Mexican Street Corn Salad with Avocado
Mexican Street Corn Salad with Avocado is always a crowd-pleaser! It’s fast and easy to prepare, and has a tasty balance of fresh flavors and textures!
As the weather heats up, we want to spend time outdoors – and that includes dinner time! If you’ve been thinking about leaving your stove off in favor of firing up the grill, you’ll enjoy making Mexican Street Corn Salad all summer long.
As a side or a light meal, this salad features fresh vegetables with a squeeze of citrus and kick of spice. It blends the flavors of smoky roasted corn, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, zesty red onion, crumbly Cotija cheese, and jalapeño for a fiery kick. The veggies are dressed with a simple combination of cayenne pepper, mayonnaise, and lime juice, bringing out the boldness of the dish.
Mexican Street Corn Salad has a little bit of everything: it’s sweet, savory, and tangy with a bit of spice. Aside from highlighting some of the season’s freshest flavors, this recipe has so many great textures, from creamy to crisp, that it’ll add interest to any meal – especially if you’re eating outdoors! I love serving it as a side at barbecues, or I’ll even eat it as a cool, light dinner when the weather really heats up.
How to make avocado corn salad
In addition to being delicious, this salad is super easy to prepare, taking about 20 minutes total. The most time-consuming part is roasting the corn, which can be done on a grill or in a cast iron pan (I usually dice the rest of my vegetables and whisk the dressing while it’s cooking).
Then you simply add the roasted corn to a bowl along with the remaining ingredients, pour the dressing, and toss everything up! Top it off with extra cheese and a squeeze of lime juice and you have a mouthwatering, colorful dish that’s ready to serve.
Recipe variations
The recipe can be altered to fit the preferences of you and your guests. For instance, if you can’t find Cotija, then feta, queso fresco, or parmesan are all suitable alternatives. (Cotija has a crumbly texture and a salty taste.) Also, you can adjust the level of spice to your liking – I like a moderate amount, so I used one jalapeño. You can add more or omit the pepper altogether. And for the mayonnaise in the dressing, you can use a light version, or opt for plain Greek yogurt.
Another tip is to toss in the avocado right before serving so it doesn’t turn brown. This was an ingredient that I chose to add (I mean, who doesn’t love avocado?), and it always looks and tastes best when it’s fresh! I also add the cheese last minute so that it doesn’t get soggy.
How to serve it
I love bringing Mexican street corn salad with avocado to outdoor get-togethers, and it’s always a crowd favorite. It goes with just about any type of protein, especially if it’s grilled. Serve it with chicken, steak, salmon, or everyone’s favorite: hamburgers and hot dogs! And did I mention how delicious it tastes when paired with an ice cold Mexican beer?
Storage tips
This dish saves well for two to three days in the refrigerator (again, as long as the avocado is left out and added separately). Sometimes I’ll make a big batch to eat with dinner, then have it for lunch the next day. I like scooping it up with tortilla chips and topping it with shreds of cheese for a tasty, hearty meal. You can also put a scoop of the salad on top of rice and finish it with cheddar and a dollop of sour cream for an easy-to-make Mexican bowl.
Inspired by traditional street food, Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a hit at all your summer barbecues and get-togethers, whether you’re cooking for a crowd or just for yourself!
If you try this Mexican street corn salad with avocado, let me know what you think! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #aseasyasapplepie on Instagram.
More Mexican Recipes You Might Like
- Spicy Grapefruit Jalapeno Margarita
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Rice Bowls
- Blackened Fish Tacos with Avocado Sauce
- Chicken Taco Bowls
- Grilled Pineapple Salsa
- Healthy Mexican Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Frozen Mango Margarita
How To Make It: Mexican Street Corn Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 4 ears fresh corn (about 3 cups) husked and kernels cut from the cob
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 jalapeno stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
- ½ cup (25 g) cilantro leaves chopped
- ⅓ cup diced red onion (1 small onion)
- 2.5 oz. (70 g) Cotija cheese finely crumbled plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 avocado peeled, cored and diced
- ½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
For the dressing:
- 2½ tablespoons mayonnaise (I used light)
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Char the corn:
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.Add the corn and let it cook, stirring occasionally until charred (about 8/10 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
Prepare the dressing:
- While the corn is cooking, in a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper.
Assemble the salad:
- Pour half tablespoon of lime juice over the diced avocado, then add it to a large bowl with the charred corn, and the remaining salad ingredients.Pour the dressing and gently toss to combine. Top with extra Cotija and serve either warm or cold.
Notes
- You may use frozen (thawed) or canned corn
- If you can’t find Cotija, feta would be a great alternative.
I absolutely love Mexican street corn, and this salad with avocado took it to a whole new level! It was a delightful balance of flavors and textures in every bite. Gonna make it again soon!
Such an awesome recipe! It’s grilling season here and this is perfect for summer! This paired with chicken is amazing!
I’m so excited to make this corn salad tonight! I have all of the ingredients on hand, thank you so much for sharing this recipe :)
I Haven’t met a street corn salad I don’t like, but I did really like the added creaminess from the avocado!
I love corn salad. This is perfect bbq food!
I love corn salad and this was wonderful. Street corn is a favorite of mine and I loved how this salad was a perfect combination.
This is a flavorful dressing. The combination of ingredients to this salad is yummy. This salad is perfect for a festive platter. Colorful and healthy too.
If I only had one salad I could eat for the rest of my life it would be this. Simple, tasty and only the good stuff in it.
This fresh corn salad is so easy to toss together and the mayonnaise dressing is a great topping. Perfect for cookouts this summer.
My husband made this Mexican street corn salad recipe to serve with grilled chicken for Mother’s Day and it was a hit with me! The recipe reminds me of the esquites we get here in Texas, only better.
Never fails with fresh or frozen corn and I use feta. I live to serve it sprinkled with Tajín! Thanks for a keeper of a recipe!
This is one for the books. I was looking for a salad without lettuce and found this excellent recipe. It’s so good, I was sending the recipe to everyone I knew. There are also a lot of good recommendations in the comments. Love the idea of adding black beans or crema mexicana! Thank you
Don’t hesitate…make this NOW! I’m an East Coast girl so I leave out the avocado but even without it, this is hands down my go-to for BBQ’s. Never fails that someone asks me for the recipe at any event I bring this. I grill my corn on the cob for extra char and flavor with a little smoked paprika, garlic powder, sea salt & pepper. Also. I zest the lime in the dressing before adding the juice as you can’t let the lime go to waste. A little queso fresco and that’s it. Pure perfection!
Hi there, is there something I can substitute for the mayo? My parter would love this recipe but refuses to eat anything that has Mayo. Maybe Greek yogurt?
Hi, Allison! You can replace the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. :)