This juicy salad is loaded with flavours galore. This easy vegan salad is sweet and smokey from the pineapple and corn. It’s protein-packed from the black beans, and it’s tangy with a little heat from the jalapeno lime dressing. This spicy corn salad with black beans is super easy to throw together, which is such a bonus when you’d rather be outside enjoying the sunshine. Because we all need more easy vegan side dishes in our life.
easy vegan side dishes for the win
This black bean and spicy corn salad is such a yummy addition to any meal, especially in the summer. The perfect dish to add to your picnic basket. It’s easy to make and the barbecue flavors from the corn and pineapple are mind-blowingly delicious. I use wooden skewers for the most part, but I’m thinking I need to invest in some stainless steel one! This salad is tossed in a delicious jalapeno lime dressing that adds the heat. This easy vegan salad stays fresh and crisp in the fridge for a few days afterward so it’s great for weekly lunches. Because who has time for soggy salads in their life?! No one.
This is one of those vegan summer recipes that stores nicely in the fridge for a few days after making it. Think meal prep and leftovers. I would suggest leaving the avocado out of the salad if you are thinking you’ll have leftovers as that is the only thing that won’t taste as fresh the next day.
I will let you know that this salad is Picky Husband Approved minus the corn. When I got him to taste test, I left a bowl to the side with no corn. He HATES corn. But I think it makes such a nice addition to this salad that it was needed. Adam loved the flavours and was thrilled I’d left out the corn in his bowl. I think in every post, you guys probably see why he was given the title of “picky husband”- the struggle is real.
here are some reasons why I love this spicy corn salad with black beans, so listen up!
- This easy vegan salad is juicy, smoky, creamy, spicy and super fresh. It is the ultimate summertime salad! It’s simple to make and there are a lot of variations you can make to this dish. If you don’t like spice, take the jalapeno out of the dressing. The dressing is still delicious and flavourful.
- A recipe that doesn’t use the oven is good by me in the summer! The only heat used in this recipe is the barbecue to toast up the corn and the pineapple. I feel all summer cooking should just use the barbecue, then your house stays at a normal temperature plus you get the added smoky flavour in your foods!
- This spicy corn salad is super easy to make. The most time-consuming part is the chopping but even that goes by quickly. The jalapeno lime dressing is loaded with citrus flavours that complement the smokiness of the corn and pineapple. This salad is refreshing and has delicious mouthwatering flavours that will be a hit at any bbq.
Need more good vegan summer recipes? Check out my Vegan Lettuce Wraps or this Creamy Roasted Potato and Broccoli Salad or this summer round-up.
This spicy corn salad with black beans is perfect for your weekly meal prep or for a summer picnic. Don’t wait until the end of summer to enjoy this dish, or you’ll be kicking yourself you didn’t try it earlier! Get the barbecues heated up so that corn and pineapple can get grilled!
southwest bean salad
Ingredients
- 3 corn on the cobs (grilled on the BBQ (1.5-2 cups If using frozen corn)
- 1/2 pineapple (grilled on the BBQ)
- 1 tsp oil (to lightly brush on the pineapple)
- 1 cup black beans
- 1/4 cup red onion (finely chopped)
- 1 red pepper (finely chopped)
- 1 cup kale (finely chopped)
- 1 avocado
Dressing
- 1/2 jalepeno (seeds removed)
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 3 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat your BBQ on medium to high (depending on how hot your bbq gets). Option, to soak your wooden skewers for 30-60 minutes before using.
- Remove the husks off the corn. Slice your pineapple in long thick pieces so that a wooden skewer can easily go through it. I used half of a pineapple, dividing it into quarters. Lightly brush the pineapple with a 1 tsp of oil so that it doesn’t stick to the BBQ. I didn’t find I needed to do this with the corn, as it didn’t stick.
- Place the pineapple and the corn on the BBQ, keeping an eye on it and rotating the pieces every few minutes. It took about 15 minutes for them to look nice and toasty for me.
- While the corn and pineapple are on the BBQ, begin to prepare your other vegetables. Finely chop the onion, red pepper, and kale. Cut the avocado and drain the black beans of any excess liquid (if using black beans from a can). Add all of the chopped veg and beans to a bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the dressing. Using half of a jalapeno, remove the seeds from inside. Add the jalapeno, lime juice, garlic, oil and orange juice to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Finish by adding the salt and pepper. Set aside or put in the fridge while you wait for the pineapple and corn to finish.
- Once the pineapple and corn are done, let them cool for a few minutes afterwards (10-15 minutes). Remove the skewers and begin slicing the pineapple into tiny pieces. The size is personal preference, but texture wise, smaller the better. Set aside.
- To remove the kernels from the corn: stand the cob upright and then using a sharp knife, slice from top to bottom in a downward motion. You can press quite firmly against the core of the corn. Do this for each corn on the cob.
- I preferred the salad when it was a little chilled because then the flavours have more time to meld together. But it was also quite delicious at room temperature. If you want it to be more on the chilled side, pop all the salad ingredients in the fridge for half an hour, but not necessary.
- Assemble the salad. Whether you let the vegetables and dressing chill in the fridge beforehand or not, when you are ready, add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl and toss. Next, add a little bit of the dressing at a time, toss, taste and then decide if you want to add more. Enjoy right away, or place in the fridge until ready to eat.
- Store the salad in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. If you are storing in the fridge, I would suggest not adding avocado to the whole salad. Just add it to the bowls you will be eating right away or the avocado will go brown in the fridge.
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Can’t wait to be munching on this summery delight under the hot sun! Brilliant combination of flavours.
This salad is very healthy
thanks!