This simple and tasty Corn Salad is loaded with veggies, herbs, feta cheese, and tossed with an easy vinaigrette. Corn Salad is one of our favorite spring and summer side dishes; it pairs well with just about anything hot off the grill!
Serve Corn Salad alongside grilled chicken using our favorite Grilled Chicken Marinade or as a side with some homemade Burgers.
Corn Salad
We can’t seem to get enough of this salad! It’s so fresh and flavorful with a myriad of textures. It’s the perfect side dish to just about anything you pull off the grill and will be a hit at any potluck or summer BBQ.
Quick Tip
Make it a meal: Grill up some chicken or steak to serve alongside. With all those veggies, this makes a great, substantial meal!
Ingredients In Corn Salad
- Fresh corn: Sweet and crunchy, serves as the salad’s foundation.
- Cherry tomatoes, green onions, cucumber: Offer a mix of sweet and sharp tastes with a refreshing bite.
- Cilantro, basil, parsley: These herbs add distinctive fresh flavors—citrusy cilantro, sweet basil, and mild parsley.
- Jalapeño: Brings adjustable heat with a crisp flavor.
- Avocado: Adds creaminess and balances the salad’s flavors with its healthy fats.
- Feta cheese: Provides a salty, tangy touch and a crumbly texture.
Quick Tip
Get a ripe avocado. A perfectly ripe avocado gives this Corn Salad the perfect creaminess; here’s how to tell if an avocado is ripe!
How To Make Corn Salad
- Grill the corn.
- Prepare the dressing. Combine everything into a large jar and shake to combine. Store in the fridge while preparing the rest of the salad.
- Combine salad ingredients. In a large bowl, add all the salad ingredients: the cooled corn cut off the cob, diced tomatoes, chopped cucumber, diced avocado, and all the herbs: green onion, basil, cilantro, and parsley. Toss with the dressing and enjoy!
Variations
Switch It Up
- Adjust the spiciness: Use more or less jalapeño to taste, or skip it for no heat. For extra spice, add red pepper flakes.
- Include bacon: Fry 4-6 bacon strips, chop, and sprinkle over the salad with feta.
- Add red onion: For extra onion flavor, mix in a diced quarter of a red onion. Soak in salted cold water to mellow the sharpness before adding.
- Make it dairy-free: Simply omit the feta cheese.
More Delicious Sides
- Crispy Chicken Salad with honey BBQ dressing
- Baked Potato shortcut to baked potatoes in half the time
- Bacon & Spinach Salad with an apple cider vinaigrette
- Roasted Broccoli reader favorite recipe!
- Creamy Corn Salad jalapeño popper inspired
Corn Salad
This simple and tasty Corn Salad is loaded with veggies, herbs, feta cheese,and tossed with an easy vinaigrette. This corn salad is one of our favorite spring and summer side dishes; it pairs well with just about anything hot off the grill!
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 cup English cucumber, cut into half moons
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño (leave out if sensitive to heat)
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
Dressing
- 1 large lime (1 tablespoon juice, 1 teaspoon zest)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH: EACH: chili powder, ground cumin, paprika
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
Instructions
- OPTIONAL GRILL: Preheat grill to medium heat (400 degrees F). Shuck corn and discard silk. Drizzle corn with olive oil and then lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and salt/pepper into all sides of the corn. Prepare the fully preheated grill by cleaning. Add the corn to the heated grill over direct heat. Grill corn for about 10-12 minutes total, rotating every 3-4 minutes until bright yellow and lightly charred. (Alternatively, cut raw kernels off the cob and use in the salad.) Let grilled corn cool completely and then cut the cooled corn off the cob and add to a large bowl.
- DRESSING: In a glass jar, combine the 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lime zest, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon honey, and salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon of each, but use less, depending on how salted the corn is). Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously to combine. Place in the fridge while preparing everything else. Shake again before dressing the salad.
- SALAD: Add the 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes to the bowl, the 3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, the 1 cup English cucumbers (cut into half moons), 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (See Note 1), 2 tablespoons chopped basil, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño, and the diced avocado. (I like to squeeze the remaining lime juice from the dressing onto the avocado to keep it from browning too quickly.) Gently toss to combine. Shake dressing again and drizzle over salad. Toss again and top with cheese. Enjoy soon after dressing. Salad doesn't store or sit well.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Herbs: When measuring herbs, pack them into the measuring cup and then finely chop; don't measure after chopping.
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.7g | Protein: 3.9g | Fat: 13.8g | Cholesterol: 5.6mg | Sodium: 71.8mg | Fiber: 3.6g | Sugar: 6.1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Loved this salad….I added a bit more heat to the dressing.
Yay! So happy to hear this! Thank Carol! 🙂
Delicious and healthful, very summery. A great side dish for grilled steak.
So happy to hear you enjoyed this! 🙂
Once again you amaze me Chelsea ! The dressing was to die for !
You’re so kind Victoria!! Thanks so much for trying so many of my recipes and your kind comments; glad you enjoyed this salad 🙂
This is beautiful and healthy! Loving it. Thanks for the share.
I’m so glad you love it! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
TOTALLY loving this recipe!
Thank you Karly!