We’ve been making roasted corn every summer for the past ten years in the same way that perfectly caramelizes the corn with little effort at all. This roasted corn salad uses that same technique and flavor profile in a summer salad that’s perfect to eat as a side or serve as a corn salad dip with tortilla chips.
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below and we’ll send this idea straight to your inbox (plus you’ll receive fun weekly ideas from us too!)
Summer Corn Salad
We have been using roasted corn in some of our most popular recipes like our white chicken chili, white chicken enchiladas, and taco dip for years. The corn is one of the things that makes those recipes as unique and delicious as they are.
So I knew I wanted to take that roasted corn base and turn it into a roasted corn salad that’s perfect for summer and fall entertaining. This salad mixes caramelized corn, fresh summer veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers, along with creamy feta in a dish that will be the first to go at summer parties.
I know it was the first thing eaten at our latest family get together. I’d been planning on using leftovers to snack on during the week, but it was gone so fast I had my husband make another batch for us to have at home to enjoy throughout the week.
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- All the flavors in every bite – all of the ingredients are diced down to corn kernel size so you’re really getting all the flavor profiles in every single bite. Creamy, crunchy, sweet, salty every single time.
- Perfect to make ahead – this is one of those recipes that tastes even better the day after so you can easily make it ahead of time and just warm and serve when you’re ready.
- Tastes great at any temperature – if you’re serving this at a party, you can serve it warm right after you make it or chilled from making it the night before. And it tastes great at room temperature if it sits out for a bit so no need to keep it warm or chilled at a party.
Ingredients in Roasted Corn Salad
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
- Corn – Fresh summer corn is always best but once you try this, you’re going to want to make it all year long so we’ve written it so that you can use canned corn as well.
- Red peppers – you can omit these if you don’t like them, they don’t really add heat to the salad, just a little crunch
- Cucumber – you can omit these if you don’t like them as well but they again add crunch and some flavor to the salad
- Avocado – another one you can leave out if you don’t like it, but it does add a nice creaminess and flavor profile to the combination
Chopping Tip!
One of the keys to this salad is dicing everything small, about the size of a corn kernel. This keeps all of the flavors well balanced so you don’t have a huge chunk of say cucumber overpowering everything else. I highly recommend doing this to make this roasted corn salad taste the best possible.
How to make Roasted Corn Salad
I know some salads are just tossing ingredients in a bowl, dressing, and eating. This one isn’t quite that simple but the extra step or two makes all the difference in the amount of flavor this has. And that extra time is totally worth it!
I’ve included an outline of the process below but make sure to read the entire recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1 – Roast the Corn and red peppers
- Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat then coat with olive oil.
- Add the corn and toss in the olive oil, then salt.
- Add the diced red pepper and toss and stir in.
- Roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring ONLY every few minutes, until the corn has browned and caramelized. It’s important it caramelizes to bring out the sweet corn flavor.
- Once those are caramelized, add the black beans and cook until the beans have just warmed, typically about 2-3 minutes. Then remove from heat.
Tip!
I know it’s tempting to stir the corn frequently so that it doesn’t burn but you really want it to sit on the hot pan for a good amount of time to let it actually caramelize. If you keep stirring it, it’ll never get that good caramelization.
2 – Make the dressing
- Add the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, honey, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use an immersion blender or regular blender as well.
- Once those are combined, keep the blade running and slowly pour in the olive oil (kind you’re making this pesto pasta), and process until smooth.
3 – Make the Salad
- Add the warm corn mixture to a large serving bowl.
- Add the dice cucumber, feta, and avocado to the bowl and toss gently to combine.
- Add 1/2 cup dressing to start and toss to combine.
- Salt to taste and add more dressing if desired – you can also put the extra dressing out for people to add their own if serving this at a party.
How to Serve
Serve this roasted corn salad warm either on its own as a salad, with corn chips as a roasted corn dip, or even on top of grilled meats or with homemade tacos. It’s super versatile and tastes great no matter how you decide to serve it!
