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–+ servings
bamboo bowl containing mixed of corn and black beans
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5 from 6 votes

Black Bean and Corn Salad

This easy Black Bean Corn Salad is colorful, nutritious, and delicious. Loaded with corn, black beans, avocado, bell pepper, and red onion. It's also called Cowboy Caviar!
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 282kcal
Author: Cyndy Ufkes ~ The Art of Food and Wine

Ingredients

Salad

  • 3 cups Corn kernels Fresh or frozen
  • 2 15 ounce cans Black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 medium Red bell pepper stemmed, seeded and diced
  • 1 cup Red Onion diced
  • 1 avocado diced
  • ⅓ cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped

Lemon Dressing

  • ¼ cup Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 generous pinch salt
  • 1 generous pinch black pepper, freshly ground
  • 1 generous pinch cayenne pepper (or red pepper flakes)

Instructions

Making Corn Salad (or Cowboy Caviar):

  • Cook frozen corn by steaming it in the microwave or on the stovetop for about 3 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temperature while preparing the rest of the salad. if using canned corn simply drain, rinse, and set aside. (Fresh corn may need about 5 minutes to be fully cooked)
  • Drain and rinse the black beans with cool water. Let drain well.
  • Chop the red pepper, red onion, and avocado into medium dice for the salad or small dice for cowboy caviar.
  • Strip cilantro from the stems and roughly chop.

Dressing:

  • In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Assembly:

  • In a large bowl combine corn, black beans, red peppers, red onions, and cilantro and toss until well mixed.
    Drizzle on lemon dressing and toss again to coat.
    Add avocado and gently mix to combine.
  • Best served slightly chilled or at room temperature.
  • If serving as cowboy caviar add tortilla chips on the side for dipping.

Notes

  • Common substitutions:
    • Swap red onion for white onion or scallions
    • Use lime instead of lemon for the dressing
    • Not a fan of cilantro? Just substitute parsley or leave it out altogether
    • Use roasted corn for added depth of flavor
  • Other add-in ideas
    • Add chopped tomatoes
    • Feta or goat cheese crumbles work well in this salad
    • Top with grilled or roasted chicken, pork, tofu, or shrimp for a complete meal
  • If making ahead: Prepare all of the ingredients and toss when ready to serve.
  • Don't cut the avocado until ready to use because they turn brown pretty quickly once they've been cut.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ounce | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 137mg | Potassium: 627mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 579IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 3mg