Easy Corn Salad

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

4 Comments

5 from 3 votes
8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Chilling Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
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Easy Corn Salad is a quick no-cook summer side dish. A tasty deli salad made with sweet corn, bell pepper, and red onion in a homemade Dijon red wine vinaigrette. 

From Macaroni Salad to Coleslaw, one of the best parts of a Summer BBQ is creamy deli Salads. This lighter deli Side is tossed in a vinaigrette, but it’s every bit as delicious as creamy salad favorites.

Corn Salad in serving bowl

Mexican Corn Salad is a cheesy, chili-lime treat loaded with grated Cotija cheese and tastes like street corn. This simple and light Summer Corn Salad is just as tasty without the heavy mayonnaise and Cotija cheese dressing. The easy Dijon and red wine vinaigrette packs a lot of flavor without adding a lot of calories so you’ll feel great munching on this salad by the pool.

Corn Salad is one of the easiest deli salad recipes ever! No need to boil pasta or peel potatoes to prep this dish. If you want to make it even easier, use a food processor to mince the red onion and bell peppers, or buy them pre-chopped in the produce salad section. The tangy vinaigrette is made with ingredients you have on hand like olive oil, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and sugar for an easy homemade dressing in seconds.

This Easy Corn Salad recipe is made with frozen corn so you don’t have to do any extra work besides thawing and draining. You can use fresh ears of corn when it’s in season and you have a bit more time to be shucking and chopping. Use canned corn in a pinch, just be sure to rinse off the starches and use low or no sodium added so your salad isn’t too salty.

More Summer Deli Salad Recipes

Summer Corn Salad is the perfect BBQ side dish for all your cookout favorites like Pulled Pork and Grilled Chicken Breasts. Since there’s no mayonnaise in this easy salad, you can serve it guilt free with richer, heavier summer favorites like Baked Mac and Cheese. Easy Corn Salad also makes a light and delicious filling or topping for Beef Taco Salad, Chicken Enchiladas, and other Mexican Dishes.

How to Make Easy Corn Salad

  • Dressing: Add the oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, kosher salt, and pepper to a measuring cup and whisk to combine.
  • Toss: Grab a large bowl and add the corn, red bell pepper, and onions. Toss the vegetables in the dressing, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Corn Salad ingredients

Frequently Asked Questions About Easy Corn Salad

What is the difference between Corn Salad and Corn Succotash?

There are several differences between Corn Salad and Corn Succotash. First, Succotash has more vegetables, namely squash and lima beans. Second, the preparation is different as Succotash is a cooked side dish, whereas the Corn Salad is tossed together cold, like most traditional salads.

Why does the salad have to be refrigerated before serving?

The dressing ingredients will come together while sitting in the fridge for a couple of hours, and the vegetables will marinate and absorb all of that wonderful flavor. The veggies will also soften up a little bit while sitting in the dressing. The end result is an even tastier salad than when you first tossed the ingredients together.

Variations on Easy Corn Salad

  • Spicy Mexican Corn Salad: Make a spicy hybrid of Mexican corn salad by adding diced jalapeños, fresh cilantro, and a tablespoon of Taco Seasoning to this Easy Corn Salad. Top with grated Cotija cheese.
  • Creamy Corn Salad: Add up to a ½ cup mayonnaise, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt to your dressing to make an easy, tangy Creamy Corn Salad. You can also make a mixture of sour cream and mayo, just don’t add more than a ½ cup total or it will be way too much dressing.
  • Veggies: Try other diced or minced veggies like cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli florets, arugula, tomatoes, shallots, or carrots. Fold in a diced avocado for a heart-healthy creamy bite.
  • Beans: If you’d like a little variation of texture, plus the nutritional benefits of beans, mix in a can of fully rinsed beans. Try black bean, white beans, kidney beans, or garbanzo beans. The addition of beans will also make your salad into a more hearty side dish.
  • Seasoning Swaps: Instead of white sugar, you can use honey or brown sugar. For the red wine vinegar, substitute apple cider vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar. Add herbs and spices like Mexican oregano, fresh basil, chili powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, or cilantro.
Corn Salad in serving bowl

Even More Deli Salad Recipes

Can Easy Corn Salad Be Made Ahead?

Once you mix everything in the bowl, let this salad sit for a couple of hours and then it’s ready to serve. The longer Corn Salad sits, the more the flavors develop. However, because the veggies will start to break down after a few days, you should serve this salad within 24 hours. If you want to make it a couple of days ahead of time, use raw corn kernels that will get softer as they marinate in the vinaigrette.

How to Store Easy Corn Salad

  • Serve: Even though there is no mayo or dairy in this Corn Salad, it’s still best enjoyed chilled. Store Corn Salad after 2 hours at room temperature.
  • Store: You can keep Easy Corn Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, but it’s best within the first 2-3 days.
  • Freeze: You could freeze Corn Salad, but the corn will be mushy as it thaws and the vinaigrette will separate. For the best texture, make this deli salad fresh and don’t freeze it.
Corn Salad scooping with chip

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Dinner, then Dessert

Easy Corn Salad

Easy Corn Salad is a quick no-cook summer side dish. Tasty deli salad made with sweet corn, bell pepper, and red onion in a homemade Dijon red wine vinaigrette.
Yield 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Corn Salad in serving bowl 1x1
PrintRate

Ingredients
 

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 5 cups sweet corn , frozen or thawed
  • 1 red bell pepper , minced
  • 1/2 cup red onion , minced

Instructions

  • Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper in a small measuring cup.
  • In a large bowl carefully add together the corn, red bell pepper, onions, and the dressing. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 314mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 721IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 1mg

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Corn Salad collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

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Comments

  1. New go-to salad recipe! This corn salad is refreshingly good and delicious! The vinaigrette used is bursting with flavors, making the salad more addicting and satisfying! A perfect pair to our fav baby back ribs recipe!

    Reply

  3. Oh man, this was so fresh and delicious! We used it as a dip, but I would absolutely sit here and eat the entire bowl with a spoon, it’s soooo good.

    Reply