa. You can get more from this video.
Black Bean Salad with Corn & Avocado Recipe Variations
One of my favorite things about this black bean avocado salad is how much you can switch up the ingredients. This is the base recipe I tend to stick with but feel free to add the following complementary ingredients.
Onion – If you enjoy the bite of raw onion, add 1/4 cup minced red onion. For a milder onion experience, add 1/4 cup of sliced green onions.
Other herbs – If you wish to make this lean more toward Mexican flavors, switch out the herb for fresh cilantro. This goes so well with the sweet corn and ripe avocado.
Spices – Add up to 1 teaspoon of ground chipotle, chili powder, or ground cayenne pepper to add some heat. Or, add one finely diced jalapeño.
Lime – Instead of lemon, try fresh lime juice instead. This is particularly nice if you’re using cilantro and more Mexican-leaning flavors. If you don’t have any fresh citrus, you can get by with quality apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or tangy balsamic vinegar (don’t use a thick and sweet one).
Other beans – You may use any kind of canned bean you like here. Kidney beans and white beans are also great.
Red bell pepper – If you enjoy the crunch and flavor of raw red peppers, finely chop one and incorporate it into the salad.
How do You Store Leftover Black Bean Salad with Corn & Avocado?
Because the avocado will brown within a few hours, I don’t recommend storing longer than that. If you expect to have leftovers, it is best to leave out the avocado and just add some right before serving, which will allow you to store the bean salad for 5 days in the fridge. Keep in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze Black Bean Salad with Corn & Avocado?
It is not recommended because fresh and uncooked ingredients like tomato and avocado do not freeze well.
Conclusion
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
For convenience’s sake, I like using frozen corn kernels that have been boiled, or even canned corn. However, if you want to grill your fresh corn and cut the kernels off, that tastes incredible and makes for an extra beautiful presentation.
When it comes to leafy greens, darker is better. They have the most nutrients. Case in point: Kale and spinach have over 10 times more immune-boosting vitamins A and C than iceberg lettuce.
Salad greens contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, folate, fiber, and phytonutrients.