After weeks of testing, I’ve finally nailed the perfect avocado corn salad. Made with fresh corn, ripe avocado, cilantro, and a simple olive oil and lime juice dressing, this simple yet flavorful salad is the perfect side dish for any summer BBQ.
I love fresh summer corn and, while eating it directly off the cob is my favorite option, if you’re looking for a new way to serve it up, this avocado corn salad is a delicious and nutritious option.
Why is corn salad healthy?
While it has received a bit of a bad reputation in the health community, corn is a source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and essential nutrients. Also known as maize, corn is one of the world’s most popular cereal grains and has a rich history of consumption across cultures, especially in Central America; used to make everything from tortillas to polenta to a salad. When paired with healthy fats and additional protein, corn salad is a fiber-rich side dish that can help to create a well-balanced meal.
How to Make Avocado Corn Salad
Cook the corn. The ears of corn can be boiled, grilled, or a little bit of both. While I suggest using fresh corn on the cob for the best results, you can certainly use frozen or canned corn if needed.
Chop the vegetables. I included red bell pepper, green onion, and a generous handful of cilantro in the corn salad, however, cherry tomatoes, red onion, or even a little cucumber would pair nicely.
Make the dressing. Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk them together. I kept the dressing simple with olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper, but you could add a little mayo if you wanted a creamier dressing.
Slice the avocado. Cut the avocado into bite-sized pieces but wait until you are ready to serve so that it does not brown. If you want to make the salad ahead of time, you can prep the veggies and dressing but wait to add the avocado until you are ready to eat.
Mix it all together. Once all of the ingredients are ready to go, add them to a bowl, and toss to combine.
Add a sprinkle of cheese. For an extra boost of flavor, healthy fat, and a touch of protein, you can add a sprinkle of cotija; a hard, salty Mexican cheese. if you can’t find cotija cheese, feta cheese will work well as an alternative.
Taste, adjust, and serve! Once the ingredients are combined, give the salad a taste and adjust the seasoning with oil, lime juice, salt, or pepper as needed, and serve.
Can I substitute frozen corn for fresh corn?
You can easily substitute frozen corn for fresh corn in a corn salad. One average ear of corn contains 3/4 cup of corn on average, so simply adjust the ratio to suit your needs.
What to Serve with Corn Salad
Corn salad makes a great side dish to a summer BBQ and creates a well-balanced meal when paired with a grilled protein such as grilled cilantro lime chicken, lemon pepper chicken thighs, jalapeño lime chicken burgers, blackened shrimp or blackened salmon, or a simple fillet of grilled fish or steak. This salad also makes a great appetizer or side dish for tacos such as grilled Cajun shrimp tacos or blackened fish tacos.
How to Store Avocado Corn Salad
Corn salad stores very well!
If you want to make it in advance, corn salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, just wait to add the cheese and avocado until you are ready to serve to ensure the avocado does not brown.
If you want to store leftover salad, it can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge, however, it will only last 24 hours before the avocado begins to brown excessively. To help extend its lifetime, add some extra lime juice to the salad to help preserve the avocado.
More Summer Corn Salad Recipes:
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Avocado Corn Salad
Crunchy, creamy, and salty, this avocado corn salad is a flavor-packed salad that is a wonderful addition to any summer BBQ, grill out, or potluck.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 10 minutes
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Total Time: 20 minutes
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Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Category: Side Dish
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Method: Boiled, Grilled, By Hand
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
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Cuisine:Ingredients
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3 tablespoon cotija cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add shucked corn, and cook for 9 minutes. (Note: If you’d prefer to grill the corn instead of boiling it, keep the ears of corn in husks OR wrap shucked corn in foil and place them directly on the grill for 18-20 minutes, 4-5 minutes per side, on medium-high heat. If grilling the corn in the husks, be sure to soak them in water for 20 minutes before adding them to the grill to prevent burning.)
- While the corn is cooking, chop the red bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, and garlic, and prepare the dressing. In a large bowl, add the olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, minced garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
- Once the corn is cooked, strain or remove the ears of corn from the pot of boiling water and briefly run under cold water to cool and stop the cooking process. When the ears of corn are cool enough to handle, one at a time, hold an ear of corn vertically on a cutting board or plate and, using a large chef’s knife, cut in a downward motion following the rib of the cob, letting the kernels collect on the cutting board or plate, breaking up any large chunks of corn. Continue until you’ve sliced the kernels off all 4 ears of corn.
- In the large bowl with the dressing, add the corn kernels, red bell pepper, green onion, and cilantro and stir to combine. Add diced avocado and cotija cheese and stir again to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with oil, lime juice, salt and pepper as needed.
- The salad is best served immediately. If you want to make it ahead of time, wait until you are ready to serve to add the cotija cheese and avocado to ensure it does not brown.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the salad
- Calories: 351 calories
- Sugar: 14 grams
- Fat: 23 grams
- Carbohydrates: 37.5 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Protein: 7 grams
Keywords: avocado corn salad, corn salad recipe
I am stumbling onto several of your recipes around the web, which ALL sound amazing. I do wish you would include sodium content in your nutritional analysis. That would be extremely helpful for those of us on low/reduced sodium diets. Keep up the great job!!
Hi Jennifer!
Thank you so much for your comment and I’m so happy you are enjoying my recipes!
While I hear you loud and clear and completely understand the reason for your request, I do not include sodium content in my nutrition information because it is SO difficult to be accurate. Since the sodium content of brands can vary widely for certain products (i.e. canned beans, broth, canned tomatoes, etc) and my recipes often include instructions to season with salt and pepper to eye or taste, it’s very difficult for me to able to provide even close to accurate sodium information. For that reason, it’s safer for me to exclude it and allow the reader to calculate/control it on their own.
Generally speaking, my recipe are low in sodium, given they are made mostly with whole foods. If you are concerned about sodium content and a recipe calls for a sodium-containing product (i.e. canned beans, broth, canned tomatoes, etc) I would recommend choosing a low-sodium option.
Hope that helps!
Steph