Skinny Mexican Bean Salad with Corn

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Mexican Bean Salad with Corn — Such a fast and easy recipe to make! Plus, it’s loaded with flavor and textures galore. Two kinds of beans, juicy corn and tomatoes, crisp peppers, and green onions are tossed in a lime-chili-cumin vinaigrette that’s perfectly light!! 

Mexican Bean Salad — Such a fast and easy recipe to make! Plus, it's loaded with flavor and textures galore. Two kinds of beans, juicy corn and tomatoes, crisp peppers, and green onions are tossed in a lime-chili-cumin vinaigrette that's perfectly light!! 

Healthier Bean Salad with Corn

This corn and bean salad is great for summertime potlucks and picnics, and it’s also great for lunch or as a meatless dinner.

You don’t even need to turn on your oven. Love these types of recipes in the summer! 

This Mexican-inspired salad with beans and corn is healthy, loaded with fiber and protein, naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. If you omit the cheese, it becomes accidentally vegan.

I’m all for skinny, bikini-friendly salads especially this time of year. I couldn’t stop eating it!

Mexican Bean Salad — Such a fast and easy recipe to make! Plus, it's loaded with flavor and textures galore. Two kinds of beans, juicy corn and tomatoes, crisp peppers, and green onions are tossed in a lime-chili-cumin vinaigrette that's perfectly light!! 

Ingredients in Corn and Bean Salad

For the corn and bean salad, you’ll need: 

  • Canned black beans and kidney beans 
  • Canned corn
  • Grape or cherry tomatoes
  • Red bell pepper
  • Queso fresco
  • Green onions
  • Fresh cilantro

And for the bean salad dressing, you’ll need: 

  • Olive oil
  • Lime juice
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Agave or honey
  • Spices (chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper)

Can I Substitute the Queso Fresco? 

I had queso fresco cheese in my fridge, which is a classically Mexican, mild-flavored, cow’s milk cheese. I get it at my regular grocery store but you can add another favorite cheese if you can’t find it.

Mexican Bean Salad — Such a fast and easy recipe to make! Plus, it's loaded with flavor and textures galore. Two kinds of beans, juicy corn and tomatoes, crisp peppers, and green onions are tossed in a lime-chili-cumin vinaigrette that's perfectly light!! 

How to Make Bean Salad with Corn

The Mexican-inspired bean corn salad comes together quickly and easily. Nothing to cook, and a simple whisk-together dressing makes for minimal hands on prep!

Follow these basic instructions:

  1. Prep the veggies (dice the bell pepper, halve the tomatoes, etc).
  2. Combine everything in a large bowl and set aside. 
  3. Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients. Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper to suit your tastes.
  4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. 
  5. This corn and bean salad needs to chill in the fridge for a few hours to give the flavors time to come together. This is a crucial step, so don’t skip it!

Storage Instructions

This kidney bean, black bean, and corn salad will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. You’ll need to store it covered, though.

The longer the salad sits in the fridge, the more liquid will collect at the bottom of the bowl. If that bothers you, either drain some of it off or give the salad a good stir to redistribute the dressing. 

To liven up the leftover corn and bean salad, sprinkle on some fresh cilantro or squeeze extra lime juice on top. 

Mexican Bean Salad — Such a fast and easy recipe to make! Plus, it's loaded with flavor and textures galore. Two kinds of beans, juicy corn and tomatoes, crisp peppers, and green onions are tossed in a lime-chili-cumin vinaigrette that's perfectly light!! 

Tips for the Best Bean Salad

Make sure to drain and rinse the canned beans before tossing them in the salad. You want to rinse off any excess salt and liquid stuck to the beans. 

This Mexican corn and bean salad calls for canned corn, but you can substitute fresh or frozen corn instead. In general, any of these ingredients can be changed as you see fit (green bell pepper can be used in place of red, agave can be used in place of honey, etc). 

And if you like spicy foods, you may want to add some finely diced jalapeño to this bean and corn salad. Remove the seeds first if you don’t want it to be too spicy! 

What to Serve with Bean and Corn Salad

Enjoy the corn and bean salad as an entree, or serve it alongside your choice of protein. I love scooping up the salad with homemade tortilla chips, too!

