This black bean corn avocado salad has rice to make it extra filling and a tangy lime vinaigrette dressing. It's delicious and healthy!
The combination of black beans, corn, and avocado is a popular one. It's refreshing, hearty, and perfect for summer. This salad works as a lighter meatless main course or as a side dish that could go well with any number of things, including BBQ favorites such as these Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Skewers or my Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Thighs.
This black bean avocado salad is simple to make... just cook some rice, let it cool, quickly mix up the homemade dressing, and then toss everything together. I have tips below if you want to make this salad ahead.
Recipe notes & tips:
- This recipe serves 4 as a main course or 4-6 as a side (depending on what else it's served with/how hungry people are etc.), so you could definitely halve the recipe if there's more than you need.
- Don't like cilantro? Swap it for parsley.
- Like most salads, this one is quite forgiving. Feel free to add in other ingredients (tomatoes would be delicious). You can also play with the dressing a bit if needed or add more of an ingredient than suggested.
- You can, of course, omit the rice if that's not your thing. You may need to tweak the other ingredients, though... like add more of other ingredients to compensate.
- To make this recipe vegan, swap the honey for sugar.
- Try subbing the chili powder for Trader Joe's Chile Lime seasoning if you happen to have some on hand.
- Make-ahead tip: Add the avocado just prior to serving. You could also store the dressing separately and add it at the same time so the rice doesn't soak it up. It'll keep in the fridge for a few days that way if you prep the individual components.
- I use my Microplane to zest the lime.
More tasty summer salads to try:
Questions about this black bean corn avocado salad? Let me know in the comments below!
Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 (12 fluid ounce) can corn (or use fresh corn cut off the cob) drained
- 1-2 tablespoons red onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- Salt & pepper to taste
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice + zest of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Let it cool.
- Add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together.
- Prep the remaining recipe ingredients and add them, along with the cooked rice, to a salad bowl. Toss with the dressing. Season generously with salt & pepper. Taste and adjust as needed (e.g. add a little extra lime juice if you think it needs it). Cover and chill for an hour or so, or enjoy it right away.
Notes
- Serves up to 4 as a main course or 4-6 as a side dish (depending on what else you serve it with).
- If you want to make this recipe ahead, I suggest adding the avocado right before serving so it doesn't go bad. It's also a good idea to add the dressing at that time so the rice doesn't soak it all up.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Alyssa says
This was so unbelievably tasty and easy! Paired it with some grilled salmon and it was to die for 😍
Natasha says
Yay!! That makes me so happy, Alyssa. Thanks for letting me know.
Kim says
Fantastic with our shrimp tacos. A nice change and the kids love it.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you all enjoyed it!! Thanks for leaving me a review!! 🙂
Danni says
Saw this today. Made it today. Only substituted parsley for the cilantro. It was delicious! This is our new summer side dish. There is no way to make it any better! Thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment, Danni!