It’s sweet corn season, AKA one of the most classic summer veggies to cook up. I remember during the summers when I was little we would lay out a big picnic blanket and eat ears and ears of grilled sweet corn all buttered up and salted to perfection. There’s truly nothing better (or nostalgic) than sweet corn during the summer and I’m here to re-share an easy recipe that elevates the average ear of corn into something truly fabulous.
This beautiful grilled corn salad is filled with creamy avocado, crunchy veggies, a little tang from goat cheese (or sub feta!), and a perfectly sweet and spicy hot honey vinaigrette to pull it all together. I thought about going with a simple cilantro lime dressing or a more basic vinaigrette, but one taste of this hot honey version and I was HOOKED (and you will be, too).
The best part about this lovely salad is that it doubles as the perfect side dish or appetizer for your BBQs and potlucks! I enjoyed it straight from the bowl but it would be perfect as an easy, flavorful dip with chips. Add your fav protein to make it a nice hearty meal, and remember to check out the full post for more ways to customize.
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Everything you’ll need to make this grilled corn salad
This sweet and spicy grilled corn salad is bursting with fresh summer produce and flavors. Many corn salads have a mayo-based dressing, but we’re keeping this salad nice and light! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Produce: the base of this gorgeous salad is made from grilled fresh corn (of course), cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and fresh basil.
- Goat cheese: I love the creamy, tangy flavor that goat cheese adds when mixed in with all of the veggies.
- Hot honey dressing: we’re making a homemade hot honey vinaigrette with avocado oil, honey, cayenne pepper, apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt & pepper.
Grill perfect corn every time
You’re going to LOVE the sweet, slightly charred flavor that grilled corn adds to this salad. Get all of my tips and tricks for grilling corn here! You’ll slice the corn kernels off of the cob and throw them right into the salad.
No grill? No problem
If you don’t have access to a grill you can easily cook the corn on the stovetop or in the oven! Here’s how to do it:
- On the stovetop: carefully cut the kernels off of the corn cob. Heat the avocado oil in a nonstick skillet and add the kernels with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly charred and tender, about 10 minutes.
- In the oven: preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Carefully cut the kernels off of the cob and toss them with the avocado oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the kernels out on the baking sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes until tender.
Simple ingredient swaps
This delicious summer corn salad recipe is easy to customize to your taste preferences and what you might already have on hand. Here’s what I can recommend:
- For the goat cheese: feel free to use feta cheese or cotija cheese instead, or omit the cheese to keep the salad vegan.
- For the red onion: diced green onion works just as well, or feel free to add extra veggies like red bell pepper or zippy arugula!
- For the basil: if you’re out of basil you can easily swap in some fresh cilantro.
- For the dressing: feel free to use your favorite hot sauce instead of cayenne pepper, and fresh lime juice instead of apple cider vinegar if you’d like.
Looking to add a boost of protein?
This grilled corn salad would be perfect with grilled honey mustard chicken, shrimp or salmon, or you could keep it vegetarian by adding a can of black beans and simply scoop it up with some tortilla chips (YUM!).
Delicious ways to enjoy this grilled corn salad
Abra and I couldn’t stop sneaking bites of this grilled corn salad straight from the bowl, but it’s also incredible in a variety of different ways:
- With your fav tortilla chips for dipping
- As a topping for homemade tacos
- Piled on top of a plate of nachos
The options are truly endless!
How to store this grilled corn salad
Store this fresh grilled corn salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If you plan on making it ahead of time I’d recommend leaving the avocado and goat cheese off until you’re ready to serve it so that it doesn’t get brown.
More recipes using fresh corn
- Creamy Sweet Corn & Brown Butter Ricotta Pasta
- Peach, Tomato & Corn Arugula Pasta Salad
- Creamy Vegan Corn Chowder
- Chipotle Lime Salmon Tacos with Corn Avocado Peach Salsa & Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
- One Pan Sazon Skillet Chicken
Get all of my corn recipes here!
I hope you love this grilled corn salad with avocado! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado, Goat Cheese & Hot Honey Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- For the grilled corn:
- 4 ears of corn
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the salad:
- 1 ½ cups halved cherry tomatoes (i love heirloom cherry or grape tomatoes!)
- 1 avocado, diced
- ⅓ cup goat cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup diced red onion or sub green onion
- 6 large leaves basil, julienned
- Hot Honey Vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch of cayenne pepper OR 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce of choice
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (or sub fresh lime juice)
- ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium high heat.
- Drizzle corn with oil and rub all over. Season with salt and pepper. Place the corn directly on the grill and turn occasionally until the corn is charred and cooked, about 20 minutes.
- Allow corn to cool then cut the corn from the cob and place in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, avocado, goat cheese, red onion and basil. Toss together to combine.
- Make your hot honey vinaigrette: in a mason jar or small bowl add honey and cayenne or hot sauce; microwave for 10-15 seconds until the honey is hot. Remove and add in the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, dijon, garlic powder and salt and pepper; put a lid on the mason jar and shake well to combine. You can also whisk together in a small bowl if preferred. Taste and add more hot sauce or cayenne if you want it spicier! Pour over the corn salad and toss to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy the corn salad immediately. If you are making ahead of time, I recommend leaving the avocado and goat cheese out until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on June 28th, 2022, republished on July 18th, 2023, and republished on June 25th, 2024.
