Made with either grilled, raw, or frozen corn, this sweet corn salsa with black beans and cilantro is an easy-to-make dip for tortilla chips, or served as a flavorful salsa topping for tacos, burrito bowls, steak, or chicken.
The Easiest Summer Salsa to Make with Any Type of Corn
One of the best parts of hitting up a fast-casual Mexican restaurant like Chipotle or Costa Vida or the like, is being asked, “And which of the salsas would you like on your burrito/taco/burrito bowl?” I want ’em all, and don’t get skimpy!
To me, this sweet corn salsa tastes so frigging good when served in direct proportion to the amount of meat or veggie filling of whatever it’s served with. It’s a totally delicious accompaniment to classic tomato or green salsas, so why not load it on?
I don’t mean to be deceptive here, because while I’m labeling this recipe as a salsa to be served with chips or used as a topping for tostadas, burritos, and tacos (or even as a topping for chicken or steak), in reality it could just as easily be served all on its own as a salad. Don’t judge, but I am 100% guilty of digging a spoon into this corn salsa and eating it straight from the bowl.
Heidi’s Tips for Salsa Success
- This salsa shines brightest when fresh-from-the-cob, sweet corn is used. I like to grill the corn first (this is the best way to make grilled corn), but if you prefer it raw, it tastes delicious that way too. Don’t let the absence of fresh corn deter you from making this salsa, because frozen corn subs in fine when fresh is out of season. Just skip the canned stuff, which is too mushy for using in salsa.
- So they don’t discolor the salsa, rinse the canned black beans with cold water to remove the canning liquid, and drain really well before adding to the salsa so it doesn’t get watery.
- To get flavorful bites with every spoonful, mince the cilantro, jalapeño, onion, and tomato into smaller pieces so they distribute evenly throughout the salsa.
How to Make Corn Salsa
Heidi’s Tip: If you already have leftover grilled corn in the fridge or are using frozen corn instead, this no-cook salsa takes just about 5 minutes for chopping and combining. If grilling the corn, plan on about 20 minutes to prepare.
- First, grill the corn. After grilling corn for so many years, I skip the extra prep others might suggest — like soaking the corn cobs in water or stripping them of their husks — and grill the corn directly in their husks.
- Cut the corn off the cob. Allow to cool, then remove the husks and silk. Use a sharp knife to slowly and evenly cut the corn from the cob so the corn doesn’t ping pong and scatter all around the kitchen.
- Dress the veggies directly in the bowl. There’s no need to mix the lime dressing separately. Simply drizzle it over the following:
- Black beans
- Tomato
- Red onion
- Jalapeño
- Cilantro
Then, dig in right away with your tortilla chips, or wait to spoon over your favorite grilled proteins, tacos, or bowls.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
The BEST Black Bean Corn Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups corn , 2 cobs grilled corn, or 1 ½ cups frozen corn that has been thawed
- 1 cup canned black beans , rinsed and drained
- ⅓ cup chopped tomato
- ⅓ cup chopped red onion
- 2 tablespoons minced jalapeño , 1 medium jalapeño
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- If grilling corn, simply cook it in the husk on a hot grill. I suggest keeping the corn in its husks to steam as it cooks. Close the lid, turn the corn every five minutes or so, for around 15-20 minutes. Remove the husks and silk and set aside to cool.
- Cut the kernels from the cooled grilled corn cobs, or thaw and rinse the frozen corn kernels and drain well. Add the corn to a medium size bowl with the black beans, tomato, red onion, jalapeño and cilantro.
- Drizzle with the lime juice, canola oil, ground cumin and kosher salt. Toss to coat. Eat with chips or tacos, or spoon over chicken or steaks.
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredient Swaps and Additions
- Omit the black beans for a classic corn salsa.
- Use pickled jalapeños instead of fresh.
- Replace with jalapeño with bell pepper for less heat.
- Add cubed avocado for creaminess.
- Swap the red onion with chopped green onions.
What to Eat With Corn Salsa
The question isn’t what to eat with this corn salsa, it’s more a question of what NOT to eat with it! There’s so much goodness in such a simple recipe. Chips are the obvious choice, but I find it’s delicious on so much more.
- Tacos: Fried Avocado Tacos, Blackened Fish Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, Grilled Steak Tacos
- Chicken: Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken, Chicken Fajita Foil Packet Dinners, Green Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Nachos
- Other Mexican Favorites: Veggie Quesadillas, Taco Salad, Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats
More Easy Salsa Recipes
- Classic Homemade Salsa
- Pico De Gallo
- Creamy Avocado Salsa Verde
- Mango Salsa
- Hatch Chile Salsa Verde
- Smoky Roasted Salsa
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Rate & Comment