This corn black bean & avocado salsa is a party in a bowl! Loaded with chunks of avocado, plus plenty of black beans, cilantro, lime, red onion, and flavor, this is a quintessential dip for chips, but also makes for a wonderful side dish salad.
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
Tell Me About This Corn Black Bean & Avocado Salsa
- Texture: For texture lovers, this salsa is a dream come true. Thereโs something different in every single bite which makes it hard (actually IMPOSSIBLE) to stop eating it. Youโll never get bored!
- Flavor: Youโll enjoy many different flavors like salty, tangy, and a little bit sweet from the corn. Plus, the lime juice gives it incredible zing. There’s a hint of heat from cayenne pepper and jalapeรฑo, but I consider this to be a mild salsa.
- Ease: This is a very easy dip, salsa, and side dish recipe because everything goes into 1 bowl. Mix it up and youโre done. Like homemade pesto, this is a โhardly a recipeโ recipe because it’s so very simple.
- Time: Total prep time is 10 minutes. It tastes best after at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, which gives the flavors a chance to mingle and infuse one another.
One reader, Shannon, commented: “It was extremely easy to make and completely delicious. Family of 6, including 4 kids aged 6-11, absolutely gobbled it up. There was nothing left at the end of dinner. โ โ โ โ โ ”
And another reader, Jessica, commented: “I made this for a 4th of July BBQ and everyone loved it. I added a mango I had sitting on the counter. Shared the recipe with everyone who asked. The tiny bit of leftovers my husband ate with a spoon the next day. Will be making again. โ โ โ โ โ ”
Here is everything you need:
You’ll mix everything together in a large bowl. Most of the time will be spent chopping!
Success Tips for Corn Black Bean & Avocado Salsa
- Experiment with the corn. You can use fresh (scraped off the cob) or canned corn. For extra depth of flavor, try roasted or grilled corn.
- Customize it. The great thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it to what you like. Dislike red onions? Leave them out. Not a fan of cilantro? Skip it. Donโt like spice? Forget the cayenne or jalapeรฑo. (Or add more if you like your salsa hot and spicy!) For a fruity twist, add diced mango or pineapple. Have fun with it.
- Let it sit. For the best flavor, let the prepared salsa sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day before serving. The flavors will mingle and intensify during this time. Because they’re mixed with lime juice, you don’t have to worry about the avocados browning, but if you’re letting it sit for longer than a couple of hours before serving, wait to stir in the avocados closer to serving time.
How to Serve
- With a big bowl of tortilla chips, of course!
- As a side salad alongside main dishes like creamy cilantro lime chicken (pictured above), jalapeรฑo turkey burgers or caprese chicken burgers, or honey chipotle salmon
- As an appetizer, on crostini or toasted crusty bread, for a Southwestern take on bruschetta
- As a topping over grilled chicken or fish
- Alongside other taco ingredients for taco night!
No matter how you serve it, you should expect there won’t be any leftovers!
P.S. Have leftover limes? For dessert, make lime-infused treats such as mini margarita cheesecakes, key lime pie or key lime pie bars, or coconut lime cookies!
Print
Corn Black Bean Avocado Salsa
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: about 4 cups
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
This corn black bean & avocado salsa is loaded with flavor. It’s perfect as a chip dip or side salad.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) fresh, canned (and drained), or frozen (and thawed) corn kernels
- 1 and 1/2 cups (270g) cooked/canned black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 can)
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 1 cup (150g) diced tomato
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch ground pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
- optional:ย 1 small jalapeรฑo pepper, seeded and chopped
Instructions
- Add everything to a large bowl. Stir. Taste and add more salt/pepper/cayenne if desired.
- Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 1 day before enjoying. I find its flavor is best after an hour or so. (The lime juice and red onion keep the avocado from turning brown.)
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Citrus Juicer
- This recipe is so forgiving! Feel free to sub ingredients and spices in and out according to your tastes. Sometimes I add diced mango or fresh pineapple for a fruity twist.
Reader Comments and Reviews
SO good. I brought it to a potluck and it sat mostly untouched under plastic wrap until about five people started eating it…and we couldn’t stop. Would highly recommend.
