Black Bean Salad with Corn, Avocado and Lime

Thanks for sharing!

Black bean salad with corn and avocado is the perfect side dish for all of your Mexican favorites. It also goes great with grilled meats or eat it as a dip with tortilla chips. It is full of flavor and nutrition plus it is super versatile.

This black bean salad might just be the perfect salad. It is loaded with flavor, it can be made ahead of time and it is so much more than plain old lettuce.

It is a perfect side for hearty favorites like enchiladas, but it also is amazing with grilled meats like tequila lime chicken. Not to mention the fact that it is wonderful as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

In fact, my sister-in-law sent me this recipe at the same time she sent me her enchilada recipe. The combination is quite exquisite as the salad adds some freshness to the plate.

This recipe takes a few simple ingredients and a light dressing and turns them into something amazing. You can easily play with the final mix of salad ingredients to match your flavor preferences or what you have on hand, but as written it is absolutely delectable.

Tips for Making This Salad

Luckily this recipe is pretty easy to put together, so there aren’t a ton of tips needed. But it never hurts to have a few pointers.

I like to use a red bell pepper for the visual appeal. It adds that pop of color plus a little bit of extra sweetness, but feel free to use whatever color you happen to have on hand.

If you don’t like cilantro, feel free to leave it out. Or replace it with a bit of parsley or something to keep that herby freshness.

Add the lime zest along with the juice for more citrusy pop!

Adding a finely diced jalapeno would give the salad some heat if you want to take it that direction.

I like to wait until just before serving the salad to add the avocado so it doesn’t oxidize or get mushy. However, because of the lime juice it actually holds up pretty well in the leftovers.

Store the salad, or any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay good for several days before the herbs and avocado start to move past their prime.

This is also great as a dip.  Just spoon a nice pile on your plate and grab some tortilla chips and you are in business. It’s a great snack, starter or tailgate food as well!

This recipe is huge, so it would be perfect for a family gathering or would make an excellent potluck dish.  If you are making it for a small family, just cut it in half!

A Few More Recipes to Try:

Making your own roasted salsa or even some salsa verde is actually pretty easy to do. They are both great with chips or your favorite Mexican or Tex-Mes entrees as well.

For another fun corn side dish, try cheesy corn casserole with green chiles. It has a little zing and a hit a cheese in a classic corn pudding base.

Or try making a big bowl of Frito salad. It was a classic potluck dish when I was a kid and I am advocating for bringing it back!

Thanks for sharing!