An easy Black Bean and Corn Salsa recipe with garlic-lime dressing! Simple to prepare and perfect for parties, picnics, snack spreads, etc. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)
This Black Bean and Corn Salsa (or salad) is so easy to make!
It's filled with bright colors, plus plant-based protein and fiber.
And it's so versatile and flexible depending on the flavors you enjoy.
Plus it's great made ahead of time for parties, game day, or snack spreads because it tastes even better after it chills.
Ingredients for Black Bean Corn Salsa
For this recipe you will toss together in a medium bowl:
- Black beans: I use a 15-ounce can of beans, but you can use freshly cooked beans if you cook your own from scratch. You will need about 1.5 cups of cooked beans.
- Sweet corn: Either cooked fresh, canned corn, frozen corn, or fire-roasted works great.
- Orange bell pepper: Or you can substitute red bell pepper or yellow bell pepper.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: I use these because they are sweet and flavorful. But you can also use roma tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or other garden tomato.
- Red onion
- Fresh cilantro: Or you can use fresh parsley, but I prefer cilantro.
- Lime juice: You will need about 3 tablespoons lime juice for this recipe which is about 1.5 limes.
- Fresh garlic clove
- Agave: Or substitute with another sweetener of choice.
- Ground cumin
Customizing
Add more or less of the ingredients you love!
Make it spicy: You can also spice up the bean mixture with jalapeño, chili powder, or cayenne pepper to taste.
Serving
Enjoy it as a chip dip with your favorite tortilla chips, as a side dish, or salad.
Or you can even scoop it on tacos, burrito bowls, fajitas, or other Mexican-inspired meals, etc.
Avocado: You can add freshly diced avocado right before serving too!
Storing
Chill for best flavor: You can serve this immediately, but it tastes best after it chills in the fridge for at least an hour.
Stir before serving: Be sure to stir again before serving as the dressing tends to settle at the bottom.
Leftovers: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We find it keeps for about 3-4 days.
For more inspiration, also browse all corn recipes or dip recipes.
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 1 cup cooked sweet corn (or grilled/roasted)
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 5 oz. grape/cherry tomatoes
- 1/3 cup red onion (or green onion for milder flavor)
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- Optional: jalapeño, avocado
For the garlic-lime dressing:
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes)
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tsp. agave
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin (more to taste)
- 1/8 tsp. salt (more to taste)
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Place all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Finely dice bell pepper and tomatoes. (I try to dice them about the size of the corn kernels.) Very finely dice red onion. Roughly chop cilantro, stems removed.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add black beans (rinsed and drained), corn, bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.
- Pour dressing over top and toss well to combine. Adjust flavors/seasonings if desired. (Though flavors will slightly enhance after refrigerating.)
- Can serve immediately, but tastes best after it chills for at least an hour.
- Be sure to stir before serving as dressing tends to settle at the bottom. (This is also great topped with avocado right before serving.)
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
If you are enjoying this black bean and corn salsa recipe, also check out:
- Fiesta Guacamole
- Healthy Texas Caviar
- Savory Vegan Chex Mix
- Creamy Black Bean Avocado Dip
- Black-Eyed Pea Salad
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Kim
Do you know the sodium per serving? Delicious!
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Kim! I actually purposely omit stating the sodium numbers on my site because I feel it’s not an accurate enough calculation. Most of my recipes simply say “salt to taste” to let people cater directly to their own needs. Even with the few recipes that state an amount of salt, I still omit the sodium content as it can vary significantly with other factors. (For example, differing sodium content between brands, using no-salt vs. salt-added canned tomatoes, etc.) So I always encourage people to calculate their own to achieve a much more precise reading based on their exact ingredients, brands, and amounts. Hope that helps a bit!
Wishing you a beautiful week. -Kaitlin