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 Avocado and Bean 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!
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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.
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!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I store leftover corn, avocado and bean salad?
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
Is this the same as cowboy caviar?
This black bean salad is very similar to cowboy caviar or cowboy salsa. However, most cowboy caviar recipes use black eyed peas. This recipe uses all black beans for the bean component.
How do you serve this salad?
It works great as a side dish for grilled meats, Tex-Mex entrees and more. You can also serve it on greens as part of a bigger salad. Or serve it with tortilla chips as a chunky dip.
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!
Black Bean Salad with Corn, Avocado and Lime
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 Tablespoons lime juice
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ½ cup green onions chopped
- ¾ cup diced sweet bell peppers chopped
- 30 oz canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 12 oz frozen corn defrosted and drained
- 2 large avocados diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, quickly stir together garlic, salt, cayenne, sugar, olive oil and lime juice.2 teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 6 Tablespoons lime juice
- Add beans, corn, peppers, green onions and cilantro. Toss in dressing, then cover and chill for at least an hour but as long as overnight.½ cup fresh cilantro, ½ cup green onions, 30 oz canned black beans, 12 oz frozen corn, ¾ cup diced sweet bell peppers
- Stir in avocados just before serving. Best served at room temperature.2 large avocados
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This looks amazing! Thanks for linkin' up with What's Cookin' Wednesday!
Thanks, Karly!
Carlee, we make this all the time in the summer – It's one of our favorite things! It makes such a perfect appetizer.
Isn't it so good? Thanks so much!
What a lovely salad! I bet it was perfect with the taquitos! Hope you had a great weekend!
It really was, thanks Mollie! I hope your weekend was lovely as well.
Hi Carlee, this does sound like a perfect summer side dish. i bet the longer it sits the tastier it gets (up to a point!).
xx
It really does! It was super good on day two, though I imagine the avocados could only go so long before they end up brown mush!
Oh yes! This sounds yummy and perfect for me! I love corn and black beans together, but then you go and add avocado? Boo yah! I'll be trying this for sure!
Oh, and it's Thursday and I still feel like I'm recovering from the holiday weekend! ha ha 🙂
Short weeks are the longest!! (But totally worth it for that extra day of weekend!) This salad is amazing. I really hope you give it a try!
This is my kind of salad! Sounds great!
Mine too! It really is delicious!
This looks great. We call this cowboy caviar at my house. Love this for parties.
I have heard it called that before too, it's delicious no matter what you call it! Thanks!
WOW! My mouth is watering right now. Gimmie a fork! This sounds like a perfect side dish to go with my favorite Mexican food. I think I could eat Mexican every day if my husband would let me!
I could come close… but I'd miss Italian food and BBQ!
That one day really DOES make a huge difference! But yes, I'm always so thrown off for the rest of the week.
This salad looks great – perfect summer side dish or definitely for over chicken. Even just with chips as an appetizer – YUM!
Oooh, now you have me wanting to make another batch to eat with chips! I was thinking earlier it would be great over a bed of lettuce with some chicken as a tex-mex salad also. You wouldn't even need dressing.
Nope, not just you, where did Friday go?? Mmmmm good! I love a salad packed full of healthy goodness but with great flavor!! This looks so pretty too!!
Thanks, Andrea! It really is pretty darn good, if I do say so myself!