I challenge you to name a better combination than a salad that includes corn, tomato, avocado, cucumber, and thinly sliced shallots. You can't. It won't happen. This corn salad with tomato and avocado is elite, and with the simplest vinaigrette on top, it's giving peak summer vibes.
Not to brag, but when I teased about this salad on my instagram page, I had at least 15 different people tell me they need this recipe STAT. I mean, can you blame them? The balance of salty, tangy, sweet, juicy, crunchy, it just satisfies all of those flavor profiles in literally one bite. Throw some grilled chicken (or my grilled honey lime shrimp) in for protein and game over.
TL; DR Summary - Corn and Avocado Salad
- 👩🏼🍳 Cook Level: Easy/Beginner
- ⏱️ Cook Time: less than 10 minutes
- 🗝️ Key Ingredients: Corn, avocado, shallots, cucumbers, cherry or grape tomatoes, and a simple vinaigrette.
- 📖 Dietary Info: Nightshades (tomatoes)
- 😋 Taste: Bitter, tart, creamy, crunchy
- 💖 Why You'll Love: I love this base recipe to keep it incredible versatile for anything you want to make this for! It's great for lunch, dinner, side salad, and more.
- 🍽️ Best Paired With: You can amp up the protein with my grilled teriyaki chicken thighs or even juicy sheet pan chicken sausage. I also love this salad alongside sandwiches like my chicken salad with craisins sandwich or who could deny a classic chicken caesar salad wrap? Not me.
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- TL; DR Summary - Corn and Avocado Salad
- Corn Salad Tips and Key Reminders
- Make it Meal Prep Friendly!
- The Main Ingredients
- Simple Salad Swaps and Substitutions
- How to make a corn, avocado, and tomato salad
- Mistakes I've Made (so YOU don't have to!)
- Avocado and Corn Salad FAQs
- Check out these other refreshing salad recipes
- Corn Salad with Tomato and Avocado
Corn Salad Tips and Key Reminders
- If you are scaling this recipe up, don't double the dressing ingredients. It's a lot to start with, and I did it this way because some people like a wetter salad, and some like a light amount. Trust me, the recipe the way its written yields plenty to go around!
- I suggest using corn on the cob for this, don't even worry about boiling or charring ahead of time. It's sweet, tender, and has a ridiculous crunch right off the cob.
- Really do your best to use a shallot in this recipe instead of an onion. I know that people don't always use shallots, but I freaking love them, and it's literally a go to for recipes. I love a shallot.
- Wait until the very last step to add in the avocado and fold it into the salad already dressed. I personally think it tastes better this way.
Make it Meal Prep Friendly!
- Prep all the ingredients and combine them except for the avocado, wait to dice and add the avocado upon serving.
- I would also advise not combining the tomatoes with the other vegetables until ready to serve as the tomatoes can make the rest of the salad soggy.
- Prepare the dressing ahead of time, and when you want to use it, take it out of the fridge 15 minutes prior, then shake and pour.
The Main Ingredients
- Corn: Corn adds sweetness and texture to the salad.
- Avocado: Avocado adds creaminess and helps make the salad more filling.
- Shallot: Shallot adds a mild onion flavor that complements the fresh vegetables.
- Cucumber: Cucumber adds crunch and helps keep the salad fresh.
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes add juiciness and balance the flavors with a little acidity.
- For the Vinaigrette:
- White Wine Vinegar: White wine vinegar adds acidity and brightens the flavors of the salad.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard adds flavor and helps emulsify the vinaigrette.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil creates a smooth dressing and coats the vegetables evenly.
- Lemon or Lime Juice: Lemon or lime juice adds fresh citrus flavor and brightens the dressing.
- Salt: Salt enhances the flavor of the vegetables and balances the dressing.
- Black Pepper: Black pepper adds a mild kick and rounds out the flavor of the vinaigrette.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Simple Salad Swaps and Substitutions
- Swap out anything but the shallot, trust me on this one. IF YOU MUST, you can use a standard yellow onion, or go for scallions, that could be fun.
- For added protein, use shrimp like my honey lime shrimp skewers or even add as a side for greek chicken burgers with homemade tzatziki.
- Add some heat with chili powder or crushed red peppers. You can even go a step further and use half a jalapéno.
How to make a corn, avocado, and tomato salad
Step 1: In a medium sized mixing bowl combine halved grape or cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced shallots, diced cucumber, and kernels of corn.
Step 2: To the vegetables in the mixing bowl, add one diced avocado (or half, your preference on how much here) directly into the bowl.
Step 3: For the vinaigrette: combine lemon juice, white wine, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard in a mason jar. Close the lid to the mason jar, and shake vigorously until all the ingredients are combined. Drizzle a top the salad and serve as is or with your favorite protein.
Mistakes I've Made (so YOU don't have to!)
- DO NOT double the recipe for the dressing. It yields plenty at the start, otherwise you'll make the entire salad soggy and it will overpower the other flavors of the recipe.
- In my first test of this recipe, I didn't cut the cucumbers as small as I would have liked, as well as the tomatoes. This isn't REALLY a mistake, but use this as a reminder to keep your cutting and dicing to relatively the same sizes so that the vegetables balance one another.
Avocado and Corn Salad FAQs
As I mentioned above, you can throw in some shrimp, rotisserie chicken (or even my oven baked chicken thighs), panko breaded chicken cutlets, or serve under sheet pan baked salmon.
Short Answer: No
Long Answer: No, but I find it fun to make your own dressing for a recipe like this, as it's slightly different than using your standard Italian or Greek dressing.
I love the idea of throwing in feta cheese or shredded mozzarella, roasted red peppers, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, or even swap out the fresh tomatoes for sundried tomatoes.
Check out these other refreshing salad recipes
Did you love this recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you're just as in love with this recipe as I am, please share a comment below and rate it! Better yet, share this recipe with family and friends!! Thank you!
Corn Salad with Tomato and Avocado
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups corn
- 1 ½ cups grape tomatoes halved
- 1 large shallot thinly sliced
- 1 whole avocado diced
- 2 medium cucumbers sliced and quartered
Instructions
- In a medium sized mixing bowl combine halved grape or cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced shallots, diced cucumber, and kernels of corn.
- To the vegetables in the mixing bowl, add one diced avocado directly into the bowl.
- For the vinaigrette: combine lemon juice, white wine, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard in a mason jar. Close the lid to the mason jar, and shake vigorously until all the ingredients are combined. Drizzle a top the salad and serve as is or with your favorite protein.
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