Fresh Corn Salad
55 Comments
Updated May 23, 2024
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This corn salad is the ultimate summer side dish that’s brimming with peak-of-the-season ingredients. You’ve got fresh grilled corn, tomato, cucumber, onion, herbs, and a light dressing that ties it all together.
Fresh grilled corn is the epitome of summer foods. I won’t deny that I love eating it straight off the cob with a brush of melted butter. But shaving it into a corn salad really makes those sweet, juicy kernels shine. And while there’s many variations of corn salad, this recipe is all about using fresh from the garden ingredients.
Think of this as a quick and easy, farm-to-table dish. Just grill up some fresh corn on the cob, and toss it with juicy tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and of course loads of herbs. It’s perfect to serve as a quick weeknight side dish. But it will be a crowd favorite at your next barbecue!
What’s In This Corn Salad?
Remember, this salad is all about fresh ingredients. So grab the best ears of corn you can find, along with everything else in this list!
- Corn: Look for corn in green husks with golden tassels for the best flavor and texture!
- Tomato: Both grape or cherry tomatoes work well in this salad.
- Cucumber: I’m using an English cucumber, but feel free to use Persian cucumbers as well.
- Onion: I love red onion for its vibrant color and pop of sweetness.
- Herbs: Choose your favorite tender herbs, including parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, mint, or tarragon.
- Apple Cider Vinegar & Olive Oil: A light and tangy combo for a light dressing.
- Feta Cheese: This is optional, but crumbled feta adds a deliciously creamy bite.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make The Best Corn Salad Recipe
Once you’ve got all the ingredients (minus the corn) chopped and prepped, the rest comes together easy!
Grill up the corn! Prep your grill to medium-high heat and lightly brush your corn with oil. Grill the corn for about 10-15 minutes, rotating in between to get an even char. Then transfer them to a plate.
Shave the corn. One the corn has cooled to the touch, use a large knife to shave off the kernels.
Toss it all together. Add the corn kernels to a large bowl, along with the rest of the salad ingredients. Then stir everything together until it’s combined. That’s it!
How To Store Leftovers
It’s easy to devour this corn salad, especially when serving to guests. But if you happen to have leftovers, this will keep in the fridge for up to 4 to 5 days. Just pack it into containers and enjoy it throughout the week!
On the flip side, it’s best not to freeze corn salad as the ingredients will likely become mushy once thawed.
More Easy Summer Salad Recipes
Kick back and enjoy summer with these quick, refreshing salad recipes!
If you make this corn salad, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Fresh Corn Salad
Description
Video
Ingredients
Corn Salad
- 4 ears of corn, shucked and silks removed
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 English cucumber, sliced and quartered
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, (choose tender herbs like parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, mint, and tarragon)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: crumbled feta
Instructions
- Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan on the stove to medium-high heat. Lightly brush the corn with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and grill for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating a few times for even charring. Then remove to a plate.
- Once the corn is cool to the touch, use a large knife to shave off the kernels.
- Place the corn kernels, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and herbs in a bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper, then stir together.
- If you'd like, garnish with crumbled feta before serving.
Nutrition
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Who knew that grilling corn could bring out so much sweetness. This is a great summer salad, easy to assembly and delicious.
Grilling corn really adds so much flavor, doesn’t it? Happy you loved this corn salad recipe, Diane!
Wow – this will be a staple in our house for sure! And don’t worry if your husband burns the corn… The sweetness of the corn overpowers whatever burn flavor is there. Absolutely delicious. I opted for fresh basil and cilantro from our garden and did not use any cheese. Wonderful blend of garden flavors.
You can always count on the corn’s sweetness to amplify this dish!
LOVED IT!! And so did my family! We used fresh cilantro and yellow onion, since didn’t have any red onion on hand, Also, added in some green onions too! So good!
Wonderful! Happy to hear you all enjoy it!
I absolutely LOVE this salad. It was actually a hit with the entire family. This is going in my “Best Of” recipe book. Thanks for all of the great recipes in your book and on your website.
So glad the whole family enjoyed this corn salad!
I made this last night for dinner and served it with the garlic grilled shrimp skewers. We loved it so much and love that it’s a salad that will last a few days so we can have it for lunches. Thank you for sharing
That combo with the corn salad sounds amazing! Glad you enjoyed both recipes :)
absolutely delicious!! it’s like a salsa. might have this with tortilla chips! so fresh. swapped out apple cider vinegar for lemon. i am obsessed
Nothing wrong with treating this like a dip either!
Really good!! Wonderful flavor and the dressing is very light!! My husband loved it. We ate it with grilled salmon. My husband already packed his lunch of Corn Salad for tomorrow!! Thank you Lisa!!!
