Black Bean Salad Recipe (with Corn & Avocado)
Healthy, zesty, and full of flavor! This black bean salad with corn, red peppers, and avocado comes together in minutes and tastes even better the next day. A crowd-pleasing side for any meal.
Years ago, back when some of our boys were still living at home but away at summer camp, my husband and I found ourselves getting more adventurous with our menu planning. With the house a little quieter and no picky eaters to please, we were on the hunt for recipes with healthy ingredients and tons of flavour — the kind of thing we might not have tried otherwise.
My husband found this one online. It claimed to be delicious with fish ~ and it was! It’s definitely one that I would have passed by previously, thinking it looked unusual.
But, surprise, surprise ~ It’s delicious!
In fact, we made it so many times that summer, it earned a permanent spot in my binder of favorite recipes!
Why You’ll Love This Black Bean Salad
- Perfect for summer — fresh, light, and satisfying without ever feeling heavy.
- A great side for barbecues or fish — the zesty lime dressing pairs beautifully with anything off the grill.
- Colorful and filling — packed with black beans, corn, red peppers, and avocado, so it looks as good as it tastes.
- Make-ahead friendly — it actually tastes even better after chilling for a few hours or overnight.
- All those flavors just work together — the lime, cilantro, and cayenne blend into something so much more delicious than the sum of its parts!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Black Bean Salad
Refer to the printable recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Black beans
- Corn
- Red peppers
- Garlic
- Onion
- Salt & cayenne pepper
- Sugar
- Olive oil
- Lime zest & fresh lime juice
- Fresh cilantro (optional)
- Avocados
Black Bean Salad
This black bean salad is packed with black beans, corn, red peppers, and avocado, all tossed in a zesty lime dressing. It's a healthy, colorful side dish that's perfect for barbecues, fish dinners, or any summer gathering — and it only gets better the longer it chills!
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn, drained
- 2 red peppers, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons finely diced onions
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (be sure to zest the limes before juicing them)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish (Optional ~ we opt out of this!)
- 2 avacados, chopped
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except for avacados in a large bowl and mix well.
- Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight.
- Right before serving, add avacados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avacados. Garnish with sliced avacado or cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.
How to Make This Black Bean Salad
Start by rinsing and draining your black beans and corn — you want them nice and clean before they join the party in your mixing bowl.
Next, dice up your red peppers and onion, and mince the garlic. Toss them all into the bowl with the beans and corn.
Here’s the fun part — instead of making a separate dressing, you’ll add all of the dressing ingredients right into the bowl with the veggies! The lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, salt, cayenne, and sugar all go in together.
Give everything a good stir until it’s well combined, then cover the bowl and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours, or even overnight if you can plan ahead. This resting time is where the magic happens — all those flavors really soak into the beans and veggies.
Right before you’re ready to serve, gently fold in the chopped avocado, being careful not to mash it. Or, if you’d rather make it pretty for the table, arrange the avocado slices on top instead of mixing them in — either way is delicious!
Serve it up and enjoy!
FAQs About Black Bean Salad
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Side Dish Salad Recipes
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I’ve never had a salad with black beans in it, but it looks interesting, I’ll definitely try adding it to my healthy eating list.
Love the color of this salad. Look yummy.
This is Texas black bean dip. We use it to dip chips in. The only difference is adding fresh or jarred chopped jalapeños. I always add some of the juice from the jar of jalapeños and a little garlic. It’s a staple here. One of my favorites.