Delicious vegan Mexican chopped salad with avocado dressing makes the perfect lunch salad or an easy side dish to any Mexican feast. This gluten free salad is packed with fresh veggies, dietary fiber and plant based protein.
If you’ve never had Mexican chopped salad, you’re in for a treat. It’s so delicious that you can eat it every day for lunch. Serve it up with your favorite fresh pico de gallo (or even chipotle corn salsa) and crispy tortillas and it’s an ideal filling yet fresh dinner, too.
Just imagine: tangy bell peppers, sweet grilled corn, fresh succulent tomatoes, rich earthy black beans, pungent red onions and scallions meet creamy avocado dressing spiced with cumin and acidified by freshly squeezed tangy lime juice.
Even better is that this Mexican salad is vegan and gluten-free, packed with dietary fiber and proteins, and it’s topped with a creamy avocado dressing that will make your mouth water!
Not only that, but it’s very easy to make and looks beautiful with it’s rainbow colors. That means it’s the perfect contribution to a cook out, potluck, bbq or a homemade meal to share with company along with this summer grilled peach salad and grilled corn and black bean salad with zucchini.
Ingredients for the Salad
This is an ideal summer salad as the produce it uses is in season during the hot months, but you can enjoy it all year long. With tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, avocados, and scallions, it packs a delicious (and healthy!) punch of flavor that you’ll be ready to indulge in often.
The full ingredient list is below:
- cherry tomatoes (red and yellow);
- bell peppers (red and green);
- grilled or canned corn;
- black beans;
- avocados;
- red onions;
- scallions.
Why Is This Salad So Good For You?
Not only are the ingredients in this salad delightfully tasty, they’re very healthy for your body. It’s always good when you make your tastebuds sing and nourish yourself at the same time.
Black Beans
Black beans are an incredibly valuable source of protein, especially in a vegan meal. One cup of black beans contains 15 grams of protein, which makes them a delicious and frugal source of protein for your body.
They’re also a marvelous source of fiber, magnesium, and potassium which makes them healthy for your digestive system and bones (source).
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are the perfect source of carotenoids, vitamins C, B6 and E, as well as health-supportive folates, sulfur, and antioxidants (source).
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are also very healthy. With fiber, choline, Vitamin C, and other nutrients, they are good for the heart and the rest of the body.
They contain lycopene and beta-carotene which has been shown to help prevent against prostate cancer and possibly other types, as well. These ingredients are also good for eye health (source).
Corn
Rich in Vitamin B12, folic acid, and iron, corn is a marvelous addition to a vegan diet that helps prevent against anemia by increasing red blood cell production. This is important to consider when eating a non-meat diet.
The fiber and nutrients in corn are known to be good for regulating blood sugar and helping with overall digestive health, too.
The vitamin C and lycopene in corn (also found in tomatoes and bell peppers) help stimulate the production of collagen, which is excellent for skin and muscle health (source).
Scallions
Scallions are excellent source of Vitamin K for your body, which is an essential nutrient for blood clotting. They also contain Vitamin C, folate, and fiber (source).
Avocados
Long accepted as a superfood, avocados not only have fiber and antioxidants, but are loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids.
They are incredibly rich in nutrients like pantothenic acid, copper, folate, potassium, vitamins B6, C, E and K (source).
How To Make The Salad
Mexican chopped salad gets its flavor from grilled corn, fresh raw veggies, and creamy dressing. The layering of cool and hot ingredients, fresh and grilled, creates a taste combination that you’ll crave again and again.
Grill The Corn
First, you will need to grill your corn. You can either use a broiler or a griddle pan to do this.
To do it on the griddle, simply heat a lug of olive oil over medium-high heat and grill the whole corn cob for 15 minutes, lid closed, turning every 5 minutes.
You’ll know it’s perfect when the cob has black burn marks here and there and the kernels are soft (you can check it by piercing the cob with a fork).
Let it cool a bit and remove the kernels with a knife. You won’t need any seasoning, as we will have a creamy avocado dressing to go with it.
Prep Your Fresh Veggies
While your corn is grilling, chop the raw vegetables.
