Corn Salad

Packed with fresh vegetables and bursting with flavor, this corn salad is a crowd-pleaser for any occasion. This delectable no-mayo corn salad combines fresh corn, sweet red bell peppers, sun-ripened tomatoes, cilantro, minced jalapeno, chopped scallions, and feta cheese in a lightly sweetened lime vinaigrette. 

This super-easy corn salad comes together quickly and tastes incredibly delicious. You can substitute good-quality canned or frozen corn if fresh corn is unavailable. This corn salad is the perfect side dish for many main courses.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Lime juice: Fresh is always best
• Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil
• Corn: If possible, use fresh corn—either white, yellow, or bi-color. Boil, grill, roast, or blacken the corn and cut the kernels right off the cob.
• Tomatoes: Grape or cherry tomatoes. You can substitute any meaty sun-ripened tomato.
• Cilantro: Chopped fresh, please
• Feta cheese: You can substitute cotija or Parmesan for the Feta cheese

How to Make Corn Salad

This is the nutshell version. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.

In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, ground cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the sugar and lime juice and stir to dissolve. Carefully add the corn to the boiling water, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the corn sit for about ten minutes. Plunge the corn into cold water to stop the cooking process. Once the corn has cooled, cut it from the cob.

In a large bowl, add the cooked corn, diced red peppers, grape tomato halves, cilantro, green onions, minced jalapenos, feta, and red onion. Drizzle with the lime vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Preparation Tips and Storage

• In the off-season, it is perfectly fine to use frozen corn. If using frozen corn, defrost, rinse, and drain.
• For optimal flavor, don’t overcook the corn. Corn cooks fairly fast, and you want your kernels to have a little bit of a sweet, crisp corn taste.
• Make the lime vinaigrette up to a day in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Store the corn salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Serving Suggestions for Corn Salad

I love to serve this salad with grilled chicken, country style ribs, and grilled pork tenderloin. It is equally delicious with loaded potato soup, creamy tortellini soup, or avgolemono soup. Or serve it as a vegetarian main course with blueberry lemonade or raspberry margaritas.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Corn Recipes

Corn Muffins

Corn Pudding

Corn Dogs

Creamed Corn

Corn Chowder with Bacon and Potatoes

Roasted Corn

Corn Salad Recipe

This delectable corn salad brings it all together with fresh corn, sweet red bell peppers, sun-ripened tomatoes, cilantro, minced jalapeno, chopped scallions, and feta cheese, all in a lightly sweetened lime vinaigrette.

5 from 42 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: side

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 112kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Lime Vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Corn Salad

• 5 ears of corn shucked and de-silked
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 red pepper cut in small dice
• 1 cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 jalapeno minced seeds and veins removed
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice, honey, ground cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continuously.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the sugar and lime juice; stir to dissolve. Carefully add the corn to the boiling water, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the corn sit for 10 minutes.  Plunge cooked corn into ice-cold water to stop the cooking process.  When the corn has cooled, cut the kernels from the cob.
• Grab a large bowl and add the cooked corn, diced red peppers, grape tomato halves, cilantro, green onions, minced jalapenos, feta, and red onion. Drizzle with the lime vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Notes

• If possible, use fresh corn—either white, yellow, or bi-color. Boil the corn and cut the kernels right off the cob.
• In the off-season, it is perfectly fine to use frozen corn. If using frozen corn, defrost, rinse, and drain.
• For optimal flavor, don’t overcook the corn. Corn cooks fairly fast, and you want your kernels to have a little bit of a sweet, crisp corn taste.
• In a hurry? Make the lime vinaigrette the day before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1014IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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