Mexican Corn Salad with Queso Fresco

Take advantage of summer's bounty with this Mexican corn salad with queso fresco, avocado, bell peppers and jalapeño! This fresh corn salad with avocado is an ideal side dish for all your summer cookouts! A perfect choice to make ahead of time.

Sweet corn, crunchy peppers and creamy avocado, all tossed in honey-lime dressing make this Mexican Corn Salad with Queso Fresco an amazing summer salad with Southwest flavours!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

• This fresh corn salad goes with almost anything--grilled meats or vegetarian mains.
• It's easy to double or even triple the recipe if you're serving a crowd.
• Unlike many Mexican street corn salads, this is a corn salad without mayo. No worries about it spoiling at room temperature.
• Make it a day in advance!

🛒 Ingredients and substitutions

You'll find a complete list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But before we get to the full recipe, here are a few notes about some of the key ingredients.

• corn: fresh ears of just-picked corn will give the best flavour, but that's not always possible! If you don't have fresh corn, frozen corn is the next best choice. Canned corn will be too soft for this recipe, and may end up turning mushy.
• avocado: look for one that is ripe but still firm so it will keep its shape in the salad.
• bell pepper: use red or yellow or both! These add a bright crunchy texture to this corn salad.
• red onion: for pungent flavour and a hint of spiciness!
• jalapeño: finely minced, it adds a little Southwestern heat to this salad.
• lime and fresh cilantro: more Tex-Mex flavour favourites.
• queso fresco: a Mexican cheese "fresh cheese" that is made from raw cow's milk or a combination of cow and goat milk. Most of what you'll find in North America is made from pasteurized cow's milk. It's available in the deli section of many grocery stores, or in supermarkets like Whole Foods.
• chopped lettuce or other crisp greens (optional)
• Honey-Lime Dressing: this corn salad is tossed with a delicious vinaigrette made with olive oil, lime juice, paprika, honey, onion powder and sea salt. You may have used a similar dressing in my Shrimp Fajita Salad.

🔪 Easy Step-by-Step Instructions

Here's an overview of what you'll do to make this recipe perfectly. You'll find complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Make the dressing. You can either simply whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl or add them to a small jar with a lid. Shake until well combined and set aside to allow the flavours to blend. I've used this dressing in several other recipes including this Shrimp Fajita Salad.
2. Combine the salad ingredients. Add everything except the avocado and cheese to a large bowl.
   
3. Serve. Just before serving, top with cubed avocado and crumbled queso fresco. Toss with honey-lime dressing and serve with lime wedges while it's fresh and crisp.

🔁 Possible Variations

👍🏼 Helpful Tip

If you'd like to make this ahead of time, combine, cover and refrigerate. Wait until serving time to add the avocado and cheese.

❓How to cook corn for corn salad

🍽 What to serve with Mexican corn salad

⏰ Storage Instructions

🗒 More summer salad recipes

When you make this Mexican corn salad recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing from you! Thanks in advance. Subscribe to my newsletter and receive new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.

📖 Recipe

Mexican Corn Salad with Queso Fresco

Take advantage of summer's bounty with this Mexican corn salad with queso fresco, avocado, bell peppers and jalapeño! This fresh corn salad is an ideal side for all your summer cookouts!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salads and Dressings

Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 293kcal

Author: Elaine

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 cups corn kernels, from 4 fresh ears or frozen corn
• ▢ 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• ▢ ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• ▢ ½ medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• ▢ 4 oz. queso fresco, crumbled
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
• ▢ 2 cups chopped romaine, (optional)

Honey-Lime Dressing

• ▢ ¼ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed from 2 limes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ¼t teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin

Instructions

• Combine the dressing ingredients in a small jar with a lid, give it a good shake and set aside to let the flavours blend.
• Cook the corn. I like to grill it to give it a slightly smoky taste and a bit of a char. You can also cook it in your pressure cooker, boil it in a pot on the stove, or steam it in its husk in a microwave. See below for cooking times for each.
• Chop the bell pepper, red onion and cilantro and mince the jalapeño pepper. Leave out the seeds if you don't want the salad to be overly spicy.
• Combine these ingredients with cooled corn kernels in a large bowl.
• Just before serving, top with chopped avocado and crumbled queso fresco and toss with honey-lime dressing.

Notes

Use your favourite way to cook corn for this salad.

1. Grilled corn on the cob. Shuck the cobs and brush with a high heat oil like avocado oil. Place the husked corn cobs on a grill preheated to 425 - 450°F. Cover and grill for about 8 -10 minutes, turning every 2 - 3 minutes to char slightly on each side.

2. Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) corn on the cob. Place the trivet in the bottom of the pot and add 1 cup water. Place the cobs in the pot (you can stack them 2 high.) Select 2 minutes, then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to do a Quick Release of the pressure.

3. Boiled corn on the cob. Fill a large pot with water (enough to cover the cobs.) Bring to a boil, then add the corn cobs. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 7 - 8 minutes or until tender. Remove with tongs.

4. Microwaved corn on the cob. Place unhusked cobs on a microwave-safe dish and cook on High for 4 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before shucking and removing the silk.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 953mg | Potassium: 370mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1655IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 1mg

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