While you can use any color of bell pepper and tomatoes here, to get even more of a flavor punch (and visual treat!) consider using a rainbow of ingredients: red and green bell pepper, red and yellow tomatoes, red onion, scallions and avocado.
Dice everything and arrange in four bowls or plates, creating sections (or just toss it all together if you prefer).
Top The Salad
Next, add already boiled (or canned and rinsed) black beans and the broiled corn kernels and your dressing.
Ingredients for the Dressing
- avocado;
- water;
- olive oil;
- lime juice;
- cumin;
- chili powder;
- salt and pepper.
How to Make The Avocado Dressing
This avocado dressing is simple and delicious (and you’ll enjoy it over and over for a variety of recipes!). Drizzle it over vegan tempeh tacos or grilled corn on the cob and enjoy!
To prepare the dressing, first, pit and peel the avocado. Scoop it into a mixing bowl.
Next, add chili powder, a pinch of cumin, salt, black pepper, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, and water and process with an immersion blender until smooth.
Feel free to double or triple the batch (believe me, it’s worth it) and refrigerate in an air-tight container or jar for up to 3 days so you can enjoy it on other salads or as a dipping sauce.
What to Serve with This Mexican Salad
Serve this chopped salad as a side dish to your favorite Mexican food. It is perfect with:
- tacos (make sure to check these 5-minute vegan tacos, vegan tempeh tacos and grilled zucchini and corn tacos);
- burritos and burrito bowls;
- vegan carnitas;
- quesadillas;
- enchiladas;
- fajitas;
- with vegan pulled pork;
- with vegan zucchini corn fritters;
- empanadas;
- bean soups and chilis;
- alongside nachos, corn on the cob, pico de gallo, corn salsa or other dips.
Cook’s Tips
- This salad is best eaten fresh. If you want to make it ahead, prepare the dressing and chop the veggies. Drain the veggies before assembling the salad since the tomatoes will give a lot of liquid. Store the dressing in a separate jar. When ready to serve, assemble the salad. It will take you 5 minutes to put everything together.
- The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Use the dressing for other dishes like grilled corn and black bean salad with zucchini, vegan tempeh tacos, grilled zucchini and corn tacos or grilled corn on the cob.
- Serve the salad with tacos (make sure to check these 5-minute vegan tacos and vegan tempeh tacos); burritos and burrito bowls; vegan carnitas; quesadillas; enchiladas; fajitas; zucchini corn fritters; empanadas; bean soups and chilis; alongside nachos, corn on the cob, pico de gallo, corn salsa or other dips.
Recipe Variations
- Use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar instead of lime juice in the dressing.
- If you like a little spicy kick, try this avocado dressing with the salad.
- Add a bit of garlic powder to the dressing for an extra zing.
- Use any cherry tomatoes and bell peppers for this recipe. The more colorful the better!
- You can use canned corn and canned black beans.
- If the taste of raw red onion is too powerful for you, don’t add onions to the salad.
Video Tutorial
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Be sure to leave a comment below when you make your Mexican chopped salad and give it a star rating so others will know how delicious it is! And leave a comment – I would love to know how it turns out for you.
I adjusted the recipe a bit according to the comments. I tested it again and again to make sure it’s really THE BEST vegan Mexican chopped salad ever. You’ll love the dressing, believe me.
Here is the full recipe of my vegan Mexican chopped salad with avocado dressing. I hope you and your family will enjoy it and make it one of your go-to salads.
Vegan Mexican Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
For the vegan Mexican chopped salad:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 ear corn husks and silk removed
- 2 bell peppers red and green
- 4 medium-sized tomatoes red and yellow
- 1/2 red onion
- 2 scallions
- 1 avocado
- 170 grams or 1 cup black beans pre-boiled or canned
For the avocado dressing:
- 1 avocado
- 80 ml or 1/2 cup water (more to adjust the consistency)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- GRILL YOUR CORN: Use a broiler or a griddle pan to grill corn. Heat a lug of olive oil over medium-high heat and grill the whole corn cob for 15 minutes, lid closed, turning every 5 minutes, until the cob has black burn marks here and there and the kernels are soft (you can check it by piercing the cob with a fork). Let it cool a bit and remove the kernels with a knife.
