Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado

Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado is a crowd-pleaser for parties. It’s a super-easy party food made from ingredients you probably have on hand already.

Why This Dip Always Disappears

If you’re looking for a crowd-pleaser for your next party, Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado is your friend. It’s easy, delicious, and the bowl is ALWAYS licked clean by the end of the get-together.

Last time I made it, it disappeared before halftime of our college football watch-party. Two people asked me for the recipe as they left.

Later that night, I got a text from a friend asking if it was REALLY as simple as dumping stuff out of cans into a bowl.

When they see how simple this recipe is, many people are convinced there MUST be more to it. It just DOESN’T SEEM possible that such a delicious appetizer could be this simple.

But it IS. Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado really is as easy as dumping stuff out of cans into a bowl.

It takes about ten to fifteen minutes from start to finish to make this recipe, depending on how fast you dice that onion and avocado, with NO cooking involved.

The Shoe Peg Corn Secret and What Happens Without It

The star of this dish is the sweet, tender, bite-sized shoe peg corn. Shoe peg corn has smaller, more concentrated kernels which pack a bigger corn punch.

They’re denser and sweeter, making them ideal for this recipe.

However, standard canned sweet corn or thawed frozen corn are both acceptable alternatives. The texture of shoe peg corn is integral to the success of this recipe.

Regular sweet corn kernels are larger and less concentrated. As such, this salsa with regular sweet corn does NOT have the same taste and texture.

You’ll be missing out.

The most popular brand of white shoepeg corn is Green Giant. However, any shoepeg corn will work too.

It’s the size of the kernel that matters most, not the color.

Ten Ingredients, Fifteen Minutes

Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado has been a regular in our house for potlucks, parties, game days, and more ever since.

I know from bitter experience that salsa is easy to mess up. Too much garlic and you have garlicky salsa.

Not enough garlic or salt and you have bland salsa. Not enough liquid and you have a chunky salsa that dries out on contact with the air.

Too much liquid and you have watery salsa that no one wants to dip a chip into. Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado is the salsa that always comes out right, every time.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado Recipe

Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado is the perfect party dip. It’s bursting with flavor and comes together in just minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 cans black beans (15 oz), drained and rinsed well
• 1 can shoepeg corn (11 oz)
• 1 can Rotel, which is Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles (10 oz)
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Tablespoons lime juice, about 2 medium-sized limes
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
• Avocado

Drain and rinse really well to get rid of the starchy canned water, or the salsa will be slimy. Any brand is OK.

I’ve made it with low sodium, too. The cumin and lime give it plenty of flavor.

Do not drain it, the liquid will enhance the flavor of the salsa. Original is best.

Hot if you want a little more spiciness. If you cannot find Rotel, I suggest 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 small can diced green chiles.

Red onion has the right amount of piquancy and sweetness without overpowering the dish, unlike raw white and yellow onions. Cut it to 1/4-inch size, so that one bite is not overwhelmed with a mouthful of raw onion.

If you find the raw red onion a little too spicy, soak the chopped pieces in ice-cold water for 5 minutes before adding them to the salsa.

Olive oil + lime juice (4 T. each)

The two act like a thin dressing that clings to the corn and beans. Not enough acid = bland.

Not enough oil = dry. Start with four tablespoons each, then adjust if needed, but don’t leave out either ingredient.

It goes without saying that fresh squeezed limes taste better than bottled. Two medium sized limes will yield 4 tbsp. of lime juice.

Don’t sub in lemon juice for lime juice, because it’s the lime that gives the dressing a distinctly more Mexican feel rather than merely a salad of veggies.

Fresh cilantro (1/4 cup, chopped)

Use both the leaves and the tender stems; they have just as much flavor. If you’re one of those people that hates cilantro (the genetic kind where it tastes like soap), then the closest substitution would be 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley and the zest of one lime.

It’s not a perfect substitute, but it works.

Ground cumin (1½ tsp.)

