Dip lovers, you’re going to want to keep tortilla chips on standby from here on out. There’s a new summer salsa in town and this one’s addictive. Black Bean and Corn Salsa explodes with both flavor and color, and it’s a healthy (yet hearty) dip recipe perfect for satisfying any snack attack or feeding a crowd!
It comes together easily thanks to a base of pantry staples: canned corn and black beans. Then, in comes the fresh flavors of chopped tomato, jalapeños, avocado, and onion. It all takes a turn in one seriously zesty, cilantro-lime dressing, and in less than 15 minutes, it’s ready for dipping!
WAYS TO ENJOY YOUR SALSA!
You can use this salsa recipe to top off grilled chicken, fish, or even salad with zesty Mexican vibes! It also works as a healthy side dish for weeknight meals, and of course, you can’t go wrong serving up this masterpiece of flavors as a party dip. Just grab a bag of tortilla chips and watch the crowd dig in!
You’ll also love our Texas Caviar made with black-eyed peas, corn, and a mix of fresh veggies! Bookmark the recipe for next time!
HOW TO MAKE BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALSA
- Prep – Drain the canned corn and black beans. Be sure to rinse the beans well! You’ll also want to go ahead and prep those fresh ingredients. Avocado, tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, and garlic are all going down on the chopping block.
- Make the Dressing – To make the dressing for Black Bean and Corn Salsa, ready yourself some fresh-squeezed lime juice in a large mixing bowl, along with the oil, sugar, salt, and garlic. Whisk these ingredients together until they’re well combined.
- Mix It Up – Add all of the ingredients to the bowl and toss until they’re evenly coated in the dressing. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate until it’s time to serve!
MORE SALSA RECIPES TO TRY!
INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Black Bean and Corn Salsa comes together with a combo of fresh ingredients and pantry staples, and it’s precisely what makes this dip so quick and easy to throw together!
The ingredient list can be broken up into two parts: the base and the dressing. Below, you’ll find the ingredients that make up the base of Black Bean and Corn Salsa, followed by simple recipe substitutions (should you need them)!
- Corn | We used a can of white and yellow corn (a.k.a. Mexican-Style Corn). This mix adds a little more variation to the colors of the dish, but you can certainly use a can of yellow corn in its place. You could also use fresh corn that has been sautéed or thawed frozen corn! You will need 1 1/2 cup total.
- Black Beans | Make sure you drain and rinse your beans before adding them to the mix. Canned beans come in a solution of water and salt, otherwise known as a brine. This solution causes starches, proteins, and such to seep out of the beans. It’s completely normal but results in an unappetizing gritty coating on the beans. Long story short? Rinse the beans.
- Avocado | There’s really no substitution for avocado, however, you can omit it completely from the recipe if desired.
- Tomatoes | Roma tomatoes are hearty and work great in Black Bean and Corn Salsa, but you should remove the seeds and the pulp before adding them in. Otherwise, the added liquid from the tomato’s interior will make your salsa soupy. If you’d prefer, you could also use vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry, or grape tomatoes!
- Onion | Red onion adds a purple pop of color to this dish, but you could also use yellow, white, or even green onions in its place.
- Jalapeños | Jalapeños lend just the right amount of heat to this dip! If you want it extra spicy, leave a few of those seeds intact! You could also use serrano peppers. If you’re sensitive to heat, you can omit the peppers altogether or sub in a sweet bell pepper of any color.
- Cilantro | Cilantro adds a ton of flavor to this Black Bean Salsa, but if you have the gene that makes this controversial herb taste like soup, leave it out altogether or use Italian parsley instead.
FOR THE DRESSING:
- Lime Juice | There’s really no substitution for fresh lime juice. Fresh is best — don’t use the fake stuff in its place. Depending on the size of your limes, you’ll need anywhere from 4 to 6 limes.
- Oil | You can use either avocado or canola oil.
- Sugar | Adding sugar to the dressing doesn’t make it sweet; it helps to round out the tartness from the lime juice.
- Garlic | Fresh garlic will do wonders for this recipe, but if you find you just can’t make yourself chop anymore, a teaspoon of garlic powder will do the trick just fine!
CAN I MAKE THIS WITH ROTEL?
Yes! If you need to cut back on prep time, you can use a drained can of Rotel, which is a mix of tomatoes and green chilies. This substitution will detract from some of those bright and vibrant flavors you would get if fresh tomatoes and jalapeños were used, but in a pinch, it’ll work!
HOW FAR IN ADVANCE CAN I MAKE IT?
One of the many beautiful things about Black Bean and Corn Salsa is that it is make-ahead! You can make this dip up to 24-hours in advance. In fact, it’ll be better if you do . This way, the vegetables and beans will have had ample time to soak up all that zesty lime flavor from the dressing!
Just be sure not to add the avocado until just before serving or it will be brown and somewhat mushy in texture.
HOW TO STORE YOUR LEFTOVERS AND USE BY DATES
You can keep your leftover salsa refrigerated and stored in an airtight container for about 2 days. If you make it without the avocado, you can stretch it as far as 4 days out!
5 MORE MEXICAN RECIPES FOR THE PARTY!
- Mexican Corn Dip
- Mexican Layer Dip
- Velveeta Cheese Dip
- Rotel Dip with Ground Beef
- Refried Bean Dip With Cream Cheese
Easy Black Bean and Corn Salsa made with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and more, brims with color and loads of zest!
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons avocado or canola oil
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (15-ounce) can white and yellow corn, drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 avocado pitted and diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 3 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
-
Combine the lime juice, oil, sugar, salt, and garlic in a large bowl and whisk until well combined.
-
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss until coated in the dressing. Serve right away or cover with plastic wrap in the refrigerator to chill.
TIP:
If you are making this salsa in advance, wait to add the avocado until just before serving!
We had this with carne asada and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Ok, so I know this is meant to be an appetizer or side dish but I will totally have this as a meal! I will be making this for my next holiday party and then just sitting in front of it and polishing it off myself! Delish!