- CHOP THE VEGGIES: While your corn is grilling, chop the veggies. Dice red and green bell pepper, red and yellow tomatoes, red onion, scallions and avocado and arrange in four bowls or plates, creating sections (or just toss it all together if you prefer). Add already boiled (or canned and rinsed) black beans and the broiled corn kernels.
- MAKE THE DRESSING: Pit and peel avocado, add water, olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and process with a food processor or an immersion blender until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!
Notes
Cook’s Tips
- This salad is best eaten fresh. If you want to make it ahead, prepare the dressing and chop the veggies. Drain the veggies before assembling the salad since the tomatoes will give a lot of liquid. Store the dressing in a separate jar. When ready to serve, assemble the salad. It will take you 5 minutes to put everything together.
- The dressing can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Use the dressing for other dishes like grilled corn and black bean salad with zucchini, vegan tempeh tacos, grilled zucchini and corn tacos or grilled corn on the cob.
- Serve the salad with tacos (make sure to check these 5-minute vegan tacos and vegan tempeh tacos); burritos and burrito bowls; vegan carnitas; quesadillas; enchiladas; fajitas; zucchini corn fritters; empanadas; bean soups and chilis; alongside nachos, corn on the cob, pico de gallo, corn salsa or other dips.
Recipe Variations
- Use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar instead of lime juice in the dressing.
- If you like a little spicy kick, try this avocado dressing with the salad.
- Add a bit of garlic powder to the dressing for an extra zing.
- Use any cherry tomatoes and bell peppers for this recipe. The more colorful the better!
- You can use canned corn and canned black beans.
- If the taste of raw red onion is too powerful for you, don’t add onions to the salad.
Susan says
So much color in one salad! Fantastic lunch that I can’t wait to have one of these days!
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you so much, Susan!!
Varun Sharma says
This looks tasty and yummy. This is very healthy and good for the body.
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you Varun! Glad you like the salad!
Helena says
So much color in one salad! Fantastic lunch that I can’t wait to have one of these days!
Elena Szeliga says
Hope you enjoy it Helena! It’s perfect for lunch!
Kankana Saxena says
The avocado dressing is a keeper, loving it! It will be a great dip too!
Elena Szeliga says
Oh yes! It’s fantastic with nachos 😉 Thank you for your feedback Kankana! I would really appreciate it if you give this recipe 5 stars 🙂
Angie Smith says
Made this for dinner today, added a few more veggies, corn and beans. My kids loved it! I am still trying to get them to enjoy being vegan (their dad refuses). It is still a work in progress, this recipe definately helped!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Angie, thank you so much for stopping by and writing a comment! I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed the salad! If you want to impress your husband with a completely plant-based dish that is always a major hit in my house, check my Ratatouille recipe. Cheers!
David LeBlanc says
Made this for dinner tonight after seeing this on Pinterest.
We are remodeling the house and living through the construction, so we need meals that are simple to make. This fit the bill perfectly. I made some quinoa to use as base or foundation for the rest of the ingredients.
The dressing is tasty and versatile.
Elena Szeliga says
Hi David, thank you so much for stopping by and leaving your kind feedback! I’m happy you enjoyed the salad. Great idea with the quinoa btw! I will post another recipe with quinoa and slightly different dressing soon. Cheers!
Angela says
We are having the salad for dinner tonight and it is fabulous! The avocado dressing with the cumin is awesome! Love the flavors! We added a small bed of lettuce in the bottom and made the salad exactly as the recipe called! Will make extra for next time! Could eat the dressing with a spoon!!!😜
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Angela, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the salad! And good job tweaking it by adding lettuce! I do the same with the dressing every time I make this salad, so at some point I started to make a double batch 😉
Danielle says
Hi Elena!
I’m trying to make healthier meals for myself and love finding ideas on Pinterest. I saw this and thought it looked delicious (minus tomatoes, I’m can’t do raw tomatoes).
I just got home after a long, busy morning and whipped this together with what I had on hand. The red onions are a bit overpowering, but I omitted the tomatoes (for reason stated above) and the chopped avocado and scallions because I didn’t have any on hand. I used my last avocado for the dressing and used fresh lemon juice because I didn’t have a lime.
Overall, it’s pretty good!! I will definitely add this to my weekly menu and make sure I have all of the ingredients.
