This grilled corn salad with avocado is a healthy side you’ll be making again and again. With a colourful mix of charred corn, roasted sweet potatoes, fresh veggies and creamy avocado, it’s the perfect choice for any summer cookout.
How Healthy Is This Salad?
Grilled corn salad is made with just the right mix of veggies, healthy fats, freshly squeezed lemon juice and fresh cilantro. The main players are:
- Sweet potato – highly nutritious, packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals
- Grilled corn – an excellent source of fibre
- Lettuce – low in calories and loaded with powerful antioxidants
- Red onion – low in calories but packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre
- Red bell pepper – exceptionally rich in vitamin C, packed with antioxidants, low in calories and high in fibre
- Cherry tomatoes – a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.
- Avocado – the ultimate source of healthy fats, loaded with fibre, as well as vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, as well as riboflavin, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, and potassium
- Fresh cilantro – a powerful antioxidant
How to Make the Perfect Grilled Corn Salad
Roast the Sweet Potato
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and add cubed sweet potato to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with a little oil and bake for 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
Prepare Grilled Corn
Husk the corn, then brush it lightly with olive oil and season with salt. Heat the grill and, when hot, place the corn in the pan. Using tongs, rotate the corn every few minutes so that it browns all over. Baste the corn with a little olive oil, as needed. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until the corn is tender. Let it cool, then cut the corn from the cobs.
Can I Make Grilled Corn Indoors?
Yes. If you don’t have the option to fire up the grill and cook outside, you can easily do this on the stovetop as well. Heat a sauté pan or a grill pan on medium-high heat, and grill it as you would normally. It took me slightly longer to cook the corn just right this way, about 20 minutes.
Prepare the Dressing
To make the dressing, simply whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Assemble the Salad
Start by adding fresh lettuce to your serving bowl. Then add:
- Roasted sweet potato
- Grilled corn
- Chopped red onion
- Diced red bell pepper
- Halved cherry tomatoes
- Diced avocado
- Finely chopped cilantro
Finally, drizzle with the dressing and toss before serving.
Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado Q&A
Can I Make It Ahead?
If you want to save some time, you can grill the corn, roast the sweet potato and prepare the dressing the day before. Keep them in separate airtight containers in the fridge.
Right before you’re ready to serve, assemble the salad as instructed above.
How Long Does This Grilled Corn Salad Keep?
When kept in an airtight sealed container in the fridge, this grilled corn salad will last for up two days.
More Delicious Vegan Salads
- French Potato Salad
- Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes Salad
- Vegan Pesto Pasta Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Black Beans
- Rainbow Salad
Or, click here for a complete list of vegan salads.
Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- 2 corn cobs
- 1 sweet potato, cubed
- 3 cups shredded fresh lettuce (I used a mix of radicchio, lamb’s lettuce and endive)
- ½ small red onion, finely chopped
- ½ medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup (200g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
- ½ cup (50g) fresh cilantro, chopped
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice (~ 2 lemons)
- Pinch of salt
- Dash of ground black pepper
Instructions
- To roast the sweet potato, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and add cubed sweet potato to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with a little oil and bake for 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside.
- Husk the corn, then brush it lightly with olive oil and season with salt. Heat the grill and, when hot, place the corn in the pan. Using tongs, rotate the corn every few minutes so that it browns all over. Baste the corn with a little olive oil, as needed. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until the corn is tender. Let it cool, then cut the corn from the cobs.
- To make the dressing, simply whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Assemble the salad. Start with fresh lettuce, then add the sweet potato, corn, finely chopped red onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, avocado and cilantro. Drizzle with the prepared dressing and serve chilled.
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