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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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:
- The Magical Vegetable Pie
- Dump-and-Bake Summer Pasta
- 10-Minute Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Chicken and Tortellini Salad
Summer Corn Salad
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
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in June, 2015. The photos were updated in June, 2018.
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!
Thanks, Gayle! I totally agree -- we can't get enough corn at this time of year either! 🙂
This summery salad is so colorful and inviting! Fresh corn is a real treat in the summer. Love this a hundred times over!
Thanks, Jen! 🙂
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! 🙂
I'm like you -- I could eat this whole bowl! It's really good with some tortilla chips to scoop it up! 🙂
Absolutely LOVE this salad!! The perfect mixture of all those delicious summer veggies..definitely grabbing the recipe to make SOON! 🙂
Thanks, Anna! It's so simple, but such a great combination of flavors! Hooray for summer! 🙂
That salad looks delicious Blair - my kids would love it! Corn is always a winner in the summer!
Thanks, Stacey! It's definitely a great healthy, kid-friendly option! 🙂
not only will kids eat this because of the love of corn, but that color! look at it! so inviting and nourishing. YUM!
So true, Lindsay! The rainbow of colors is so appealing to little ones!
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.
Thanks so much!