This southwestern corn salad is the perfect side dish. It’s fresh, rich, spicy, and acidic, plus it only takes 20 minutes to make! 

 

A good side salad can be the difference between an average meal and a great one. And take it from me: this southwestern corn salad is good. The salad itself is both rich and fresh, with just 4 ingredients: corn, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon. We’re off to a good start! But the star of the dish is the salad dressing, which is tangy, acidic, salty, and spicy. All the flavors will pop in your mouth. 

Even though this corn salad is super flavorful, it’s really easy to make. It doesn’t require much time or effort, so it’s a great weeknight dish. The freshness and the bright flavors are bound to take your meal to the next level. 

Why You’ll Love This Spicy Bacon and Corn Salad

Here are a few reasons why I know you’ll love this fresh corn salad.

• Make it ahead of time. This is one of those recipes that gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. The longer the corn salad chills, the more the flavors will meld together. That makes it a great meal prep food because you can make it the day before you plan on eating it, instead of at the last minute.
• Easy. I’m a big fan of 20-minute recipes, and that’s exactly what this is. It’s not difficult to make, and it barely takes any time at all. You can throw it together whenever you have a few spare minutes. 
• Great for parties. You can very easily scale up this recipe. If you want to double or triple the batch of corn salad, you can do it without having to do any extra work. It’s a great recipe for parties or barbecues because you can make a huge batch, leave it in the fridge, and serve it whenever you need it. 

Ingredients Needed

Here are all the ingredients that you need to make this fresh and tangy salad. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the exact quantities of each ingredient.

For the Salad:

• Corn – You can use canned, frozen or fresh corn. 
• Bacon
• Avocado
• Grape tomatoes

For the Dressing:

• Greek yogurt – Make sure to use unflavored yogurt.
• Mayo
• Lime
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper – Always use freshly-ground pepper. 

How to Make Southwestern Corn Salad

Here’s how to make this super easy side salad. 

• Cook the bacon. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crispy, then remove it from the pan and crumble the bacon into pieces. Drain the fat from the pan.
• Add the corn. Put the corn in the skillet and cook until lightly charred.
• Make the dressing. Add all of the salad dressing ingredients together and mix until combined. 

• Assemble the salad. Add the corn, tomatoes, avocado, and bacon to the salad dressing.

• Dress. Toss the salad to combine.

• Chill. Cover the salad and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. 

Tricks and Tips 

Here are a few tricks to use when making this recipe. 

• Use ripe avocados. It’s important to use avocados that are super ripe for this recipe. The textures in this salad are really important, so you don’t want the avocado to be too hard or stringy. 
• Crisp the bacon. Make sure to really crisp up your bacon when you cook it. You want the bacon to have a good crunch in the salad, even after you’ve added the dressing. The crispier the bacon, the better the salad. 
• Mix carefully. Be really careful when you toss this salad. You want to toss it thoroughly so that all the ingredients get coated with the spicy dressing. But you don’t want to smush the avocados or the tomatoes. 

What to Serve it With

I like to serve this corn and avocado salad anytime I have a barbecue, or as a side dish for other southwestern recipes. Here are some of my favorite meals to eat with corn salad.

• Crunchy Southwestern Chicken Wrap
• Grilled Pork Chops
• Pan Seared Salmon
• BBQ Chicken Wrap
• Poor Man’s Burnt Ends
• Air Fryer Steak Bites

How to Store Leftovers

This fresh corn salad will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. Just make sure that you store it in an airtight container. 

Can This Recipe Be Frozen? 

I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. The dressing might become separated when you thaw the salad, and ingredients like avocados and tomatoes don’t freeze very well. 

More Easy Salad Recipes

If you liked this recipe then you’ve got to try some of my other favorite easy salads.

• Lemon-Herb Potato Salad
• Big Mac Salad
• Tomato Mozzarella Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Chicken Caesar Salad
• BLT Salad

I created a fun group on Facebook,and I would love for you to join us! It’s a place where you can
share YOUR favorite recipes, ask questions, and see what’s new at Dinners, Dishes and Desserts (so that you never miss a new recipe)!

Be sure to follow me on Instagram and
tag #dinnersdishes so I can see all the wonderful DINNERS, DISHES, AND DESSERTS
recipes YOU make!

Be sure to follow me on my social media, so you
never miss a post!

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram 

Did you know there is a Dinners,
Dishes, and Desserts SHOP? Lots of different E-Books for sale. Or you can buy me a
coffee to say thanks!

.