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A rainbow of fresh vegetables come together in a crisp, sweet and simple Summer Corn Salad. This healthy and delicious side dish is the perfect addition to your next family dinner, potluck, or cookout with friends!

Close overhead shot of a bowl of healthy and easy summer corn salad

As the name of my blog suggests, I love to take inspiration from the changing seasons and create fast and easy recipes that my family loves. In my mind, nothing says “summer” quite like a fresh corn salad!

Bring a fresh summer corn salad to your next party!

Since just about every child will happily consume a plate full of corn, I figured that this salad would be a popular side dish with the little ones. I was right, and it also turned out to be a great way to get the boys to eat a lot of other veggies at the same time!

Bowl of fresh and healthy summer corn salad is an easy side dish recipe for summer!

By combining some other less familiar veggies like zucchini and celery with the corn in a vibrant, colorful salad, the kids cleaned their plates without even a sideways glance.

Everyone loves easy side dishes like this summer corn salad!

We also spent a few minutes talking about the rainbow of colors in this dish, and trying to identify each different veggie that was sprinkled throughout the salad. It’s a quick and easy way to make healthy eating fun, while taking the pressure off of Mom at mealtime!

Clean eating is easy with this Summer Corn Salad!

Want to make your own easy corn salad recipe?

You can vary the ingredients in this dish to suit your family’s tastes, or to accommodate the vegetables that you have on hand. Here are a few ideas:

  • Use diced cucumber or yellow squash instead of zucchini
  • I used orange bell pepper to create a “rainbow,” but you can substitute with any color sweet bell pepper
  • Don’t want to deal with fresh corn on the cob? Use thawed, frozen corn or even canned corn
  • Add a bit of protein and make it a heartier entree salad by stirring in a can of drained, rinsed black beans or some diced, cooked chicken
  • Don’t want to make your own dressing? Toss the vegetables with your favorite store-bought salad dressing. A light vinaigrette is perfect!

Other summer recipes that take advantage of the season’s fresh vegetables:

Summer Corn Salad

5 from 1 vote
Prep: 15 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings 5 cups
Calories 162.5 kcal
A rainbow of fresh vegetables come together in a crisp, sweet and simple Summer Corn Salad. This healthy and delicious side dish is the perfect addition to your next family dinner, potluck, or cookout with friends!

Ingredients
  

For the Salad:

  • 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen, thawed is fine)
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
  • 1 cup diced zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • ½ cup diced sweet bell pepper (any color is fine)
  • ¼ cup diced red onion

For the Dressing:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar (I like white vinegar or rice vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is also good)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar. Cover with lid and shake until completely combined. Set aside.
  • Place all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and gently toss to coat.
  • Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

This is a great make ahead side dish for a summer picnic or potluck! It keeps well in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 162.5kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 3gFat: 6.5gSaturated Fat: 0.9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4.2gSodium: 489.8mgPotassium: 399.5mgFiber: 3.2gSugar: 15.3g
Keyword: corn, Salad, side dish
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Author: Blair Lonergan

This recipe was originally published in June, 2015. The photos were updated in June, 2018.

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Comments

  1. This look like the ultimate salad, Blair! I can’t get enough of fresh corn in the summer, so I’m loving this. Such a great idea to add in zucchini and tomatoes, too. Sounds so fresh and delicious! Pinned!

  2. This summery salad is so colorful and inviting! Fresh corn is a real treat in the summer. Love this a hundred times over!

  3. Oh my this salad looks amazing and fresh! Love all those ingredients and wish I had a nice big bowl right now! I could eat this all day every day! Happy Weekend! 🙂

    1. I’m like you — I could eat this whole bowl! It’s really good with some tortilla chips to scoop it up! 🙂

  4. Absolutely LOVE this salad!! The perfect mixture of all those delicious summer veggies..definitely grabbing the recipe to make SOON! 🙂

  5. That salad looks delicious Blair – my kids would love it! Corn is always a winner in the summer!

  6. not only will kids eat this because of the love of corn, but that color! look at it! so inviting and nourishing. YUM!

  7. This is probably the perfect salad for the summer. The zucchini blends much better than I expected with the rest of the veggies. I am sure that this salad will become a weekly regular by the end of the summer.

  8. 5 stars
    This is an easily overlooked recipe. I had copied it out a few years ago and didn’t get around to trying it until this week when I went a little crazy buying fresh produce from our local orchard. This looks so pretty but at first glance seems too “simple” to be impressive. Have to say we were bowled over by this combination and the simple dressing is perfect. Makes a great side dish to grilled steak (which is what I served) and I’ll bet it’d be a great foil for spicy Mexican food. Love the freshness of this dish, and especially enjoyed the addition of zucchini which to me really shines in its uncooked form. You can be sure this dish will be on our table in the future–especially in the summer when fresh corn is available. Great recipe–flavorful, colorful, light. Will need to try your other “Summer Corn Salad” that has bacon, mayo in it. Thanks for another excellent recipe, Blair!