Mexican Bean Salad with Corn

Last Updated on 02/05/2024 by Adina

This is a spicy Mexican bean salad with corn, black beans, chickpeas, and lots of herbs - the perfect side dish for any summer barbecue.

Make this delicious Mexican bean salad with corn this season. It's packed with pulses and fresh herbs, and you can make it in minutes using just pantry ingredients.

Summer is finally here. It's a bit late this year, but I guess better late than never. Yesterday, we were "stewing" in the garden with no energy to cook, move, or do anything.

However, no matter how warm, one still gets hungry eventually, and what better thing to do when the temperatures are so high than put a piece of meat on the grill and have a salad?

A delicious afternoon lunch with turkey kebabs and Mexican bean salad with corn or this Fiesta Corn Salad. Ready in half an hour tops! And so light and healthy, I actually felt thinner just by looking at my plate. 🙂

Recipe ingredients

• Canned ingredients: I had a can of black beans, a can of corn, and a can of chickpeas, and I had enough salad to generously feed 4 people and still have some leftovers.
• Jalapeňos: I used jarred jalapeňos, but use fresh if available.
• Herbs: The salad is best with lots and lots of fresh herbs. However, if so many different herbs are not available, use plenty of fresh coriander and maybe some parsley and oregano if you have them.
• Limes are the perfect fit for this Mexican bean salad, but if you don't have them, you can definitely use lemon instead. The flavor will be different but still delicious.
  • Use an organic lime or lemon, if possible, and make sure you wash and dry it well before using, as you will need some of the zest as well.
• Spices: I spiced the Mexican bean salad with garlic, lime zest, ground coriander, cumin, and red chili flakes. I was very generous with the spices (including the salt), and I loved the strongly flavored bean salad.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Add one ripe chopped avocado and/or flavorful ripe tomatoes.
• You can use other kinds of beans instead. Try kidney beans, white beans, or a mixture of beans.
• You can leave out the chickpeas and use more beans instead.

Try more delicious Mexican recipes with pulses: The Best Refried Bean Chili, Chorizo Tostadas with Beans, Ground Beef and Black Bean Quesadillas, or Mexican Chickpea Soup.

How to make Mexican salad with beans and corn?

• Mix all the drained pulses in a bowl.
• Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
• Pour the dressing over the Mexican corn and bean salad and stir to combine.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe

Mexican Bean Salad with Corn

A spicy Mexican bean salad or salsa with black beans, corn, chickpeas and lots of herbs, a perfect side dish for any summer barbecue.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Salads

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Calories: 220kcal

Author: Adina

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 can corn drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 red onion
• ▢ 1 bunch herbs Note 1
• ▢ 1 tablespoon jalapeňos from a jar, Note 2
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 lime preferably organic
• ▢ ½-1 tablespoon white wine vinegar to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ▢ ¼-½ teaspoon red chili flakes to taste
• ▢ fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Drain and rinse the black beans, corn, and chickpeas, and place them into a bowl.

  1 can black beans + 1 can corn + 1 can chickpeas
• Prepare ingredients: Finely chop the red onion, herbs, and jalapeňos, and grate the garlic. Add them to the beans.

  1 red onion + 1 bunch herbs + 1 tablespoon jalapeňos + 2 garlic cloves
• Lime: Zest the lime and add about ½ of the zest to the bowl. Juice the lime.

  1 lime
• Make the dressing: Mix 1 tablespoon lime juice, olive oil, ½ tablespoon white wine vinegar, ground cumin and coriander, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Add them to the salad and stir well.

  1 tablespoon lime juice + 3 tablespoons olive oil + ½-1 tablespoon white wine vinegar + 1 teaspoon ground cumin + 1 teaspoon ground coriander + ¼-½ teaspoon red chili flakes + fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Adjust the taste by adding more lime juice and zest, vinegar, and salt as required. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate the salsa.

Notes

1. The herbs should include lots of fresh coriander, some parsley, and maybe fresh oregano, if available. Other herbs you may include are savory and thyme.
2. You can use fresh or jarred jalapeňos. Adjust the quantity according to taste.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the dish | Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 351mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g

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