This black bean and corn salsa is a spicy Tex-Mex fiesta waiting to be dipped with corn chips! Best of all, this chilled veggie appetizer comes together in 15 minutes for an easy bite when it’s hot outside.
Whenever I’m craving Tex-Mex, my mind instantly goes to salsa. While blended tomato salsas are an easy go-to, sometimes I need a little more crunch. That’s how I came up with this black bean and corn salsa. It satisfies all the garlicky, smokey, and spicy flavors of a regular recipe, but it’s bursting with crisp and tender textures. Every bite is filled with spicy red onion, jalapeños, tomatoes, parsley, and sweet bell peppers. It’s one of my favorite appetizers, just like my Pineapple Salsa and Restaurant Style Salsa — except this one I can also turn into a quick dinner on hectic weeknights.
You’ll Love This Hearty Black Bean and Corn Salsa
If you love 15-minute recipes that can easily go from condiment to appetizer to dinner, this black bean and corn salsa is just for you.
- Effortless. You just need to chop the ingredients and toss them. It’s fail-proof!
- Great for summer. It’s an easy appetizer before dinner or bring it to your next summer cookout.
- Versatile. Add sweet mangoes, use it as a filling for tacos, or turn it into a street-corn style salsa.
- Veggie-friendly. This recipe’s great if you’re vegetarian, vegan, or just trying to pack more veggies into your meals.
Notes on Ingredients
This black bean and corn salsa is a great way to turn veggie and fresh parsley leftovers into a wonderful condiment. The recipe card at the bottom of the post has exact ingredient quantities and step-by-step instructions.
- Corn – It can be fresh, canned, or frozen (thawed).
- Black beans – Use homemade or canned (rinsed and drained).
- Bell pepper – Any color of bell pepper works for this. Avoid roasted peppers because they won’t add crunch.
- Jalapeños – Remove the seeds to reduce the heat. You can also use serranos.
- Tomatoes – Make sure they’re fresh and remove most of the seeds. Halved cherry tomatoes work too.
- Red onions – White and yellow onions are a good swap.
- Parsley – Get rid of any yellow stems and leaves to prevent bitterness. Feel free to use fresh cilantro instead.
- Ground cumin – You can add taco seasoning for a similar smokiness if you prefer.
- Garlic powder – Go for onion powder if that’s what you’ve got on hand.
- Salt and pepper – Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper are best.
- Limes – Lemon juice works too.
- Avocado – Add it in right before serving to prevent it from browning.
Variation Ideas
Switch it up with sweet, smokey, crunchy, and tangy ingredients! These are my favorite variations for days when you want to change things up a bit:
- More crunch. Mix 1 cup diced jicama into the salsa for more texture. I like the pieces to be 1/4-1/2″ big.
- Go tropical. Stir in 1-2 cups diced mango or pineapple to add natural sweetness and lots of fruitiness. I prefer fresh fruit but canned fruit works too if you rinse and drain it well.
- Make it spicier. Swap the jalapeños for habaneros, but you might want to reduce the amount to 1 tablespoon because they’re fiery. Add more as needed.
- Street-corn style. Fold 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese into the salsa for a bit of tang and a flavor combination that’s just like Mexican street corn.
- Make it smokier. Toss 1/2 cup crumbled bacon into the mixture for more crunch and smokey goodness.
Tips for the Best Black Bean Salsa
Tossing the avocado in lime juice is probably my best tip for making this black bean and corn salsa, but here are other ones to help you nail the recipe:
- Strain it. The salsa will release moisture as it sits in the fridge. I recommend straining it before serving again so that the ingredients stay crunchy longer.
- Prep ahead. Chop all the ingredients 1-2 days in advance so all you have to do is toss everything right before lunch or dinner.
- Slice it evenly. Dice all the veggies into 1/4-1/2″ pieces so that every bite has an even balance of flavors.
- Prevent browning. If you want to make the salsa in advance, I recommend tossing the avocado in lime juice or 1/2 tablespoon olive oil until completely coated. This will prevent browning for 3-5 hours.
Ways to Use It
This chilled black bean and corn salsa is a great appetizer with corn chips, Sweet Potato Chips , and Air Fryer Veggie Chips . It’s also makes yummy veggie tacos, or use it as a condiment for my Crispy Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Tacos or Breakfast Tacos . Sometimes I’ll even mix it into quinoa or add it as a topping for my Quinoa Enchilada Skillet . It’s pretty easy to get creative with it!
How to Store
Refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Stir it before serving. Enjoy straight out of the fridge. Keep it away from desserts to prevent them from absorbing the salsa’s odor.
More Salsa Recipes to Try
- Strawberry Jalapeño Salsa
- Mango Basil Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups corn
- 2 cups cooked black beans , drained and rinsed thoroughly
- 1/2 cup bell pepper , diced
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapeños
- 1 cup 157g tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup 37g red onions
- ¼ cup 8g parsley
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch salt
- Juice of two limes
- 1 cup avocado or ½ avocado , 124g diced
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and toss. Ideally, let it sit for 30 minutes so that the lime brings out the best flavors, but you can serve it immediately with tortilla chips.
Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups corn
- 2 cups cooked black beans drained and rinsed thoroughly
- 1/2 cup bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapeños
- 1 cup 157g tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup 37g red onions
- ¼ cup 8g parsley
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pinch salt
- Juice of two limes
- 1 cup avocado or ½ avocado 124g diced
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and toss. Ideally, let it sit for 30 minutes so that the lime brings out the best flavors, but you can serve it immediately with tortilla chips.