It provides a warm, earthy backbone that gives the dish a distinctly Mexican character, rather than it simply tasting like a medley of vegetables. Make sure you don’t leave it out or cut it back. 1.5 teaspoons is absolutely the right amount for this quantity.

Avocados (2, chopped)

I prefer them ripe but still firm. They can be sliced more easily, and they stay firm when mixed.

I like the Hass variety. Add them at the end, right before eating.

This is the key difference between a tasty bowl and a gray mushy mess.

How to Make Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Avocado

Add the beans, corn, Rotel and its juice, red onion, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, cumin, and salt to a large bowl and stir together well. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Dice the avocados and stir them into the bean and corn mixture just before serving. The salsa will turn green if you add them sooner.

Be sure to rinse the black beans well before adding them to the recipe. Place them in a sieve or colander and rinse them with cold water until it runs clear.

The residue that causes them to foam will make the salsa a bit slimy if it’s not rinsed from the beans.

Chip Strategy and Other Ways to Use It

This recipe makes six cups of corn and black bean salsa. It’s plenty for eight to 10 people as a snack with chips.

Double the recipe if serving more people or if you’ll be serving it with something else.

If you’re planning to serve it with tortilla chips, my advice is to use a very wide and shallow bowl for the salsa, and to use scoop-shaped chips like Tostitos Scoops. They’re less likely to break, which makes a sticky and annoying mess.

Corn and black bean salsa is also wonderful as a condiment with foods like grilled chicken, pork tenderloin, or grilled tilapia fillets. Spoon it over tacos, add it to a burrito bowl, serve it with barbecue as a vegetable dish, or spoon it over baked potatoes.

Get creative.

Make It the Day Before (Avocado Goes in Last)

If your salsa doesn’t have avocado, you can store it in the fridge for up to four days (sealed in an airtight container). It’ll actually taste better the second or third day because the cumin and limes will have soaked into all the other ingredients.

Once avocado is on top, it has to be consumed within 24 hours. The lime juice may slow down oxidation (the reason why the avocado turns brown), but within 48 hours, the avocado will turn grayish.

Best to have the salsa assembled minus avocado the day before, and toss it in right before serving.

This salsa doesn’t freeze very well. It’s best to make it the day of, because the vegetables will lose their crispness after being frozen and thawed.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa FAQ

Can I leave out the avocado?

Sure! In fact, that’s a better option when bringing the salsa on the road or if you’re making it ahead of time by a few hours.

Without the avocado, it will keep for 4 days. Just bring the avocado separately, chop when you get there, and mix in just before eating.

That’s how I do it for potlucks.

How do I keep the avocado from turning brown?

The lime juice in the salsa delays the avocado from browning, and putting in the avocado no longer than 30 minutes prior to serving will delay it even more. If that’s not possible, put the diced avocado in earlier and put 1 tablespoon of extra lime juice on the diced avocado before mixing it in.

There is no way to permanently prevent browning. The best way to avoid it is to time it perfectly.

Is this the same as Texas caviar?

Not exactly. Texas caviar tends to use black-eyed peas instead of black beans, sometimes includes diced green peppers and is dressed with Italian salad dressing rather than olive oil and lime juice.

The result here is a bit more Mexican in flavor than Southern, but we love them both.

Can I make it spicier?

Use a hot version of the Rotel instead of the original, add 1-2 finely diced jalapeno peppers (use seeded to reduce heat or unseeded to increase heat) or use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne powder. As stated above, you can always balance out the heat of this dish with the addition of the avocado.

So don’t hesitate to make it as spicy as you want.

Other Party Dips That Come Home Empty

Taco Dip – this is a party food that does NOT require cooking. Layered with seasoned beef, sour cream, salsa, cheese, this is all kept cold and tastes amazing. Assemble this dip in a 9×13 pan and bring to parties.

Sheet Pan Oven Quesadillas – make ONE GIANT quesadilla in the oven, then cut into rectangles to serve.

Jalapeño Popper Dip – a party dip loaded with flavor. Cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar and jalapeños are mixed together, baked until bubbly then topped with a crispy panko topping. Yum!