Looking for a simple and nutritious summer side dish? This corn salad recipe is the perfect solution! Packed with fresh vegetables and bursting with flavor, it’s a crowd-pleaser for any occasion.
Do you like corn? We are huge corn lovers! There is nothing better than sweet, fresh corn. We use it in corn chowder, corn dip, and crispy corn fritters.
What’s In This Post
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 fresh. 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.
Ingredients Needed
- Lime juice: fresh is best
- Honey: just a touch
- Seasoning: ground cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil: extra virgin olive oil
- Vegetables: corn, red bell pepper, grape tomatoes, green onions, jalapeno, and red onion
- Granulated sugar: just a little bit to sweeten the corn
- Cilantro: chopped fresh
- Feta cheese: or cotija or Parmesan
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.
Recipe Tips
- 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.
What to Serve With 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
If you don’t like feta cheese, try cotija cheese or Parmesan cheese.
If you are a cilantro hater, substitute other fresh herbs like parsley, dill, or basil. It will be equally delicious!
More Corn Recipes
Corn Salad Recipe
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 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 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
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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.