This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe with Black Beans is incredibly flavorful, filling, and can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. It’s fantastic for summer potlucks or picnics, as it travels really easily, and serves as a great side dish for lots of different mains like Carne Asada.

Mexican Corn Salad with Black Beans and Cotija Cheese in White Bowl

People always love to ask me what my favorite foods are to make, and even though it isn’t the “sexy answer” (I say this based on the looks of disappointment I always get!), I really love making different types of flavorful salads.

I think a lot of people don’t get excited about salad because their mind may instantly go to the salad bar.

I get the whole “choose what you want” idea of the salad bar, with different types of lettuce, a selection of chopped ingredients, and all the standard dressings, but most salad bars aren’t that exciting. There aren’t any cohesively crafted themes to them.

Dishes like this Moroccan Spiced Carrot Salad or Warm Brussel Sprout Salad with Crispy Goat Cheese aren’t the norm.

(I wish they were).

Black Bean and Corn Salad - in White Bowl with Herbs and Lime

This Mexican Street Corn Salad with Black Beans is a riff on one of the best foods ever, Mexican Street Corn.

If you’ve been wondering how to make Mexican street corn off the cob, this is it.

So, what exactly is Mexican Street Corn?

If you’ve never had it before, it’s a grilled ear of corn slathered in a mixture of Mexican crema, salty cotija cheese, chili powder, and cilantro. It is often sold by street vendors, and it’s SO GOOD.

Here we’re taking most of those elements and turning it into an incredibly delicious salad with fresh flavors.

Black Beans and Corn Salad in White Bowl with Herbs and Lime

I’ve played with this recipe enough to know that something else needs to be in the salad in addition to the corn.

I love adding black beans to add heartiness, and beans and sweet corn are the best of friends in terms of flavor affinity.

As far as what else goes with Mexican Street Corn, avocado is great, as is tomato. But if you’re adding those ingredients, the salad won’t keep for long as leftovers since the avocado will get brown, and the tomatoes will get mealy.

So if I’m making this for a party where I think there won’t be leftovers, I’ll add the avocado, but if I’m making this to keep on hand in the fridge, I’ll stick with the corn and black beans.

Step by Step Overview:

To get started, making the dressing.

Whisk to combine fresh lime juice, olive oil, mayonnaise, chipotle chile powder, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl:

Olive Oil, Mayonnaise, and Spices in Bowl with Whisk

If you have 10 minutes to spare, I recommend using homemade mayonnaise for the best flavor.

If you can find authentic Mexican crema to use instead of the creamy mayonnaise, that is more traditional, but we’re using such a small amount that it doesn’t matter a whole lot.

The small dollop of mayonnaise in the dressing is just enough to add a tangy creaminess to the dressing, without giving the salad ingredients a milky coated look.

Whisked Corn and Bean Salad Dressing in Mixing Bowl

Next add the salad ingredients, which are fresh corn kernels cut off the cob (from 4 ears of corn), rinsed and drained canned black beans, crumbled cotija cheese, jalapeno, and fresh cilantro:

Cotija Cheese, Black Beans, Corn, Green onion, and Cilantro in Mixing Bowl

Mexican street corn is typically grilled, but if you have a gas cooktop, there’s a hack to making mexican street corn without the grill.

Steam or boil the corn as you normally would, then turn the corn over an open flame for 1-2 minutes, until smoky and slightly charred on the outside.

If you taste it, you really get the smoky, nutty flavors that you normally would on an outdoor grill.

Toss all the salad ingredients together:

Mexican Bean Salad in Mixing Bowl with Spoon

Try to let the salad sit for at least an hour, to let the flavors meld together.

Mexican Black Bean Corn Salad in Bowl with Lime Wedges on Side

I love serving it with Mexican Shredded Beef, Mexican Rice, and a big scoop of homemade Guacamole. It is the perfect side dish. Or try Mexican Street Corn Dip

You could also make this a great party food by serving it with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Recipe FAQ and Tips

How do you store leftovers?

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Can you freeze leftovers?

Not recommended.

What are you options for the corn?

While fresh corn that’s grilled is the very best for flavor, you may also use frozen corn. Cook completely in boiling water according to package directions, then drain thoroughly, otherwise the excess water will dilute the creamy sauce. You may also use cans of corn. Rinse and drain thoroughly as well.

Recipe Variations

Here are some of my favorite ways to change things up from the original recipe, if you’d like to switch it up next time.

Sour cream – For an extra creamy dressing, add 1 tablespoon of sour cream as well. This adds a nice tang.

Onion – If you want the bite of onion added to this, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of finely minced red onion, or 2 green onions, thinly sliced.

Cheese – If you can’t find cotija cheese, crumbled queso fresco is another Mexican cheese that tastes great too. Most grocery stores will carry one or the other.

Tomatoes – Though it changes the nature of the salad, tomatoes have a strong flavor affinity with the other ingredients here. Add halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl.

Lime zest – For a more pronounced lime flavor and aroma, zest the limes first before juicing them, and add the lime zest to the dressing.

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!

Mexican Corn Salad with Black Beans and Cotija Cheese in White Bowl

Mexican Corn Salad

Servings: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
This Mexican Corn Salad with Black Beans is incredibly flavorful, filling, and can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. It’s fantastic for summer potlucks or picnics, as it travels really easily, and serves as a great side dish for lots of different mains.
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Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 ears fresh cooked corn on the cob, kernels cut off the cob (about 3 cups)*
  • 15- ounce can black beans drained and rinsed well
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped (1 cup)
  • 4 oz Cotija cheese crumbled
  • 1 jalapeno seeded and minced

Pairing Ideas for Serving:

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, whisk to combine the lime juice, olive oil, mayonnaise, chipotle chile powder, salt, and pepper.
  • Add the corn kernels, black beans, cilantro, cotija cheese, and jalapeno, and mix well.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, so the flavors can meld. Enjoy!

Notes

*How to cook fresh corn on the cob: I recommend either grilling it for 10 minutes, until the kernels are cooked through and slightly charred on the outside, or boiling the corn in generously salted water for 8 minutes. If you have a gas stove, you can char the boiled corn over an open flame for about a minute, to give it a smoky flavor and charred look.
**Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 325mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 3g

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

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Author: Fifteen Spatulas