This delectable no mayo 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.
This corn salad is the perfect side dish for so many main courses. It goes beautifully with Grilled Marinated Chicken or Dry Rub Sweet Barbecue Pork Tenderloin.
Do you like corn? We are huge corn lovers! There is nothing better than sweet fresh corn. This super easy corn salad comes together so quickly and tastes so incredibly fresh. If fresh corn is unavailable, you can substitute good-quality canned corn or frozen corn.
How to make Corn Salad
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. Set the vinaigrette aside while you work on the salad.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the sugar and lemon 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.
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.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- If at all possible, use fresh corn. Either white, yellow, or bi-color corn. Boil the corn and cut the corn 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.
- If you are a cilantro hater, substitute other fresh herbs like parsley or basil. It will be equally delicious!
- In a hurry? Make the lime vinaigrette the day before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Dice and cut your vegetables small. You want all your vegetables to complement the corn.
- Try adding diced avocado or English cucumbers.
- Don’t skip the feta cheese. It really pulls the whole salad together and is the icing on the cake. If you don’t like feta, try cotija cheese or Parmesan cheese.
What is the difference between white and yellow corn?
There is very little nutritional or taste difference between these two corns. Some people swear that white corn is sweeter, and just as many people claim that yellow corn is sweeter. Yellow corn has a naturally occurring pigment that makes it slightly higher in beta-carotene, giving it a little more of a nutritional edge over white corn. Other than that, the difference is in the color of the kernels. White, yellow, and bi-color corn are all delicious in this recipe. There is no corn color bias here.
Other corn recipes you will love!
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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.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: side
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
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 lemon 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 lemon 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 at all possible, use fresh corn. Either white, yellow, or bi-color corn. Simply boil the corn and cut the corn kernels right off the cob.
- 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.
- If you are a cilantro hater, substitute fresh parsley. It is equally delicious!
- In a hurry? Make the lime vinaigrette the day before and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Dice and cut your vegetables small. You want all your vegetables to complement the corn.
- Don’t skip the feta cheese. It really pulls the whole salad together and is the icing on the cake.
Keywords: how to make corn salad, what is corn salad, corn salad recipe
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Sammie
I love how the sweet corn provides a perfect balance to the tangy dressing, while the crisp bell peppers and juicy cherry tomatoes add a refreshing crunch. The herbs and spices elevate the dish to a whole new level, making it a true crowd-pleaser. Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked it! The pleasure is all mine, Sammie!
Tayler
I made this corn salad for 4th of July and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much for sharing!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine!
Jen
I love how flavorful this vinaigrette is! A new staple at my house!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Jen! So glad that you like it!
Sisley
So fresh and full of flavour. We added a lot of extra chillies and it worked perfectly.
★★★★★
Beth
We served this for the 4th, and everyone loved it. Thanks!
★★★★★
Ned
This is the best salad I’ve had in a while. It was so fresh and light. Thank you!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Ned! So glad that you liked it1
Marysa
This sounds like a delicious way to enjoy corn. We have had street corn in Mexico, and I would enjoy this similar flavor profile.
Charity Baldwin
This salad is SO good that I’m going to make it for my son’s graduation BBQ this weekend – for 100 people!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Oh my goodness. So glad that you like it and I hope the graduation party was a huge success.
Martha Farley
Red cayenne AND fresh jalepeno? No one has mentioned how spicy this is. My family will not eat raw jalepeno. Has anyone tried leaving out the heat?
Nancy S
It really compliments the salad. I usually just cut back a bit on the cayenne pepper, but it does need some. So delicious!!
PatL
What kind of cheese can be used in place of feta? Not at all s fan of feta
Beth Pierce
You can try Cotija. It is a Mexican crumbly cheese.
Natasha
Perfect salad! So filling and delicious, this is definitely a keeper. Thank you for another awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Betsy
Easy and delicious! This is a great side dish! Love this with barbecue and grilled chicken!
★★★★★
Kristyn
The vinaigrette brings out all the delicious flavors in this salad. It’s a great side with so many things. Luckily, I usually have all the ingredients on hand.
★★★★★
Vanessa
I made this and my husband who is a meat and potato guy loved it! It’s a great summer salad and will add it in my side dish rotation. I added some goat cheese along with the feta and it was delicious! Double up on the vinaigrette because it’s that good!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Vanessa! I am so glad that you and your husband enjoyed it. I love that salad! So much flavor!
