Southwestern corn salads are a fairly popular dish for the warmer weather. I honestly can’t get enough of them. I created my own favorite version. Most versions seem to have tomatoes and onions and I don’t care too much for them raw in this type of dish, so I just stuck with lots of bell pepper.
This is such a simple, incredibly fast dish to throw together with loads of flavor. The whole recipe is just 8 basic ingredients (+ salt). For the “dressing”, I made it a tad sweet, so it wasn’t just straight lime juice, it gave it a wonderful flavor to the end product. When tossed with all the ingredients, it gives a wonderful punch of lime flavor with a sweet undertone. My hubby especially loves this dish! It’s great on it’s own or as a filling inside tacos too.
I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this super simple, easy and delicious southwest lime corn salad! It’s one of our favorites for sure. It means the world to hear your awesome feedback, so please leave it below after you make this. In addition, if you want, I’d love to see your photo on Instagram using my hashtag #thevegan8, otherwise I’ll likely miss it since my feed moves quickly. Thank you!
Southwest Lime Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped (200g, you'll need about 2 cups chopped)
- 1 1/4 cups pre-cooked corn
- 2 15 oz cans low-sodium black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1/4 cup (60g) fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon (20g) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 avocado chopped
- Optional crushed tortilla chips for added crunch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a pan with parchment paper. Add the bell pepper and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes.
- While the peppers are roasting, place the corn and beans in a bowl and warm up, as desired, either in the microwave or over a stove.
- Combine the lime juice, syrup, chili powder, cumin and salt in a small bowl, and whisk well. Add the lime mixture to a small pan over medium-low heat. Cook 2 minutes to heat through.
- Add the roasted pepper to a large serving bowl. Add the corn, beans, and lime mixture, and toss to coat everything evenly. Taste and add more salt and seasoning, if desired.
- Chop your avocado and add last right before serving. If serving this as a main meal, it will probably only be enough for 2 people, but as a side dish, it will be good for 4 servings. We've eaten this as a salad and also added it as a filling inside tacos with my Mexican Tahini Sauce as a dipping sauce.
made it.great taste.thanks 🙂
Wonderful, I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you!
Made this last night and loved it! I was surprised how good the dressing turned out. I roasted the peppers and corn like instructed but they didn’t taste any different, or even that warm. Not sure if I did something wrong there. I only had 1 can of black beans so I used 1 can of cannellini beans as well. Loved it.
So glad you loved it Rachel, thank you so much for the feedback! As far as the roasting, are you sure you had the correct oven setting because slighting roasting the peppers takes them from their raw state to a softened, slightly sweetened taste and texture. Not cooking them is obviously leaving them super crunchy, that is why they are cooked. The corn taste isn’t changing drastically, rather it’s just again, making the texture a bit different. It is just subtle changes and since I used frozen corn, they definitely need to be heated up. Everything should be warm if adding the warmed beans and dressing at the same time, but this salad many readers also eat chilled, which is my favorite way. Hope that helps!
WOW, this Southwest Lime Corn Salad is fabulous and that Mexican Tahini Sauce is to die for!!! Lots of calories but VERY tasty!!! Thank you very much for the wonderful recipe. Im new to the vegan world as my son has decided to eat vegan as of dec 1 so Im eating along with him with a few minor additions now and then. Thanks again!
I’m so happy to hear you loved this so much Maureen! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback, I really appreciate it!
Made this for dinner tonight with tortilla chips and a little of your Mexican Tahini sauce. All the ingredients are amazing together the lime juice adds so much flavour! Delicious!!
I’m so happy you loved this recipe Debbie, thank you so much for the feedback, it is so appreciated!
Super yummy!
So glad you enjoyed it Liz, thank you!
It is definitely a winner! I added a couple of Roma tomatoes, but everything else stayed the same. It is so delish. Thanks for sharing this.
I have just made this for a picnic for a vegan friend of my daughters. OMG, it is good. Since we are battling 100ºF temp here in KS i did not want to turn on the oven. So i blanched the corn in salted water and added bell pepper raw, to give it crunch. I did add tomatoes and onions to it and subbed the maple for honey. I did not want to believe it but it is really good. the Cumin and Chilipowder work nicely with the sweetness of the honey and the tanginess of the lime. Thank you.
Brandi, your site caught my eye on Pinterest because I’m newly vegan due to a gout flare-up and I’m curious how your husband has fared with the vegan diet as a gout sufferer. I look forward to trying your recipes.
Hi Karin! It healed his gout going plant-based and homecooked meals. It literally changed his and my life! You can read about our story here. There are still a few plants that he cannot eat that cause flareups but meat and dairy were the main culprits. https://thevegan8.com/2014/09/08/how-my-life-has-changed-since-going-vegan/
What can I use instead of Lime Juice? I’m allergic to citrus and citric acid
Hi Laura, I’m not really sure because that is the main flavor component of the flavor to the dish. Citrus is what balances out the sweetness. I would probably just skip the sauce altogether and try this sauce to top on it instead? https://thevegan8.com/2015/04/15/rice-blackbean-bowl-chili-mustard-sauce/
Too bad, I am a Type 1 diabetic…this recipe looks wonderful but Type 1’s need to know how many carbohydrates and fibre are included per serving as we inject insulin accordingly.
Made this for the first time for a Memorial Day picnic and it was a big hit! the roasted pepper and corn add such a nice flavor, and I especially love the dressing. Definitely going into the “keeper” file! 🙂
One of my favorite meals! I always add tortilla chips because I like crunch.
This is an excellent dish for hot weather. I made it this evening – it was so easy, didn’t take much time and tasted delicious! It’s so good, I’m considering serving it at an upcoming ladies’ luncheon I’m hosting. Thanks for another winner, Brandi!
Perfect summertime meal when you don’t want to cook. Fast and delicious.