This Mexican Bean Salad is packed with black beans, pinto beans, sweet corn, and colorful southwest veggies... all tossed in a creamy chipotle-lime dressing! Great for meal prep, lunch, potlucks, and side dishes. (Vegan, gluten-free.)
This hearty Mexican Bean Salad is packed with so much goodness! It features two types of beans (black + pinto), sweet corn, and colorful southwest-style veggies. Then it's all tossed in a creamy-smoky-tangy dressing made with chipotle, lime, tahini, and spices. (So good!)
Most bean salads use a thin vinegar-style dressing, so I wanted to create this unique, fun twist with a creamier dressing. We love the result and it's been on repeat!
It's simple to make, nutrient-dense, stores well, and easy to customize. Swap in your own favorite veggies, or crank up the heat with more chipotle if you wish! It works great for packed lunches, meal prep, picnics, potlucks, as a side dish, or main dish.
Ingredients for Mexican Bean Salad
For this recipe, you'll toss together in a large bowl:
- Black beans: You'll need one 15-ounce can. Beans are such a satisfying salad base and add lots of fiber and plant-based protein. After rinsing, drain them very well so they don't water down the salad.
- Pinto beans: I add a can of these for variety and taste, but you could swap in another can of black beans or even chickpeas or cannellini if you'd like.
- Sweet corn: You'll need 1.5 cups cooked sweet corn. (This is about one 15-ounce can or you can use thawed frozen corn or cooked fresh corn on the cob.) I use organic sweet corn.
- Grape tomatoes: Or cherry tomatoes. I use these because they have such vibrant, sweet flavor. But you could substitute roma tomatoes if needed.
- Orange bell pepper: Yellow or red bell pepper also works. (I don't recommend green bell pepper for this recipe.)
- Jalapeño pepper: Omit this for a milder version. I like the flavor and slight heat it adds. (I also remove the seeds and ribs.)
- Red onion
- Fresh cilantro: This adds herby freshness but if you don't care for the taste, just leave it out or try fresh parsley instead.
- Chipotle dressing: You'll need one batch of my homemade Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing. It blends up fresh lime juice, drippy tahini, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and warm spices like cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. (I usually leave out the optional lime zest when using it for this salad, but you can include it if you want.)
Customizing
Other additions: Swap in other vegetables like fire-roasted corn instead of regular sweet corn, green onions, poblano, fresh minced garlic clove, pickled red onion, pickled jalapenos, celery, mango, roasted sweet potato cubes, etc.
Spice level: In the dressing, you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder, drizzle of hot sauce, black pepper, or more chipotle if you want to crank up the heat even more. I leave mine in the light-medium range by using one chipotle pepper and removing the seeds. (Or you can make it even less spicy by using less chipotle or adobo sauce only.)
Serving
Toppings: Add diced avocado or crumbled tortilla chips for crunch. It's best to add these right before serving to keep them fresh. You can also serve it with lime wedges for extra flavor and brightness.
Salad or dip: Grab a spoon and enjoy it as a salad or dip it with tortilla chips! (It might even work as a burrito filling with rice or quinoa, but I haven't tried this yet.)
Chilling: You can serve it right away, but it tastes even better after it chills in the refrigerator for a half hour (or longer) to let the flavors blend and enhance.
Storing
Store the salad in a sealed container in the fridge. It keeps for about 2-3 days after it's dressed. (Or the salad and dressing can store separately for about 4-5 days.)
For more inspiration, also browse all vegan salad recipes or black bean recipes.
Mexican Bean Salad with Creamy Chipotle Dressing
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 15 oz. can pinto beans
- 1 1/2 cups sweet corn, cooked
- 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper (optional)
- 1/3 cup red onion
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 batch Creamy Chipotle Lime Dressing
For serving (optional):
- Diced avocado, crumbled tortilla chips, etc.
Instructions
- Dressing: Make the dressing or prepare it in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready. (I usually leave out the optional lime zest when preparing it for this salad, but include it if you wish!)
- Prepare beans: Rinse both cans of beans, then drain them very well. (You don't want the excess water weighing down the salad and dressing.) Place them in a medium mixing bowl with the cooked sweet corn.
- Prepare veggies: Quarter the tomatoes and dice the bell pepper. Finely dice the jalapeño if using (I remove the seeds and inner ribs). Finely dice the red onion. Roughly chop the cilantro. Add to bowl.
- Combine: Pour the dressing over the top and toss to combine. (I use the whole batch of dressing, but you can use less if you wish.)
- Serve: Enjoy as is, or top with diced avocado or crumbled tortilla chips for crunch right before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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