Vegan Mexican Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing
Easy and delicious gluten-free recipe of a vegan Mexican chopped salad with avocado dressing. Perfect lunch salad, packed with dietary fiber and protein.
It’s not the first time I’m making a Mexican chopped salad but it’s the first time I like it so much I would eat it every day for lunch!
It’s vegan and gluten-free, it’s packed with dietary fiber and proteins, it looks like a rainbow and the avocado dressing is so good! Besides, it’s very easy to make and it’s a perfect salad for your takeout lunch, barbecue party or even dinner!
You have to try making this salad, because you won’t turn back to boring salads ever again. It’s the perfect way to use all the summer produce such as tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, avocados and scallions.
I don’t have to tell you how good this salad is for you. OK, I will still write it: black beans make a great protein base, which is important, since the salad is vegan. Bell peppers are the perfect source of carotenoids, vitamins C, B6 and E, as well as health-supportive sulfur and antioxidants.
Tomatoes are rich in nutrients, too: they have outstanding antioxidant, vitamin and mineral content, improving digestion, eye sight, preventing skin, hair and bone problems (thanks to biotin) and high blood pressure. Corn is a good source of fiber, antioxidants and carotenoids, supporting digestion and regulating blood sugar levels.
Finally, avocados are knows as superfood, being loaded with fiber,antioxidants and most importantly omega-3 fatty acids. They are incredibly rich in nutrients like pantothenic acid, copper, folate, potassium, vitamins B6, C, E and K. As you can see, this salad is really good for you.
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.
You won’t even miss meat here because the taste is very well-balanced and rich. If it sounds like a great salad to make for your family, keep reading and find out how to make this vegan Mexican chopped salad with avocado dressing.
How to Make Mexican Chopped Salad
First, you will need to grill your corn. If you don’t have a broiler, use a griddle pan (that’s what I did and it worked great). All you have to do is to 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. You won’t need any seasoning, as we will have a creamy avocado dressing to go with it.
While your corn is grilling, chop the veggies. I used red and green bell pepper, red and yellow tomatoes, red onion, scallions and avocado. Dice everything and arrange on two plates, creating sections (or in any other way you like). Add pre-boiled (or canned) black beans and corn kernels. By now, you are 90 % done. Wasn’t it easy?
How to Make Avocado Dressing
For the dressing, pit and peel avocado, add a pinch of cumin, salt, black pepper, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil and water and process with an immersion blender until smooth. This dressing is perfect for any salad, so you will find yourself making it over and over again. 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.
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.
I made a video to show you how to make this recipe, so I hope it will be helpful for you. I adjusted the recipe a bit according to the comments. I tested it again to make sure it’s really tTHE BEST vegan Mexican chopped salad ever. You’ll love the dressing, believe me. Please leave a comment below if you make this salad. I’d love to hear your feedback!
Here is a video showing you how to make Vegan Mexican Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing!
| Cook Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
- 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 pre-boiled or canned black beans
- 1 avocado
- 80 ml or 1/2 cup water (more to adjust the consistency)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Ingredients For the vegan Mexican chopped salad:
For the avocado dressing:
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- GRILL YOUR CORN: Use a broiler or a griddle pan. 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 on two plates, creating sections (or in any other way you like). Add pre-boiled (or canned) black beans and corn kernels.
- MAKE THE DRESSING: Pit and peel avocado, add water, olive oil, lime juice, cumin, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and process with an immersion blender until smooth. Pour the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!
Refrigerate the avocado dressing in an air-tight container or jar for up to 3 days.
Let me know when you make this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out.
P.S. For a similar veggie bowl recipe you can make for dinner, check these Healthy Veggie Bowls: Roasted and Stir Fried Veggies with Avocado Dressing.
Best,
Elena
39 Comments
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Scott G
This looks really tasty- I’m going to have to give the dressing a try for sure- I love it.
Elena Szeliga
Thank you, Scott! I’m so glad you like it! Let me know if you try the recipe š
Jan Barrett
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
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 š Good job adjusting the recipe, by the way!
Roshni
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 š
Elena Szeliga
Goof job tuning the recipe Roshni! SO glad you like the salad!
Lisa Sessa
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
Hi Lisa, thank you for your feedback! I’m happy that your guests liked the salad š
Alexandra
This dressing looks so good! I would totally add a handful of cilantro to it too š
Elena Szeliga
Thank you, Sasha! š My husband is still working on his relationship with cilantro. No results so far š
Jeni
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
Hi Jeni! Thank you so much for your feedback! So glad you enjoyed the salad and good job improvising! š
Louise
Hi thereā¦ Saw the salad onlineā¦ Made the saladā¦ Was amazingā¦ I personally do not like cuminā¦ 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 sharingā¦ Louise
Elena Szeliga
Good job adopting the recipe, Louise! I bet it tastes awesome with Chipotle pepper too! I should try it this way next time!
marsh
Not enough protein content for the amount of calories in the recipe for a body builder who must also restrict calories
Elena Szeliga
Hi Marsh! Why don’t you add more beans and cut some of the veggies?
HollyD
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
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
Why even leave a comment. Try something else then
Elena Szeliga
š
Jan
I made this for dinner today & it was great.
Elena Szeliga
Thank you for your feedback, Jan! I’m so glad you enjoyed the salad!
Jessica
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
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
Thank you for the tip, and for such a fast reply! Can’t wait to make this š
Michelle
So gooood!!!
Elena Szeliga
Glad you like it, Michelle!
Debby
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
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 š Hope it helps!
Debby
Thank you so much! I’m sure it will be yummy! =)
Elena Szeliga
No worries š Hope you’ll enjoy it Debby!
Danielle
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
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!
Angela
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!!!š
Elena Szeliga
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 š
David LeBlanc
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
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!
Angie Smith
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
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!