Sweet Corn Salad
Make this Corn and Tomato Salad recipe for your next potluck or BBQ. It’s a quick and easy summer side dish that everyone loves!
If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am a total sucker for the Farmers Market. My Saturday morning ritual is to make the trip downtown, fight someone over a parking spot, circle the whole market twice, scope out what looks good, load my arms as full as I possibly can, then hitting up this little coffee shop on the corner.
I love it. It just seems like such a great way to start the weekend. There is usually a band playing from one of the upper floors of the downtown shops. It is the only time this place we live in now actually reminds me of the town I grew up in. The community, the fellowship, the good food. I love it all.
Last week I ended up with a load of sweet corn because I just couldn’t help myself. I knew from the start I wanted to grill it. I just didn’t know what else I wanted to do. Ultimately, I settled on a grilled corn salad because the tomatoes I had were absolutely perfect and I knew the combo would be amazing.
It definitely did not disappoint. I grilled the sweet corn, cut it off the cob, then threw in some halved cherry tomatoes, a chopped bell pepper, lime juice, cumin, garlic salt, and a little pepper. I topped the salad with a little crumbling cheese and some chopped green onions and cilantro.
Ingredients for the Corn and Tomato Salad
This summer corn salad recipe is bursting with fresh flavors! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Fresh sweet corn
- Cherry tomatoes
- Green bell pepper
- Lime juice
- Spices (cumin, pepper, garlic salt)
- Green onions
- Queso fresco (or another crumbling cheese)
How to Make Corn and Tomato Salad
This sweet corn salad recipe comes together so easily! Here’s how it’s made:
- Soak the unshucked ears of sweet corn in water for 20 minutes.
- After the corn has soaked, remove it from the water and lightly pat dry with a paper towel.
- Heat your grill to medium heat. Place the corn directly on the grill and let cook for 25-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and bell pepper. Place them in a large bowl.
- When the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the husk and silk. Cut the corn off the cob and place it in the bowl with the tomatoes and bell pepper.
- Sprinkle with spices and squeeze a lime over the top.
- Top with green onions and the crumbling cheese.
Do I Have to Grill the Corn?
No! We love making this recipe as a grilled corn salad, but you can cook the corn another way if you don’t have a grill or grill pan.
Can This Recipe Be Prepped in Advance?
Yes! This sweet corn salad recipe stays good up to three days in the fridge. It actually tastes better the next day after the flavors have had time to come together.
Tips for Making a Sweet Corn Salad
- Be sure to soak the ears of corn in water first. This prevents the husk from burning on the grill.
- If you’d like a spicier summer corn salad recipe, add some chopped jalapeño to the bowl.
- We ate this sweet corn salad recipe with steak, but the leftovers were great with tortilla chips or in a quesadilla.
More Easy Summer Side Dishes:
- Air Fryer Green Bean Fries
- Cold Asparagus Salad
- Keto Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans
- Italian Herb Kale Chips
- Zucchini Fries
Get the Recipe: Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 4 ears sweet corn
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- 1/4 cup Queso fresco, or other mexican crumbling cheese
Instructions
- Soak the unshucked ears of sweet corn in water for 20 minutes. (This will prevent the corn from burning the outside before it cooks all the way through).
- After the corn has soaked remove it from the water and lightly pat dry with a paper towel.
- Heat your grill to medium heat. Place the corn directly on the grill and let cook for 25-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes.
- Remove corn from grill and let it cool.
- Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and bell pepper. Place them in a large bowl.
- When corn is cool enough to handle, remove the husk and silk (it should easily come off). Carefully cut the corn off the cob and place it in the bowl with the tomatoes and bell pepper.
- Sprinkle with cumin, pepper, and garlic salt and squeeze a lime over the top. Stir until everything is evenly coated.
- Top with green onions and the crumbling cheese. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
I love Saturday mornings like that, Annie! If I can get out of work early on Fridays, I usually go to the farmer’s market then, but if not, Saturdays it is! I will be sad to see it go come this fall. This salad looks amazing! As you know, I’m a total corn salad girl,definitely reminds me of summer! Beautiful colors, too!
Oh I will be SO sad when they close! It is such a nice way to start the weekend! And the food is so much better!
Oh, man. This salad is SO up my alley! I adore fresh corn salads in the summertime and I LOVE all of the ingredients in your version! This will be the perfect way to use up all my garden cherry tomatoes! 🙂
I agree! Corn salads are the best!
What a gorgeous salad! I am loving all those colors and ingredients. Yum!
Thank you Kristi!
