This Corn Avocado Black Bean Salad 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.

Avocado Bean Salad - In White Bowl with Corn and Tomatoes

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.  

Since they’re not lettuce-based recipes, they’re all sturdy enough to last a couple days in the fridge. They’re also great for taking to a summer cookout or potluck, since they keep so well.

The extra bonus is that there’s still a lot of freshness in this dish, with some help from pantry staples like chickpeas and black beans.

Tips for 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 really 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.

Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad with Tomatoes and Chickpeas in White Dish

There’s so much texture and flavor going on here, it’s always a huge hit. Let’s make this gorgeous dish!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Corn kernels
  • Avocado
  • Grape tomatoes
  • Chickpeas
  • Black beans
  • Parsley or basil
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Lemon juice
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Step by Step Guide:

All that’s required here is combining our salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Here I have the corn kernels, black beans, chickpeas, grape tomatoes (cherry tomatoes work too), creamy avocado, parsley, salt, and black pepper:

Corn, Beans, Avocado, Tomato in Glass Mixing Bowl

What kind of corn should you use?

For convenience sake, I like using frozen corn kernels that have been boiled, or even canned corn. However, if you want to grill your own fresh corn and cut the kernels off, that tastes incredible and makes for an extra beautiful presentation.

Add extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice, to dress the salad simply:

Adding Lemon Juice to Black Bean Corn and Avocado Mixture in Bowl

Mix everything together, then ideally let the salad sit for 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld. But it’s no problem if you wish to serve this right away, as it will still be delicious.

Black Bean Chickpea and Avocado Salad - in Glass Bowl Mixed Together

Make-ahead Instructions

Because this salad contains avocado, it should be eaten within a few hours due to browning.

However, if you wish to make this ahead, you can leave the avocado out until serving, in which case the salad can sit in the fridge for several days with no problems. This is usually what I do.

Avocado Bean Salad Recipe - Served in White bowl With Grape Tomatoes, Chickpeas, and a Simple Dressing

Just add avocado chunks to the salad right before serving, and mix well so the avocado is dressed too. 

How to Serve This Dish

This easy salad 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 a salsa.

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 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 a 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 really 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 into the salad.

FAQ and Tips

How do you store leftover Corn Avocado Black Bean Salad?

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 Corn Avocado Black Bean Salad?

It is not recommended because fresh and uncooked ingredients like tomato and avocado do not freeze well.

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. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!

Avocado Bean Salad In White Bowl with Corn and Tomatoes and Spoon

Corn Avocado Black Bean Salad

Servings: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
This quick and easy salad comes together in 10 minutes, and is great to keep on hand in the fridge.
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Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups corn kernels *
  • 1 lb grape tomatoes
  • 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed
  • 14 oz can black beans rinsed
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley or basil
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 avocado diced

Instructions 

  • 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 together 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 really deteriorate after 2 days. Enjoy!

Notes

*You may use canned corn, frozen corn, or fresh corn. If using frozen or fresh, make sure to cook the kernels appropriately. Usually frozen corn you need to boil, and fresh corn can be grilled, boiled, etc. 
Storage: The salad without the avocado can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. If the avocado has been mixed in, leftovers will only keep for a few hours, because the avocado will brown.
Freezing: Not recommended.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 716mg, Potassium: 711mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 920IU, Vitamin C: 21.4mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 2.9mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas

Post updated in May 2019. Originally published April 2012.