47 comments
Seriously the perfect summer salad. The hot honey vinaigrette is absolutely incredible.
You really hit it out of the park with this one! So gooooood!
I made this salad for dinner tonight. Everyone LOVED it! From the grilled corn to the honey to the goat cheese, it’s my new fav summer salad! Thank you!
Made this for a July 4th celebration and wow was it a hit. Very refreshing with a great tang from the goat cheese and dressing. Will definitely be making this again.
Love this salad! I used the lime juice and added black beans.
Perfect summer salad and great leftover lunch! This blew us all away and I’m not a huge fan of corn. Ate the leftovers for lunch for two days after making and it was still delicious. Two small tweaks I added a finely diced serano pepper for some spice and increased the dressing by 50% – it worked well. For those who are vegan or dairy free – you won’t miss the cheese, especially with avocado. Don’t skip the fresh basil! I plan to make this all summer long and serve it on a bed of baby spinach. Warm, crusty bread would make it a delightful summer meal.
SO glad you loved it, Jill! Those sound like great tweaks 🙂 Thanks for commenting!
Omggg I made this tonight and me and my husband were blown away! I added about half a cup of quinoa to it and had some shrimp on the side. Ammmaaaaazing.
My new favorite summer recipe! Only swap was using tomato basil goat cheese because it’s what I had on hand. So creamy and fresh!
Ooh that sounds amazing!! Glad you loved this one 🙂
Was craving a summer salad on this frigid MN March friday. I made this using frozen corn on the stove and threw it together with quinoa. Super easy and satisfied my craving.
This sounds absolutely perfect, Mary! Glad you enjoyed this recipe and it turned out great 🙂
Oh my, I anticipate making this grilled corn salad! The grilled corn alone sounds incredible, so I’m sure the other ingredients only add to the overall flavor.
Also, the combination of textures from the various veggies must taste so good. And that hot honey vinaigrette sounds absolutely delicious. Plus it’s healthy. What more can you ask for?
Yay! Hope you love it ❤️
thank u for this reciipe was delicious 😋💕
Of course! Glad you’re loving this recipe 🙂
This was so delicious! My whole family loved it. I will definitely be making it again!
Amazing! Glad they enjoyed!
Everyone at our gathering raved about it. I used the lime juice instead of the ACV.
Yummy
Nice! Lime’s a great idea. Happy you all enjoyed it!!
Yummy! Didn’t have any basil only cilantro, still amazing!!
Glad it still tasted delish! Thanks, Abby!
Yum, can’t wait to make this for all the peeps at the office. – Jail RosterSearchteam
One of the best salads I’ve ever had. 👏🏼 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Of course, this means so much! Glad you found and are loving this salad 🙂
This was delicious! I was worried the hot honey would be too spicy but it was perfect. Didn’t have tomatoes so I subbed cucumbers,
YUM! Glad you gave this recipe a try and it turned out great for you!
Good quality food
This salad quickly became my go-to summer side dish. It is pretty simple to assemble but packs so much depth. The char on the corn, the sweet and spicy honey, the creamy goat cheese, the fresh basil. YUM! This one is a winner!
Obsessed with all the flavors in here! Glad you love it!
WOW!! This was so delicious!! Since it’s the dead of winter, I used frozen corn and roasted it under the broiler. I can’t wait to try it with fresh summer corn and tomatoes and basil from my garden! The only other modification I made was using hot honey instead of regular honey plus cayenne. I’m absolutely sure it would be just as good that way too, I just happened to have hot honey on hand. My husband raved about it as well. This is one of those salads you tell everyone to try!!
Amazing! Yes this will be even more delicious in the summer! And it’s just as good with store-bought hot honey 🙂
These recipes are so clean eating. Thanks
Cant wait to make this soon for me i never had grilled corn salad with avocado, goat cheese & hot honey vinaigrette before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mcdonalds Menu
en France offre un délicieux mélange de plats traditionnels et de saveurs locales uniques. Des hamburgers classiques comme le Big Mac et le Cheeseburger aux créations d’inspiration française comme le Croque McDo et Le Royal Cheese, le menu s’adresse à une variété de goûts. Des variantes françaises comme la McBaguette et Le McWrap mettent également en valeur les ingrédients et les préférences locales.
This salad is so delicious and perfect as a side dish with grilled meats! Have made it numerous times 🙂
Hi, I plan on making this for a family BBQ. If I make that morning, should I leave off the dressing?
Thank you.
Feel free to make it as is and store it in the fridge until the BBQ!
This is the perfect summer salad! I really enjoyed the basil in the salad. I served this on a bed of lettuce for a light summer dinner. It made enough for leftovers and tasted even better as it marinated!
Perfect! And yes, this one gets even better over time.
Made this last night and it was amazing! A new family favorite!!!
So happy to hear that!
I’m confused! This corn recipe is listed with grain free lunches. How is corn grain free?
Thank you for the catch! I often classify corn as a vegetable rather than a grain (as many people in the culinary world do). We’ll go ahead and remove it from that category to avoid confusion 🙂
Great recipe!! I used canned sweet corn and cooked it in a skillet since unfortunately that’s all I had – but it still turned out delicious. I used feta instead of goat cheese and no avocado. I couldn’t use Cayenne since a couple people in my family don’t like spice but I bet it would be even better with it!
This was amazing. Perfect for a summer side dish. Don’t forget the basil and cayenne, they added that special touch!
Absolutely! Glad you loved it!