I’m a farmer’s market gal too. We don’t go very often but it keeps me from getting more than I could ever eat simply because everything looks SO good. Corn is something I will never turn down, especially when limes are involved. I’ve been on a lime kick and adding to Mexican food makes it even more addictive. This salad would be perfect for a picnic!
This is great picnic food!! 🙂
Such a light and summery dish!
Thank you Olivia!
This salad looks wonderful! I love the idea of the farmer’s market, but I always end up with a few really random things like a $6 half pint of hummus, strawberries, and two tomatoes. I think if I actually went there with a list, like I do for the grocery store, I would do a lot better!
That is true!! The last time I went they had homemade GF pasta and pie! But my hands were too full so I didn’t get any. I usually just make a list of the fruits/veggies we need for the week and then only get our meat, cereal, spices, etc from the grocery. I will be SO sad when it closes this fall!
I got two sweet corns sitting and I was unable to make up my mind on how to use these!! I think I found it now! Thanks!
I am so glad! I bet you love this! It is so easy!
Yumm!! lovely, light and so summery.. Love the fresh corn salad!! 🙂
Me too! It is one of my favorite summer dishes!
Hey, Annie! I just wanted to let you know that I have nominated you for a Liebster Award if you’re interested in participating. Hope you are! If you haven’t heard of it, you can google it or you can head over to my blog to check out the details. This salad looks amazing, by the way. Yum! I love corn 🙂
Anna! Thank you so much for thinking of me!! I will definitely check it out! 🙂
You’re welcome 🙂 Looking forward to reading your answers!
This is such a perfect summer dish and I love lime with tomatoes and corn!
Thank you Kathy! I do too!
I am secretly jealous of your farmers market trips on Saturday morning. It sounds like a perfect way to start the weekend. I love anything with corn and tomatoes and can probably eat it every day. Lovely dish.
It really is a nice way to start the weekend! 🙂 I will be sad to see it go this fall!
My company recently starting doing a farmer’s market on Fridays, I need to go! This salad looks absolutely gorgeous and delicious. I love the colors, it’s so fresh and vibrant. Pinning!
How fun?! I love that idea! That sounds like a perfect Friday afternoon to me!
I love corn and tomatoes together! I also love the ingredients you’ve added – especially the cumin – that seems like an intriguing addition! Adding to my must try list. Thanks for the recipe.
Your so right Geraldine! Corn and tomatoes are a great combo!
Fresh corn is pretty much my favorite thing about summer…that and cherries. This salad looks like a great way to use it! Looks like an absolutely delicious, fresh, awesome salad 🙂
I totally agree! I just can’t get enough of it!
beautifully captured.. the colours are amazing! love getting new salad inspiration, definitely trying this recipe out in my kitchen!
Thank you Thalia! I hope you enjoy! 🙂
Sounds like a dream day to me! Nothing better then a weekend morning at the farmer’s market! I really like this salad idea. Lime is one of my favorite ways to dress a salad…
I agree completely! Lime is so simple, but refreshing. It is always a great way to jazz up any salad!
This salad is really beautiful! I love the different colors and flavors.
Aren’t colorful summer salads the best?! 🙂
This sounds so fresh and light! I just absolutely love the colors!
Thank you Leah!
I just started an instagram account! I’ll have to look for you! I love a sweet take on a corn salad. 🙂
Yes Tina! My username is maebellskitche, I looked for you but I couldn’t find you! 🙂
So right now I have 8 ears of corn in my fridge. Why? Because my grocery store had them on sale, 8 for $1. I’m not going to be passing that up! This salad is the perfect way to use them up. Looks delicious!
Your just like me! I think it was $2 a dozen last week so naturally I bought a full dozen for the two of us! ha!
This is one of my favourite kinds of salads. We love roasted corn with jalapenoes and some avocado.
Oh absolutely! That flavor combo is hard to beat!
This looks like the ultimate summer salad! I love it!
Thank you!! It is hard to beat fresh sweet corn, isn’t it?!
I’m looking so forward to going to the farmers market tomorrow. I’m like a kid in a candy store!
I love this salad! All that corn and tomatoes look fantastic and so fresh 😀
Oh me too Cindy! 🙂 I have to limit myself to what I can carry, otherwise I would come homes with loads of produce!
This salad is so pretty! We are obsessed with summer sweet corn and this salad is such a great way to use them up 🙂 Love the cherry tomatoes, cheese, bell pepper and lime in here!
Corn salads are one my favorite dishes in the summer! This looks eye-popping delicious, and I’m so craving a big bowl right now! 🙂
Corn is one of my favorite things to eat but unfortunately I don’t eat it enough. I love the sound of your salad! I think I’ll give it a try. Oh and your farmers market sounds like so much fun! I would love to have one like that here. Have a great week!