Some of my favorite Mexican recipes to make with this salad are: 

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4.82 from 22 votes

Skinny Mexican Bean Salad with Corn

By Averie Sunshine
Two kinds of beans, juicy corn and tomatoes, crisp peppers, and green onions are tossed in a lime-chili-cumin vinaigrette that’s perfectly light. Great for summertime potlucks, picnics, lunch, or a meatless dinner
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
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Ingredients  

Salad

  • one 15.25-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used no-salt added)
  • one 15.25-ounce can dark kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used 50% reduced sodium)
  • one 15.25-ounce can corn, drained and rinsed (I used no-salt added; fresh or frozen corn may be substituted)
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if desired
  • ¾ cup red bell peppers, diced small
  • ¾ cup queso fresco, diced small (another cheese may be substituted)
  • ½ cup green onions, sliced into thin rounds
  • cup fresh cilantro, finely minced, or to taste

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon agave or honey
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions 

Salad

  • To a large bowl, add all ingredients and stir to combine; set aside.

Dressing

  • To a medium bowl, add all ingredients, whisk to combine, pour over salad, and toss to combine.
  • Taste salad, check for seasoning balance, and make any necessary flavor adjustments, i.e. more salt, pepper, vinegar, honey, etc. and add as desired.
  • Cover, refrigerate for at least 3 hours to allow flavors to marry, and serve chilled.

Notes

  • Salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4 days, noting more liquid will collect as time passes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 460kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 1240mg, Fiber: 14g, Sugar: 20g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Mexican Salads: 

ALL OF MY MEXICAN RECIPES! 

Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salad – An EASY corn salad with black beans, zucchini, red onions, cilantro, lime juice, and more!! So much Mexican-inspired FLAVOR in every bite of this family favorite recipe that’s sure to be a hit!!

Avocado, Black Bean and Corn Salad with Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette – Everything tastes better with avocado! Easy, healthy and tons of flavor!

Avocado, Black Bean and Corn Salad with Lime-Cumin Vinaigrette

Loaded Beef Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing – Loaded with your favorite taco fixings, minus the shells, to keep things healthier without sacrificing any flavor! The dressing is easy, creamy and irresistible!

Loaded Beef Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Cilantro Dressing

Loaded Chicken Taco Salad with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing – Fast, easy, fresh and healthy! All your favorite taco flavors in one big kickin’ salad that everyone will love!

Loaded Chicken Taco Salad with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

Mexican Wedge Salad with Creamy Avocado-Cilantro Dressing – A Mexican twist on the classic wedge salad with black beans, peppers, corn, crunchy tortilla strips, and more!! Easy, healthy, and the dressing is so flavorful!!

Mexican Wedge Salad with Creamy Avocado-Cilantro Dressing

Chicken Black Bean Avocado Salad — A Mexican-inspired salad with tender chicken, black beans, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and more!

Mango Pineapple Shrimp Salad – With tropical fruit, avocado, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and plump JUICY shrimp, this EASY 15-minute recipe will become a new FAVORITE!

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I enjoyed this salad. It tasted even  better the next day. I was leary about adding chili powder and cumin so I put in half the amount called for. Next time I’ll add more and work my way up to the full amount. Unfortunately, I forgot the cheese. It was still good. I’ll definitely make it again! 

  2. 4 stars
    I enjoyed this salad. It tasted even  better the next day. I was leary about adding chili powder and cumin so I put in half the amount called for. Next time I’ll add more and work my way up to the full amount. Unfortunately, I forgot the cheese. It was still good. I’ll definitely make it again! 

  3. 5 stars
    I enjoyed this salad. It tasted even  better the next day. I was leary about adding chili powder and cumin so I put in half the amount called for. Next time I’ll add more and work my way up to the full amount. Unfortunately, I forgot the cheese. It was still good. I’ll definitely make it again! 

  4. This would be a great salad to make over the weekend and then enjoy leftovers for a couple of days. I’d love to give it a try–the mix of flavors looks delicious and Jon loves anything with black beans!

    1. It was a perfect make-ahead salad and that’s what I did…made it one day and had leftovers for lunches for the next few. Enjoy!

    2. This is excellent and I can’t wait to have it again tomorrow! It’s a great mis of veggies and I especially love the vinaigrette–cumin, chili, lime with enough sweetness from the honey. I made extra for salad dressing and to use as a chicken marinade…looks like I will be on a Mexican kick into next week!

      1. I knew you would love this! And so glad you love the vinaigrette and are double-dutying it as a marinade! Perfect!