Nutrition
Black Bean and Corn Salsa https://jessicainthekitchen.com/black-bean-avocado-and-corn-salad-salsa/ July 13, 2018
I’m sure from the title of this post that you probably already know it’s about to be a really helpful read. After being a vegetarian, then a vegan food blogger for over four years, I’ve learned quite a few things. The joys of finding the CORRECT tofu (post on that coming later). The happy tears from discovering nooch. The happy dance from Gav and I when making seitan for the first time at home. The kick that miso gives me. The brine that tempeh is able to absorb and how beautiful it is in a vegan BLT.
Okay – what are these ingredients I’m talking about and can I explain them already?!
After explaining it one by one over and over to so many of you guys, I wanted to take the time to write a post explaining them all. Trust me, the names may be uncertain and a bit different (seitan? Wait what?) but the tastes are so welcome. Here’s a helpful guide on the 10 most popular confusing vegan ingredients explained!
Tempeh
Nutritional Yeast
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is near and dear to my heart because I’ve known about it way before it became a popularised meat substitute. Growing up on two Caribbean islands meant seeing it everywhere, especially in Jamaica. Jackfruit is the largest tree fruit in the world, and many people either love it or hate it in its ripen form. However, for recipes as meat replacements, I 100% recommend not using the fresh ripe fruit, but rather a younger green jackfruit. This eliminates the sweet flavour and gives it a more hardy texture for your dishes. It also means you don’t have to buy the large fruit to use it, which can take a lot of technique and time to properly get out of the fruit. However if you want to use it in desserts, you can definitely use the fresh fruit.
Because of it’s texture once shredded, jackfruit is often used in vegan and vegetarian recipes as a meat replacement for pulled pork. It certainly mimics the texture and can mimic the flavours too with the right type of jackfruit and seasonings. Don’t be intimidated by it! Just follow the directions of the recipe you’re using and you’ll be surprised. Like I said, starting with a jar or can of young ripe green jackfruit is a great start.
Seitan
Miso
Chia Seeds
Textured Vegetable Protein aka TVP
So we haven’t actually used TVP, also known as soy meat or soya chunks, but it’s something Gavin is very interested in trying. TVP is a versatile, easily portable and nutritious soy based product that’s high in protein, contains no fat and is a popular meat alternative. Due to its lightweight properties, you can actually carry with backpacking with you! Due to its texture, it’s usually used as a sub for ground meat. So think – Tacos, meatloaf, chilli, sloppy joes etc. We were specifically thinking of using it in a vegan lasagna. It’s naturally gluten free and really great at absorbing flavours, and you can season it anyway that you want.
Lentils
I love love love lentils!! I used to avoid lentils for no good reason and now I LOVE them! They are known as a power legume due to how long they’ve been around (all the way back to 8,000 BC) and their protein content. They’re also incredibly versatile: Whether you have them plain and on top of a salad, or in a chilli, or as a meat replacer in tacos.
There are many different colours of lentils – Black, red, brown, green and yellow. The different colours are cooked for different times. So no, they aren’t very easily exchanged. If you see a recipe asking for red lentils, I definitely recommend using red lentils since you’ll have to completely adjust the cooking times and may end up with too mushy or rock hard lentils instead. In general, lentils take up to 30-40 minutes to cook.
When cooked properly, lentils are absolutely divine. They’re rich in fibre and absolutely exploding with protein, so be sure to get a bag and try them out. Here are some recipes to get you started:
One Pot Red Lentil Chili and Vegan Red Lentil Curry
Chickpea Flour
Chickpea Flour aka Garbanzo Bean Flour, is a stone ground flour made from whole garbanzo beans. If you’re a vegan or someone who doesn’t love eggs, this is a great product to always have in your home. Not only is it high in fibre and protein and a good source of iron, it’s like a magic ingredient. If you want to make a vegan quiche or vegan omelette, this is the flour for you. Not only does it beautifully mimic the colour, it also bakes up beautifully too.
It’s great for thickening up soups and sauces, a lot of meals such as adding it to falafel, socca and papadums. I would recommend starting with the recipe on the back of your bag, then using it in your own ways to get a feel for its thickness. One thing to remember: always cook it all the way through to get the right texture.
Tofu, Magic Tofu
Tofu, also known as bean curd, is on this list because tofu has SO many misconceptions that it’s insane. I’ve heard so many complaints from a lot of non-vegans and vegans alike that they hate the flavour and the texture. I can tell you this with 100% guarantee – when you cook tofu properly AND are using the correct tofu your opinion will change. I too was a non-tofu lover, but that was because I had the wrong tofu.
I’ll do a whole post on this if you like, but long story short tofu comes in many forms – soft, firm, extra firm and SILKEN. Silken also comes in soft, firm & extra firm and it is not the tofu you want to buy to be using as a meat replacement. Silken is for soups, cheesecakes and smoothies. Rather, you want regular tofu. This was the largest difference for me. Then, tofu’s flavour is not delicious. That isn’t its job though . Tofu is there as a base for you to manipulate. It needs lots of seasonings and love and it can become anything you want.
One of the things that is asked a lot in relation to tofu is whether it is “real”. Yes, it definitely is. Tofu is actually made from soy milk and there are many videos on Youtube of making it straight from soy milk at home to show that it is just as easy to make at home as many other vegan meat replacers. It’s minimally processed and has been a component in East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisines for centuries, just to show that this isn’t some recent invention. Also, tofu definitely has an expiration date (trust me, I’ve personally experienced this one)! If you don’t have any soy issues and buy it non-GMO, it is definitely something to give a try.
Here are some recipes to start you off: Crispy Cajun Fried Chicken Salad with ‘Honey’ Mustard Dressing and Vegan Butter Chicken (with Amazing Tofu)