Betsy Carney
One of our favorite easy salads! The dressing is everything!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Betsy! So glad that you liked it!! We love it too!
Natalie
The lime vinaigrette brings the flavors all together so well!! I will be taking this to all the summer BBQ’s. It will be a hit!
★★★★★
Toni
This is so good!! An easy and tasty salad!!
★★★★★
Melissa
Oh wow- delicious and flavorful! Saving recipe to make again.
★★★★★
Valentina
This corn salad is so easy and FRESH! Great lunch or dinner idea. LOVE IT!
★★★★★
April
I could eat this entire bowl IT’S SO GOOD
★★★★★
Megan
Look forward to trying this. Fresh corn is at it’s peak right now..How do you store the leftovers, and how long does it keep?
Beth Pierce
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. So yummy!
Maria
Absolutely delicious. I added a small amount of white rice. Awesome!
Renee Goerger
The flavor and texture of this easy corn salad is everything I want in a summer side dish!!
★★★★★
Erica Schwarz
Made this salad to go with our taco night and the whole family loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Gail Terry
If you use canned corn…do you add the sugar and lemon juice to the salad, as well?
Thanks so much
Beth Pierce
Yes you do. Please drain the corn well.
Linnea L. Schramm
Can you make this ahead of when you plan to serve it? How long will it last in the fridge?
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
I would only make this up to twenty fours in advance. I would hold the cilantro, feta cheese and dressing till right before serving and toss it all then.
Hope
Made this today for dinner tonight; I can already tell this will be a summer staple in our house. Quick question though… The directions say to add red pepper but it’s omitted in the ingredient list. Would you think half a cup would do? I left it out this time as I didn’t notice it when shopping but would like to add some next time. Thanks so much!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks Hope! The pleasure is all mine. I am so glad that you liked. It is one red pepper and it is in the ingredient list. I just checked it. I have been know to miss ingredients though…probably more times than I care to admit! LOL
Genie
If using canned corn, how many cans would you recommend? This looks like an awesome recipe!
Beth Pierce
Five ears of corn is about 3 1/2 cups so I think that I would go with 2 cans of corn (15 ounce) which will give about 3 cups. It will be a little shy but I would not purchase another can for 1/2 cup.
Wanda Harris
How would I prepare can or frozen corn for sald
Beth Pierce
Okay here are a couple of options simply use the corn straight out of the can (drained of course) or thaw the frozen corn (drained of any moisture). Canned and frozen vegetables are already blanched. They will be slightly crispy but I like it that way. Or you can cook it on the stove in enough water to cover it with a maybe a teaspoon of sugar, a couple tablespoons butter, and a squeeze of lime juice. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes. It is up to you and how tender you like your corn.
Patty Irick
We are not fans of feta cheese. What could we use instead?
Beth Pierce
I guess in helping you make that determination I would need to know what you don’t like about it so I can try to steer you in a different direction.
Kathy
I would try queso fresco cheese (Mexican).
Wendy
This was such a good salad! The only problem was that there was nothing left to bring home!. I will definitely be making this again – such a great combination of flavors.
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
LOL! Thanks so much Wendy! I am glad that you liked it!
Julie
My new favorite dish for the summer!
Beth Pierce
Awesome! We love it too! I was even able to get some pretty corn from the market last week.
Kara Cook
All I had was frozen corn, but it was still tasty. Can’t wait to try it with some fresh garden corn!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Fresh garden corn sure is delicious!!
Carol
How many ounces of frozen corn = 15 ears?
Beth Pierce
Each medium ear of corn yields 1/2 to 3/4 cup. So 15 ears would yield probably between 9-10 cups.
Teresa
Did you cook the frozen corn first or just thaw it?
Beth Pierce
Fully thaw the frozen corn and go ahead and use it right in the salad.
Aimee Shugarman
I’ll be making this again, it was a perfect lunch last weekend.
★★★★★
Carolyn
Hello, delicious summer recipe!
★★★★★
Bree
Everyone is raving about this! I seriously love all the flavors and it was so easy to make! New fav for sure!
★★★★★
Tara
This is so perfect to take to a cookout. Can’t wait to make it again!
★★★★★
Donna Warner
So good! We served this with grilled shrimp skewers, jalapeno poppers, grilled spicy chicken wings. Huge hit.
Beth Pierce
That whole meal sounds absolutely amazing! So glad that you liked the corn salad.