Canned Corn Salad is tangy with vibrant lime flavors that combine deliciously in this Mexican corn salad with canned corn. To save time, canned corn is charred on the stove-top and is blended with black beans, cotija cheese, and cilantro. Gluten-free.
A lower calorie version of Mexican Street Corn salad that’s made without mayo & can be served as a corn dip, salad, or as a lettuce wrap.
This Mexican street corn salad is a spin on traditional elote corn, which is simply Mexican corn on the cob. It’s typically coated with salt, chile powder, butter, cotija, lime juice, and mayonnaise or crema Fresca. Our version cuts calories, not flavor, by getting rid of the butter and mayo, but keeps the chili powder, cotija cheese, and lots of lime juice!
We take this delicious treat and make it the perfect accompaniment to any BBQ or summer party turning it into a salad that takes no time at all to prepare, is less messy, and is easier to serve than hot corn served to a large group.
Take a look at how easy this salad comes together by watching the recipe video or keep reading to see how simple this salad is to put together.
How To Make
Start by prepping the ingredients. It’s always quicker to put together a recipe when you have all the ingredients ready to go.
- dice the onion
- mince the garlic
- chop the cilantro
- open and drain the canned goods
- slice limes in half
How to Peel Garlic
- Break off a clove of garlic from the bulb
- Use a large flat knife and place it on top of the clove of garlic
- Carefully hit the knife with the palm of your hand, smashing the garlic
- The outside will now easily peel right off
Use a kitchen knife, place it on top of the garlic, and carefully smash it with the palm of your hand.
Peel the skin from the garlic and mince!
How To Chop Cilantro
KITCHEN TIP: Take the time prior to chopping cilantro to remove the leaves from the stems. It takes only a minute to do and you won’t have any of the stem sections in your recipes (believe me, I have done it otherwise, and it’s not fun to pick out).
- Take a piece of cilantro and hold it firmly in one hand
- Take your other hand and hold it by the leaf portion
- Gently pull, removing the leaves as you go
Gently pull, removing only the leaves.
You now have leaves and stems. Toss the stems and chop the leaves.
How To Roast Canned Corn
Traditionally this salad would be made with grilled corn fresh off the cob. That sounds pretty amazing to me, but to simplify this dish we are charring stove-top. No need for a grill, no need for in-season sweet corn, no need to spend the time roasting. Grab a can of sweet corn kernels instead.
For this part of the recipe you’ll need:
- 1 can of corn kernels, drained
- 1 lime
- a drizzle of olive oil
Kitchen Tip: Don’t want to roast the corn? Skip it.
I’ve skipped this step and the salad was nearly as tasty as when the corn was roasted.
If you’d like to take the time to roast the corn on the cob, you can do so in the oven or on the grill.
Three methods for roasting corn on the grill
Stove Top:
- Heat olive oil in the pan
- Add minced garlic and drained canned corn
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until corn starts to brown, stirring occasionally
Once the corn is roasted, go ahead and sprinkle with salt and squeeze a lime into the pan. The juice from the lime deglazes the pan getting all those tasty bits off the pan and into your salad.
While the corn is roasting, start making your sauce. It comes together quickly and is a fantastic compliment to the Mexican corn salad.
Combine the Greek yogurt, cumin, chili powder, honey, and salt. Squeeze in the juice from another lime and stir. Set aside.
Now you simply need to combine the ingredients to finish off the salad.
Add the canned tomatoes, diced onion, chopped peppers and the can of drained black beans.
Add in the corn, cilantro and cheese.
Kitchen Tip: If you are not going to be serving the salad right away, hold off on adding the cheese until right before serving.
Can’t find cotija cheese? Try queso fresco instead.
This versatile dish can be served as a salad, served as a dip with chips on the side, or served as a salad wrapped in lettuce for a delicious lunch option.
More BBQ Recipes
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Canned Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 15 ounces whole kernel sweet corn, drained ✅
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large limes
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon chili powder ✅
- 1 teaspoon cumin ✅
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + extra
- 15 ounces can black beans, drained and rinsed ✅
- 14.5 ounces can diced tomatoes, drained ✅
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese
Instructions
Roasting Corn In Skillet
- ⭐️Heat the oil and add the corn. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized saute pan. Add minced garlic and drained canned corn. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until corn starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Once the corn is roasted, sprinkle with salt and squeeze the juice of 1 whole lime into the pan, stirring to deglaze.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 15 ounces whole kernel sweet corn, drained, 2 large limes
To Make Creamy Chili Lime Dressing
- Combine the sauce ingredients. Combine Greek yogurt, cumin, chili powder, honey, and salt. Squeeze in the juice from 1 whole lime, stirring well.1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt + extra, 2 large limes
- Assemble the salad. Add the canned tomatoes, diced onion, chopped peppers and the can of drained black beans. Add in the roasted corn, cilantro, and cotija cheese, stirring to combine. Add dressing right before serving.15 ounces can black beans, drained and rinsed, 14.5 ounces can diced tomatoes, drained, 1 onion, chopped, 1 pepper, chopped, 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, 1/2 cup cotija cheese
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed these recipes make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below!
Then follow us on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. We love seeing what you come up with!
Megan says
This was the best salad! Everyone asked for the recipe!