You can serve it hot as soon as it’s ready, at room temperature, or even chilled straight out of the refrigerator if you make it ahead of time!
How to store
If you have any leftover roasted corn salad, just put it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to five days.
When you want to eat the leftovers, you either eat them cold or put it in an oven safe container, add to a cold oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. By the time the oven is preheated, the salad will have warmed up perfectly.
The day two leftovers warmed up then served with corn chips is maybe my personal favorite way to enjoy this salad!
How to make Ahead of Time
This is a great make ahead recipe! Here’s how I recommend making it ahead of time so it tastes the best when you do serve it.
- Roast the corn, peppers, and black beans just as written. Then place those in a an oven safe airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
- Make the dressing as written, put in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
- Chop the cucumbers, avocado, and feta and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Just before you’re ready to serve, use the reheating instructions above to warm up the corn mixture (if you want to serve it warm) and once it’s warm, add the other ingredients and dressing to serve.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use fresh corn? Or canned corn?
You can use either fresh corn cut straight off the cob (this corn cob stripper tool is great by the way) or use canned corn that’s drained, rinsed, and dried. Both need to be completely dry before you roast it.
Helpful Tips
Make sure the corn is completely dry before adding to the pan. If the corn is still wet at all, it will add moisture to the pan and prevent it from caramelizing properly.
If you want to double this recipe, you’ll need to do two different batches of the corn and red pepper mixture. The corn needs to be able to fit into the pan in one single layer as much as possible to caramelize properly, so you don’t want to overcrowd the pan with double the corn.
Resist the urge to stir the corn too frequently so you give it the chance to get the nice seared caramelized effect.
Make sure to cut all of the ingredients into small corn sized pieces. If anything is too big, it’ll overpower the other ingredients!
More Corn Recipes
We love using corn in recipes! If you like this corn salad, you’ll love these other corn dishes too!
- Mexican street corn pasta salad – all the flavors of Mexican elote in one delicious summer salad!
- Corn and potato chowder – a little sweet, a little smoky, and perfect for fall!
- Sweet corn puree – a great side dish to go with your favorite chicken, try it in place of mashed potatoes!
- Zucchini and corn succotash – another great way to use fresh summer corn and veggies!
Roasted Corn Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Corn Salad
- 2 15 oz (cans) sweet corn drained and dried (or 4 cups fresh corn, about 5-6 ears)
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and diced to corn kernel size
- 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 medium cucumber seeded and diced to corn kernel size
- 1 cup feta diced to corn kernel size (5-6oz)
- 1 medium ripe avocado diced to corn kernel size
Dressing
- 2 cups tightly packed cilantro about 2 bunches
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice 2-3 medium limes
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 TBS honey
Instructions
Corn Salad
- Heat a large saute pan over medium to medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and swirl to coat the pan.
- Add the dry corn and toss to combine with the olive oil. Then sprinkle with 1/2 tsp sea salt and stir to combine again.
- Add the diced red pepper then stir again to combine.
- Continue to cook, stirring only every few minutes, until the corn has browned and caramelized, about 10-15 minutes.
- Once the corn and peppers have carmelized, add the black beans and cook until the beans have warmed, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add to a large serving bowl.
- Add the diced cucumber, feta, and avocado and toss/stir to combine.
- Add ½ cup dressing to start and toss to combine. Salt to taste and add more dressing as desired.
- Serve warm and enjoy with corn chips, grilled meats, or all by itself!
Dressing
- Add the cilantro, lime juice, garlic, honey, and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- With the blade running, slowly pour in the olive oil and process until smooth.
Tips & Notes:
-
Roast the corn, peppers, and black beans just as written. Then place those in a an oven safe airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
-
Make the dressing as written, put in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight.
-
Chop the cucumbers, avocado, and feta and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
-
Just before you’re ready to serve, use the reheating instructions above to warm up the corn mixture (if you want to serve it warm) and once it’s warm, add the other ingredients and dressing to serve.
Leave a Reply