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I first made this Corn Tomato Avocado Salad a handful of years ago when a vegan friend was coming over for dinner. I wanted a side dish that was fast and fresh and had a couple of ears of corn that needed to be used. This simple, 20-minute corn tomato avocado salad was born.

I love all of the textures and flavors in this salad: crunchy corn, sweet tomatoes, and creamy avocado. I kept the corn tomato avocado salad dressing simple, too. It’s just olive oil, lime juice, chopped cilantro, salt, and pepper. It adds tanginess but still really lets the salad’s fresh ingredients speak for themselves. Plus, it’s great with Tofu Tacos—or, if you’re not vegan, grilled chicken or shrimp.

Recipe At a Glance

Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
Dietary Info: Vegan
Key Flavor: Corn, avocado, tomato
Skill Level: Easy

Why This Is So Good

• Minimal ingredients: With just 7 ingredients, this is the ultimate no-fuss, summer side.
• Customizable: You can absolutely sprinkle in cheese or add a little more “meatiness” by stirring in canned, drained black beans.
• It’s also a great appetizer: As much as I love this corn tomato avocado salad as a side, it’s also delicious scooped up with tortilla chips.

Ingredients to Make Corn Tomato Avocado Salad

The great thing about this summer salad recipe is that most of the ingredients are actually in the title of the recipe!

• Corn: Fresh corn off the cob is best to take advantage of the plentiful corn during the summer. You can grill the corn, boil it, or microwave it as I do in the recipe video. If it’s off-season, you can also use frozen corn.
• Tomatoes: I usually opt for the small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes instead of whole larger tomatoes. That’s because the smaller ones tend to release less water but taste sweeter, which is perfect in this corn tomato avocado salad
• Avocados: Make sure they’re ripe and cut them into large chunks. You’re looking for the perfect balance of firm but creamy. Check out this article for more tips on selecting the perfect avocado and how to cut an avocado.
• Red onions: They add a fun purple color to the salad and have a relatively mild flavor, especially when chopped finely. If you find the flavor too strong when it’s raw, try soaking the red onions in water before tossing the salad. You can also substitute with green onions or chives.
• Cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil: Flavor, flavor, flavor!

Popular Substitutions & Additions

• Add in crumbled feta or cotija cheese. This would add a salty pop to the salad.
• Pickle the onions. This salad calls for diced, raw red onion. But for a vinegary bite, you could use pickled red onions.
• Add spices. Sprinkle in chile powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, or paprika.
• Use a different dressing. I love how simple this salad’s dressing is, but you could absolutely swap in something like this creamy cilantro yogurt dressing.

How to Make Corn Tomato Avocado Salad

This fast, fresh salad couldn’t be easier to make: Whisk up a quick dressing, then add the fresh veg.

Tips for Making the Best Summer Corn Tomato Avocado Salad

1. Set the red onions in a bowl of cold water. You can do this while preparing the remaining ingredients. It mellows out the strong flavor of the red onions if they are too astringent.
2. Grill the corn for a smokey flavor. Cooking the corn on the grill adds a unique sweet flavor to the corn that you just can’t get by preparing it any other way.
3. Enjoy the salad immediately. You can certainly toss it together and allow the flavors to set and blend for half an hour. But just keep in mind the avocados may not be as bright green. I recommend serving it right after you mix it.
4. Choose a ripe avocado. A ripe avocado should have a very slight give to it, but not be too soft. It has soft or dented spots, it’s probably gone bad. And if it’s hard to the touch, it’s not ripe yet.

What to Serve With Corn Tomato Avocado Salad

• Grilled Shrimp Tacos
• Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Mexican Street Tacos
• Salmon Kabobs

Frequently Asked Questions

I feel like this has to be one of the best fresh corn salad recipes out there. It’s tasty, easy as can be, and crunchy, creamy, and citrusy. While this corn tomato avocado salad can’t really be made ahead, this won’t stop me from making it all summer long: It’s that easy and that good.

More Salad Recipes:

• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Quinoa Avocado Salad
• Tomato Avocado Cucumber Salad
• Avocado Pasta Salad
• Cauliflower Potato Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Healthy Coleslaw
• Healthy Egg Salad
• Watermelon Cucumber Salad

If you try this feel good Corn Tomato Avocado Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!

This recipe was originally published on July 5, 2019 and was recently updated to include new photography, step-by-step instructions, and tips to help better make the recipe. The recipe was slightly updated to remove the lettuce.