This fresh Corn Salad recipe features grilled corn tossed with onion, bell pepper, avocado and a simple homemade dressing. Perfect for Summer potlucks and BBQ’s.

Want more side dishes? Try my Caprese Salad, Baked Beans, Garlic Knots, or Watermelon Salad!

A wooden bowl with corn salad and a spoon in the salad for serving.

Why I love this salad:

  • Fresh – Highlights all of the flavors of summer with grilled sweet corn and fresh vegetables.
  • Quick – Just a few minutes to prep; and ready in under 30 minutes!
  • Homemade Dressing – Light and fresh, this dressing highlights the flavors perfectly!

How to make Corn Salad:

Make Dressing: Whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl, then set aside.

Cook Corn: Add 1-2 inches of water to a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Add corn and cook for 3-4 minutes, rotating to cook on all sides. Remove to a plate.

Grill Corn: Brush corn lightly with olive oil and grill on hot heat for a few minutes, rotating it as it cooks, until golden on all sides.

Toss Salad:  Cut corn off of the cob and add it to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Toss this easy corn salad to combine and serve!

Overhead view of a stack of grilled corn on the cob, halved limes, halved avocado, a piece of purple onion and red bell pepper.

Make Ahead Instructions:

To Make Ahead: The vegetables can be chopped and the dressing made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Wait to pour the dressing on and add the avocado until ready to serve.

Recipe Variations:

  • Boil Corn: Fill a large pot with water (enough to cover the corn cobs), and bring the water to a boil. Add corn to the water and bring the water back to a boil (this will just take a couple of minutes).  Turn off the heat and let the corn sit in the hot water for 5-10 minutes.
  • Instant Pot Corn: Follow my instructions HERE.
  • Grilled Corn: Turn grill to high heat. Brush the corn lightly with olive oil and place it on the grill for a few minutes, rotating it as it cooks, until it’s golden on all sides. For this recipe, I prefer to steam my corn for a few minutes and then grill it for a few minutes.  It creates the perfect juicy corn on the cob but also gives it a nice grill flavor that goes perfectly in this corn salad.
  • Frozen Corn: Thaw corn in the fridge overnight, or warm in the microwave just until thawed. Add corn and a little bit of oil to a very hot skillet and cook it for a few minutes, tossing occasionally, until many kernels are lightly browned.
  • Vegetables: You can use a sweet onion or green onion instead of the purple onion. Any color bell pepper would work fine.

Serve With:

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Recipe

Corn salad made with grilled sweet corn, diced avocado, bell pepper and onion served in a wooden bowl with a spoon.
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 25 minutes
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Ingredients
 
 

  • 6-8 ear corn *
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 1 avocado

For the dressing:

Instructions
 

  • Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside.
  • Add 1-2 inches of water to a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Add corn and cook for 3-4 minutes, rotating to cook on all sides. Drain.
  • Heat grill on medium-high heat. Brush corn lightly with olive oil and grill for a few minutes, rotating it as it cooks, until golden on all sides.
  • Allow the corn to cool and then cut corn off of the cob and add to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Toss to combine.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: The vegetables can be chopped and the dressing made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Wait to pour the dressing on and add the avocado until ready to serve.
Variations: 
  • Boil Corn: Fill a large pot with water (enough to cover the corn cobs), and bring the water to a boil. Add corn to the water and bring the water back to a boil (this will just take a couple of minutes).  Turn off the heat and let the corn sit in the hot water for 5-10 minutes.
  • Instant Pot Corn: Follow my instructions HERE.
  • Grilled Corn: Turn grill to high heat. Brush the corn lightly with olive oil and place it on the grill for a few minutes, rotating it as it cooks, until it’s golden on all sides. For this recipe, I prefer to steam my corn for a few minutes and then grill it for a few minutes.  It creates the perfect juicy corn on the cob but also gives it a nice grill flavor that goes perfectly in this corn salad.
  • Frozen Corn: Thaw corn in the fridge overnight, or warm in the microwave just until thawed. Add corn and a little bit of oil to a very hot skillet and cook it for a few minutes, tossing occasionally, until many kernels are lightly browned.
  • Vegetables: You can use a sweet onion or green onion instead of the purple onion. Any color bell pepper would work fine.

Nutrition

Calories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 4gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gSodium: 14mgPotassium: 396mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 594IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg

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I originally shared this recipe June 2019. Updated June 2022.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made this corn salad as a side dish with chicken burgers. Every time I follow a recipe from “It tases better from scratch” it’s just perfect and I want to keep the recipe:
    The best place online to find recipes.

  2. 5 stars
    Such a great salad! I hate when people do this (modify a recipe and then rate it!), but I used cherry tomatoes vs. red pepper and added cilantro.

    Fabulous dressing, great flavors. It will be a summer staple. Thank you!!

  3. I love this simple salad and have been making it for years. I like fresh raw corn, and I use fresh squeezed lemon instead of vinegar. Simply delicious!

  4. 5 stars
    I crave this recipe every summer. Such great flavor and texture- I always make it to serve with burgers!