Corn Salad – Tastes Better from Scratch

This fresh Corn Salad recipe features grilled corn tossed with onion, bell pepper, avocado and a simple homemade dressing. Perfect for Summer potlucks and BBQ’s.

Want more side dishes? Try my Caprese Salad, Baked Beans, Garlic Knots, or Watermelon Salad!

Why I love this salad:

• Fresh – Highlights all of the flavors of summer with grilled sweet corn and fresh vegetables.
• Quick – Just a few minutes to prep; and ready in under 30 minutes!
• Homemade Dressing – Light and fresh, this dressing highlights the flavors perfectly!

How to make Corn Salad:

Make Dressing: Whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl, then set aside.

Cook Corn: Add 1-2 inches of water to a large skillet. Bring to a boil. Add corn and cook for 3-4 minutes, rotating to cook on all sides. Remove to a plate.

Grill Corn: Brush corn lightly with olive oil and grill on hot heat for a few minutes, rotating it as it cooks, until golden on all sides.

Toss Salad:  Cut corn off of the cob and add it to a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and drizzle with desired amount of dressing. Toss this easy corn salad to combine and serve!

Make Ahead Instructions:

To Make Ahead: The vegetables can be chopped and the dressing made ahead of time and kept in the fridge. Wait to pour the dressing on and add the avocado until ready to serve.

Recipe Variations:

• Boil Corn: Fill a large pot with water (enough to cover the corn cobs), and bring the water to a boil. Add corn to the water and bring the water back to a boil (this will just take a couple of minutes).  Turn off the heat and let the corn sit in the hot water for 5-10 minutes.
• Instant Pot Corn: Follow my instructions HERE.
• Grilled Corn: Turn grill to high heat. Brush the corn lightly with olive oil and place it on the grill for a few minutes, rotating it as it cooks, until it’s golden on all sides. For this recipe, I prefer to steam my corn for a few minutes and then grill it for a few minutes.  It creates the perfect juicy corn on the cob but also gives it a nice grill flavor that goes perfectly in this corn salad.
• Frozen Corn: Thaw corn in the fridge overnight, or warm in the microwave just until thawed. Add corn and a little bit of oil to a very hot skillet and cook it for a few minutes, tossing occasionally, until many kernels are lightly browned.
• Vegetables: You can use a sweet onion or green onion instead of the purple onion. Any color bell pepper would work fine.

Serve With:

I originally shared this recipe June 2019. Updated June 2022.