Glad this worked out great with your grilled salmon, Susan!
Making this tonight and I’m going to add black beans for my protein and perhaps use lime for my acid, as another commenter did. “The Mexican take” on it. Thanks for having the basic template to follow. Love your website and recommend it frequently to friends.
Hope everyone enjoys this corn salad Carol!
I broiled the corn as I don’t have a grill unfortunately, but they still came out nice and charred! I added some diced jalapeño too and used Queso Fresco instead of feta. It was perfect with broiled pork chops I marinated in your cilantro lime marinade!
Glad this salad still turned out great with boiled corn!
I love this salad too. It’s super fresh, delicious and easy to make. Tonight I only had frozen sweetcorn at hand and it still turned out beautifully. Goes lovely with the herb baked chicken and a handful of sweet potato chips 😁
This is the perfect salad for all my late season garden crops: corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs. If I forget to grill corn the night ahead while the barbecue is going, I’ve stripped corn from the cob and browned it in a cast iron pan atop the stove. The results take second place to the grilled corn, but the salad is still delicious! Thank you for another recipe that fits perfectly with rhythm of the home garden.
Can I make this salad the day before?
Absolutely!
Excellent wrap up for in the fridge Labor Day salad. We even had feta. Weekend parties meant many leftover salad items. Thank you. We’ll do it again.
This is my new favorite lunch! Just a big bowl of corn salad! I first made this before I had a grill and used my giant cast iron skillet to char the corn and it was great. This salad is perfect as is.
Delicious! I used vegan feta. so good!
Glad you enjoyed this corn salad Amanda!
Made this for dinner at a friend’s house. Husband and wife are chefs, no pressure there. Haven’t gone to dinner yet, but hubby and I tasted to make seasoning adjustments…wow is this good!! My herbs used are parsley, basil, mint and winter savory (small amount as it is just now growing). The apple cider vinegar is a good tart flavor!
Will comment again after dinner.
It was a hit last night. Leftovers were asked for by friends. Definitely making this again.
Hi, I have a question about the calorie information in the recipe. Is is based on on portion or the whole recipe. If its the former, what size serving is one portion?
Love your videos BTW.
The nutritional information will always be per serving. In this case, each serving is about 1 cup, depending on the size of your corn :)
This is sooo good! I have a go to corn salad which will now be replaced by this recipe! Love the crunch from the cucumber! Such a refreshing summer staple!
Happy to hear you’ve found a new winning corn salad Steph!
“Great read”, this is a most important list for every food blogger When you live freely and enjoy every moment of the journey-:)
I made this last night, and it was fabulous! My husband, who I am trying to shift to more plant based meals, even really enjoyed it! Thanks for another great healthy recipe!
Happy to hear this corn salad was a family success!
Wow this looks so delicious!! Can’t wait to try this recipe for summer!
Hope you enjoy this recipe Cate!
One of my favorite summer side dishes! I love the flavors of the salad… all the herbs make it so special. YUM!
Glad you enjoyed this corn salad recipe Angela!
This corn salad was a huge hit at our 4th of July bbq! Will definitely be making again!
Happy to hear everyone enjoyed this corn salad over July 4th!
We made this salad for the 4th of July, and it was a hit! Grilling added such a nice depth of flavor, and I loved the feta addition.
Wonderful! Happy to hear everyone enjoyed this over July 4th :)
I love this salad and friends love it everytime i make it. I am going to make it again for a 4th of July cookout this time with a little variation by adding Avacado, green peppers and Jalapeño for a little zing,also will substitute the Vinegar with lime to add a summer freshness.
Hope everyone loves this salad for your July 4th cookout!
This salad was amazingly delicious and so flavorful especially with the grilled corn! So excited to make this again soon! Such a big hit here and very tasty!
Glad this corn salad was a hit!
I made this on the 4th and it was delicious. I used corona cheese on the side and added a little cumin and chili powder.
Wonderful! Love the addition of cumin and chili powder to add some extra oomph in flavor :)
This corn salad as soooo good! It kept really well in the fridge for leftovers the next day too.
The best part is that this salad will hold well in the fridge :)
This looks great. Does it keep well in the fridge for a day or two? Just two in my house and we wouldn’t be able to eat it in one sitting. Thanks!
This will keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Just pack it into containers and enjoy throughout the week!
We made it with some bbq salmon and it was a wonderful dinner. I added some jalapeño and a couple of squeezes of fresh lime, because I have an aggressive number of those for some reason. I look forward to having the leftover salad for my lunch tomorrow!
Glad you enjoyed this corn salad Jennifer! Love the idea of adding a Mexican twist to this :)