Oh, I also sauted frozen organic corn in olive oil instead of using a cob because that’s what I had.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!! I love the dressing and will be using for other things as well!!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Danielle, thank you so much for your kind feedback! I’m happy you like the recipe! Good job tuning the ingredients. I’m glad to hear that you are up to eating healthy. Hope you’ll find some more recipes on my blog that will become part of your menu! I have a few recipes without tomatoes that I personally cook quite often: Vegan Corn Chowder and Pita Pockets with Roasted Veggies and Hummus for example. Have a great day!
Debby says
Hi, Elena!
I’m a vegetarian and I love salads, but I can’t stand avocados! Could you recommend another dressing I could use for this? Thank you so much!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Debby, actually yes, I do have one for you! Try this Roasted Garlic Dressing and add some cumin to give it a Mexican touch 😉 Hope it helps!
Debby says
Thank you so much! I’m sure it will be yummy! =)
Elena Szeliga says
No worries 😉 Hope you’ll enjoy it Debby!
Michelle says
So gooood!!!
Elena Szeliga says
Glad you like it, Michelle!
Jessica says
Hi! How far in advance can we make this salad? I’d like to to meal prep forces for week using this recipe.
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Jessica! Great question and awesome idea, I love how time-saving meal prep is! First of all, I would suggest you keep the salad separate from the dressing and don’t cut cherry tomatoes and avocado until you are ready to serve it. I think it could be stored for a maximum of 4 days under these conditions. Hope it helps!
Jessica says
Thank you for the tip, and for such a fast reply! Can’t wait to make this 🙂
Jan says
I made this for dinner today & it was great.
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you for your feedback, Jan! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad!
marsh says
Not enough protein content for the amount of calories in the recipe for a body builder who must also restrict calories
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Marsh! Why don’t you add more beans and cut some of the veggies?
HollyD says
Could always add some cooked quinoa too — shouldn’t change the flavor of the dish and ups the protein content while still staying vegan!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Holly, you are absolutely right! I was thinking about republishing this recipe adding quinoa because I made it and loved how it turned out!
Ian says
Why even leave a comment. Try something else then
Elena Szeliga says
🙂
Louise says
Hi there… Saw the salad online… Made the salad… Was amazing… I personally do not like cumin… So I adapted the dressing slightly by taking out the cumin and adding just a couple of hints of Chipotle and Ancho pepper to it… The smokiness landed a beautiful flavour to the overall taste of the salad ! Thanks for sharing… Louise
Elena Szeliga says
Good job adopting the recipe, Louise! I bet it tastes awesome with Chipotle pepper too! I should try it this way next time!
Jeni says
Salad was great. I changed the veggies up a little bit to use what I had on hand. I really love it. I made enough for the week, just will make more dressing every few days.
Thanks!
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Jeni! Thank you so much for your feedback! So glad you enjoyed the salad and good job improvising! 😉
Alexandra says
This dressing looks so good! I would totally add a handful of cilantro to it too 🙂
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you, Sasha! 🙂 My husband is still working on his relationship with cilantro. No results so far 😀
Lisa Sessa says
I made this last night because my son’s vegan girlfriend came for dinner. I increased the ingredients fourfold and it was a hit – even with the carnivores! Thanks for a great recipe.
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Lisa, thank you for your feedback! I’m happy that your guests liked the salad 🙂
Jan Barrett says
I just made this salad. It looks beautiful, but the dressing seems a bit tart. Should I add a little honey, or is it supposed to be this way?
Elena Szeliga says
Hi Jan! Thank you for your feedback! When I made this salad, the dressing didn’t seem tart to me but I guess in your case honey is a right choice! If you don’t mind it not being vegan 😉 Good job adjusting the recipe, by the way!
Roshni says
I added a bit of brown sugar to keep the recipe vegan and cut down the tartness. I also used an entire lime to capture the essence of the lime in it 🙂
Elena Szeliga says
Goof job tuning the recipe Roshni! SO glad you like the salad!
Scott G says
This looks really tasty- I’m going to have to give the dressing a try for sure- I love it.
Elena Szeliga says
Thank you, Scott! I’m so glad you like it! Let me know if you try the recipe 🙂