Mexican Bean Salad is perfect for summer picnics and parties that you can make the night before. The festive colors & delicious taste are sure to be a hit.
Once more I have thank my lovely sister in law Gayle for this recipe. I’m not sure where she got it or if she just created it on her own but I do know it’s delicious and easy to make and we’ve all been making Gayle’s Mexican Bean Salad for years. It’s colorful, tasty and just the perfect salad to have at your next picnic or party because everyone loves it.
Mexican Bean Salad Ingredients
The ingredients are basically beans, corn, peppers, onions and cilantro tossed in a Mexican vinaigrette. A note on the cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro you can always substitute basil or parsley or both. I like the vinaigrette on it’s own as it’s got some lime, garlic and cumin and tastes delicious. I used canned beans and Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn.
Just chop up a few veggies and whisked the dressing and you are done. Quick and easy like most of my recipes. You can make this the night before and it will taste even better which is helpful when you are having a party.
And you don’t have to save this for a party obviously. We ate it for dinner and had some leftovers for the weekend. You could even add some chicken or shrimp to make it more of a meal.
Quick & Easy Mexican Bean salad
So I hope you enjoy Gayle’s Bean Salad as much as we do! I also have a veggie & bean dip that you eat with chips and is a great appetizer to take to a party. For more quick & easy summer salads scroll down to see some of my favorites.

Mexican Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup corn, frozen or canned
- 1 can black beans
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 cup chopped sweet peppers
- 1/2 cup of cilantro chopped (can substitute parsley or basil)
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
- dash of cayenne
Instructions
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Cook frozen corn according to directioins. Let cool.
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Drain and rinse the black beans and add to a large bowl.
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Add your corn, peppers, onions and cilantro and mix well.
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In a separate bowl whisk the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, garlic, salt and cayenne.
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Add dressing to the salad and toss well.
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Can be made the night before.
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If you are not a fan of cilantro you can substitute parsley and/or basil.
More summer salads to try!
- Apricot Pecan Kale Salad
- Easy Italian Sub Salad
- Strawberry Mint Bean Salad
- Arugula Couscous Salad
Anni
Loved it thank you for shsring
Marcia Pacak
Corn doesn’t need thawed does it?
Denise
Hi Marcia, thanks for bringing that to my attention. I’ve fixed the recipe. It should be cooked and cooled. You can also use canned corn or leftover corn on the Cobb (cooked) if you wish. Hope you like it!
Tara
Could you make this without the oil? or substitute the oil for something else?
Denise
Hi Tara,
I guess you could make it without the oil. You could try an avocado that you blend with the lime, garlic and spices. Or you can add the spices and do the lime juice a little at a time and see if it tastes ok. I definitely think it is doable. Let me know how it goes!
Joy @ Joy Love Food
Yum, I love black bean and corn salads, this sounds delicious! And I’m going to be on the lookout for the frozen roasted corn at Trader Joes, what a great short cut. Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again next Monday!
Jess
What a great summer dish!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Jody @easypeasymom
Yum, this looks like a great side dish to bring to a summer party! Pinning, thanks for sharing!
Visiting from the Bloggers Brag link party
Brandi @ penguinsinpink.com
Sounds great! Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pintersest Party. I have pinned to the Bloggers Brags Broad.
Caroline | carolinescooking
Looks tasty! Great for going along lots of food from the grill.
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Perfect picnic food.