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Loaded with fresh corn, tomatoes, and cucumber, this Summer Corn Salad has all of the best flavors of summer in one bowl! Perfect as a side dish to share or a snack to keep on hand. A refreshing salad that is so quick and easy to throw together.
We love keeping fresh, chunky salads on hand throughout the summer. It’s a great way to use the season’s best produce from the garden, and there’s nothing more refreshing than a cold bite on a hot day!
This Summer Corn Salad is absolutely loaded with goodness! Fresh vegetables are sprinkled with feta cheese and then drizzled in an amazing, lemon garlic vinaigrette. We could drink the vinaigrette straight from the jar – it’s that tasty!
Make this Summer Corn Salad recipe a day or two ahead to let the flavors develop, and share it at your next potluck or BBQ. It’s sure to be a hit!
Why you will love this healthy corn salad recipe
- Easy: Summer Corn Salad is so easy to throw together! Once the corn has boiled, all we had to do was shake up the salad dressing and mix everything together. So simple!
- Quick: It takes no time at all to throw this summer side dish together!
- Healthy: Loaded with fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, and healthy fats from the olive oil and feta cheese, Summer Corn Salad is so good for you!
- Meal Prep: We love making this recipe a day or two before serving. All of the flavors develop beautifully and it tastes even better the next day.
- Tasty: This salad is so delicious! Bursting with freshness from the vegetables and herbs, it gets drizzled in a tangy lemon vinaigrette. We like to double up on the vinaigrette for other salads throughout the week. It’s addictive!
What you’ll need for this simple Summer Corn Salad
- Corn: Fresh, whole corn on the cob is perfect for this recipe. If it’s not in season, frozen corn would also work well. Boil and drain it before adding the corn to the salad. Furthermore, you could also add canned corn. Boil it, drain it well and toss it in!
- Tomatoes: We love cherry tomatoes for salad recipes! However, any kind of tomato will be delicious, just cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Cucumber: English cucumbers are the best as they have fewer seeds. We recommend leaving the skin on as that’s where all of the best nutrition lies.
- Olives: Black olives are salty, fruity, and rich! Our favorite variety is kalamata. Green olives would also be tasty.
- Feta cheese: Rich and tangy, crumbled feta cheese adds a creaminess to this salad. It’s delicious!
- Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs add an amazing burst of flavor and are not optional! Chives have a slight onion taste, and parsley elevates all of the other aromas.
Salad Dressing:
- Olive oil: A healthy oil is always a great place to start when making a salad dressing like this lemon vinaigrette. We chose olive oil because it is so good for you and we always have it on hand, however, another healthy oil like avocado oil would be great too.
- Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is the perfect vinegar for salad dressing. It’s tart and a little sweet, but not overly vinegary. Another good option would be white wine vinegar.
- Lemon: Both the juice and zest are added to really make the lemon flavor shine! Lime is a great substitute if you have those on hand.
- Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is addictive! You can buy it pre-minced for ease if desired.
How to make summer corn salad:
- Prepare the corn: Boil the corn for 2-3 minutes, until tender with a crisp bite.
- Drain and cool: Drain and allow it to cool until easy to handle. Cut the kernels and place them in a large bowl.
- Prepare the other salad ingredients: Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, chives, and parsley and add them to the bowl along with the whole olives.
4. Shake up the dressing: Add all the dressing ingredients to a small jar and shake to emulsify.
5. Drizzle and toss: Drizzle dressing over the summer corn salad and toss to combine.
Tips For Success
- Add in other fruits and vegetables! Avocado, diced red onion, bell peppers (any color!), and celery would all be great in this Summer Corn Salad recipe. Clear out that fridge!
- Is corn on the cob out of season? Make it with frozen corn! Boil and drain the corn well before adding it to the salad. Canned corn is also another great option. Just boil it, drain it well and toss it in.
- Make it ahead! This recipe is great for preparing ahead of time. We like to make it a day before to allow all the flavors of the salad dressing to develop overnight in the fridge with the other ingredients. It tastes great the next day!
- Double the vinaigrette and save half for other salads throughout the week.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summer Corn Salad consists of fresh corn from a cob, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta cheese, and fresh herbs. It gets drizzled in an amazing homemade lemon vinaigrette.
Corn is perfectly safe to eat raw, however, most would agree that it tastes much better boiled or grilled. Baby corn, on the other hand, tastes great in its raw form.
Corn has many health benefits! Yellow corn contains carotenoids which are great for eye health and help prevent lens damage that leads to cataracts. Corn is also high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that protects your cells and helps prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease.
More healthy Salad recipes for your next cookout
- Easy Grape Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Parmesan Zucchini Corn Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Easy Fruit Salad
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Summer Corn Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn, shucked (4 cups corn kernels)
- 1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 English cucumber, small diced
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives, halved
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tbsp chopped chives
- 1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
Salad Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 lemon, juice, and zest
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Boil the corn for 2-3 minutes, until tender with a crisp to the bite.
- Drain and allow it to cool until easy to handle. Cut the kernels and place them in a large bowl.
- Add in the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, chives, and parsley.
- In a small jar, add all the dressing ingredients and shake to emulsify.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Notes
- Add in other fruits and vegetables! Avocado, diced red onion, bell peppers (any color!), and celery would all be great in this Summer Corn Salad recipe. Clear out that fridge!
- Is corn on the cob out of season? Make it with frozen corn! Boil and drain the corn well before adding it to the salad. Canned corn is also another great option. Just boil it, drain it well and toss it in.
- Make it ahead! This recipe is great for preparing ahead of time. We like to make it a day before to allow all the flavors of the salad dressing to develop overnight in the fridge with the other ingredients. It tastes great the next day!
- Double the vinaigrette and save half for other salads throughout the week.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
