Ready within 25 minutes, this fresh corn, tomato & avocado salad is the perfect quick and easy summer salad. It is made with simple ingredients, like cherry tomatoes, avocado, fresh corn, and chopped chives, and requires only 5 minutes of cooking time to boil the corn! Filled with robust flavours, fresh summer vegetables, creamy avocado, plus a kick from a homemade smoky jalapeño dressing, this easy chopped salad is perfect for your summer BBQ’s and get togethers.

Fresh corn, avocado, and summer tomatoes are the best of pals, and I needed to celebrate them in this simple salad. The colours and textures of this recipe are so inviting and guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser at your next cookout–no one will notice that it’s vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free. This recipe is tantalizing summer salad goodness without compromise!

We lightly char a jalapeño in a dry pot before blending it up in the dressing. Tart apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic, a tiny bit of maple syrup, and Tamari also join in for a savoury but balanced homemade dressing. This portion can be made up to a week in advance and kept in the fridge. You can blend the dressing up with the jalapeño seeds and ribs for more heat if you like! I use half of both in my dressing because I like a little bit of zip.

Prepping Fresh Corn for Salad:

• I remove the husks and silks from fresh corn cobs first.
• Drop the cobs into a pot of salted boiling water until they’re just starting to turn golden and tenderize–about 5 minutes.
• Remove the cobs from the water and let them cool slightly.
• To cut kernels off the cob, lay the cob flat on your cutting board. Using a chef knife, carefully cut the kernels off of one side. Rotate the cob so that the flat side is on the board, and then repeat the cutting step. I demonstrate the technique in this video.

For this salad, I do not recommend substituting canned or frozen corn for fresh. Summer corn is so sweet and tender, and it really shines in this recipe. The scrumptious fresh kernels with creamy and cool avocado, and tangy/almost nectarous summer tomatoes is just heaven in its simplicity. I personally love corn nuts and think that they are the perfect crunchy garnish here (salty! corny!), but if they’re not your thing, any roasted and salted nut/seed works on top.

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This corn tomato avocado salad would be the perfect barbecue cookout side to my vegan black bean burgers or my crispy BBQ pulled mushroom sandwiches. Enjoy!

25-Minute Fresh Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad

This vegan corn, tomato & avocado salad comes together with only 5 minutes of active cooking on the stove and 20 minutes of prep. A smoky and garlicky jalapeño dressing perfectly compliments the sweet and juicy corn, creamy avocado, and tangy summer tomatoes.

5 from 8 reader reviews

Print Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 25 minutes mins

Servings 6 -8

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1 small jalapeño
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Tamari or coconut aminos
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup or agave nectar
• ⅓ cup + 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Salad

• 4 cobs corn, peeled and silks removed
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 3 large ripe avocados (or 4 small)
• ¼ cup chopped chives
• ¼ cup salted corn nuts, roughly chopped

Equipment

• Blender

Notes

• I have you char the jalapeño in the big boiling pot because you’re already going to use that for the corn. Of course, if you have a gas stove and you’d like to char the jalapeño on the open flame, feel free to do so!
• I personally love corn nuts and think that they work perfectly here, but if you’re not a fan, I recommend using chopped roasted pistachios, almonds, or pumpkin seeds
• Because of the avocado, I do not recommend making this salad ahead of time. You can make the dressing and pre-boil/cut the corn up to 5 days ahead of time. Just keep both in sealed containers in the fridge.

Instructions

• Place a large pot (big enough to boil the corn) over medium high heat. Place the jalapeno in the dry pan and keep moving it around until you have some black and brown spots all over the exterior. Once done, remove jalapeño from the pot and turn off the heat.
• Remove the stem, seeds, and any excessively charred skin from the jalapeño and place it in an upright blender. To the blender, also add the smoked paprika, garlic, apple cider vinegar, Tamari, maple syrup, oil, water, salt, and pepper. Blend on high until completely smooth. Set aside.
• Fill the large pot with enough water to cover the corn cobs. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add a good pinch of salt to the water and then add the corn cobs. Boil the corn cobs until just tender, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the cobs and let them cool slightly on your cutting board.
• Once cool, cut the kernels off of the corn cobs with a knife. Place the kernels in a large bowl. Chop the cherry tomatoes in halves or quarters and add them to the bowl. Peel, pit, and dice the avocados and add them to the bowl. Add most of the chives. Pour in the dressing, add a good couple pinches of salt and pepper, and then gently toss to coat.
• Transfer the salad to your serving platter and top with the remaining chopped chives, corn nuts, and extra pepper. Serve immediately!

Author: Laura Wright

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: apple cider vinegar, avocado, bbq, cherry tomatoes, chives, corn, corn nuts, garlic, grape tomatoes, olive oil, smoked paprika, summer, tamari, tomato