Wonderful recipe! Great flavors and so easy to throw together. I make it a few times a month. So good!
The recipe says to use a pinch of cayenne. How much specifically is recommended? Thanks!
Hi Tris, we would add to taste!
I have a similar recipe which includes fresh mango or peaches. It adds another layer of freshness and makes a pretty presentation.
Delicious, fresh! Not only is this salsa beautiful; it is a yummy. Definitely a keeper! I made it as written except I mixed everything together before adding the avocado. Then gave it a final mix. Thanks, Sally!
I was pulling up the Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe so I could get dinner started and came across this recipe. It looked so good, and I had all the ingredients… so I made it on a whim to go with the chicken. It was extremely easy to make and completely delicious. Family of 6, including 4 kids aged 6-11, absolutely gobbled it up. There was nothing left at the end of dinner. (I doubled the chicken and that was all gone, too!) Thanks for these easy and flavorful recipes.
I’m thinking about making it for meal prep but leaving out avocado, I would add it in later so it would stay fresh.
That’s a great idea, Shanan!
Delicious! This is a great recipe. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds really good, but I am not a fan of cilantro. What can I use instead?
Hi Annette, you can simply leave it out. Parsley or basil would be nice substitutions though. Feel free to reduce the amount.
This is the best version of this type of recipe! Totally addictive!
Try using a ground Morita pepper! Available at Hispanic food markets.
Moritas are the little brother do chipotles. When growing, much smaller than a regular jalapeรฑo with more โmeatโ in the pepper walls. Sweeter with equal heat. SMOKED (Morita), they are just superb!!!
I tried this today. Very good. I used 2 avocados. Our family enjoys a little more spice so I may try a serrano peppers next time.
Absolutely delicious!! Made this for Cinco de Mayo along with some enchiladas. So good!! Question though.. will it freeze & defrost well?
Hi Tara, we’re so glad you enjoyed this salsa! We haven’t tried freezing this recipe, but I fear the avocado wouldn’t fare well in the freezer. Let us know if you give it a try!
I made this for a 4th of July BBQ and everyone loved it. I added a mango I had sitting on the counter. Shared the recipe with everyone who asked. The tiny bit of leftovers my husband at with a spoon the next day. Will be making again. Thanks!
I made this on the 4th of July and my husband and I loved it. Thanks
I made it but I added shrimp to mine:) it was amazing:) Thank you for posting. Maria
Have made this several times for friends and it’s always a hit! I usually put in 2-3 avocados.ย
I am madly in love with this salsa!! I was making quesadillas for my kids and spooned a decent helping of this into the middle before adding more cheese and folding it over. Messy but amazing!!!
I’ve made this several times and it is amazing. I made it yesterday and barbequed the corn for a nice smokey taste and then mixed it with the other ingredients. I also grilled some beef ย sliced it and put it in a taco with the salso. Yum
I made this for my girls’ birthday fiesta…Mainly for the other family members who love Black Beans (I wouldn’t touch them). ย My husband is from Venezuela and I thought it’d be a good surprise for him. ย YOU HAVE CHANGED ME! ย I tried it because I have a rule to try new things and things I don’t normally like….and I LOVED this! ย Thank you so much! ย I’ve made it several times since and plan to make it a lot more!
I absolutely love this stuff! I ate an entire bowl of it once all by my lonesome as the hubby’s not a big fan of it. More for me!! I will NOT be ashamed! ๐ I usually add cumin to mine for that classic Tex-Mex flavor. Thanks for the avocado addition, Sally. Now that’s a party!! ๐
This is amazing! Can’t wait until it’s been chilled for an hour. This will be perfect with grilled chicken for dinner, and for lunch tomorrow… I’m gonna have to get more tomatoes.
oh.my.gosh. This was HEAVEN! We ate it like a “bean salad” with spoons. I’ve tried dozens of avocado/corn/bean/tomato salads, and they’re never “that recipe”. Now I am officially done of my hunt for the perfect one because I found it! Thank you SO much! Just added it to my recipe book, and made it two days in a row! YES!
I made this salsa recipe yesterday and added grilled diced chicken to it, for lunch. I also added an extra avocado, because I really like them. Yum!