Our fresh and delicious Grilled Corn Salad makes the absolute best summer side dish! Made with perfectly grilled corn, all the fresh veggies, and a light, homemade dressing. Bring to your next potluck or serve at a backyard cookout!
The Best Grilled Corn Salad
Corn on the cob is definitely a staple food in our house all summer long! In this simple grilled corn salad recipe we use grilled corn on the cob because it is the best way to get some nice charring on the corn kernels. In a matter of minutes, you can whip up this summer corn salad and use it in so many different ways! Enjoy by itself as a side dish, toss on your favorite rice bowl, or level up a standard lettuce salad. Everyone is going to love it!
Looking for another corn recipe? You have to try our Delicious Corn Salsa!
What You Will Need
- ears of corn – we highly recommend making grilled sweet corn – the flavor is so good!
- olive oil – the perfect base to the light, homemade salad dressing and rub a little bit on the corn before grilling.
- Italian seasoning, salt, & pepper – simple seasonings that add the best flavor.
- fresh garlic – everything is always better with a little garlic in the mix!
- lemon juice – a touch of acidity will help to amplify all the natural flavors in the fresh vegetables.
- grape tomatoes, red onion, & cucumber – love this fresh produce as the main ingredients, but feel free to mix it up!
How To Make A Grilled Corn Salad
The first steps to making this easy recipe are to get busy shucking the silks and leaves off each corn cob. Now rub each sweet corn with oil, sprinkle with salt, and place the corn directly on the hot grill grates of a preheated outdoor grill. Grill on high heat for 10-15 minutes, rotating occasionally.
Carefully remove the grilled corn cobs and let them cool slightly at room temperature on a plate or sheet pan. Once they are cool enough to handle, use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off the cob. Place the corn, onion, cucumbers, and tomatoes in a large bowl.
Next, mix the oil, garlic, lemon juice, and seasonings to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour this salad dressing over the fresh veggies.
Toss to coat everything in the light dressing and enjoy this summer salad!
Best Ways To Serve A Grilled Corn Salad
This corn salad recipe can be enjoyed as a side dish alongside any main dish! We love to serve with something that is already being grilled, since we already have it fired up. A few favorites are Grilled Steaks, Grilled Chicken Thighs, or Grilled Pork Chops! Or feel free to use some of this fresh salad as a topping on your next rice bowl recipe. We love adding it to our delicious Grilled Steak Rice Bowl or Blackened Salmon Rice Bowl.
Recipe FAQ
In the recipe card below, we place the shucked corn cobs directly on the grill after being rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt. This is simple and gives a nice char. You can also grill corn in foil or grill corn with the husks on, if you want to use the grill but not have as much charring.
Absolutely! The entire corn cob can just be placed right on the grill, no need for boiling.
We prefer to do the corn shucking before grilling, but you don’t have to. If you leave the husk on, you will want to follow our this easy corn tutorial!
Yes! Feel free to follow the recipe as-is or add in any of your favorite ingredients. Other options we like in this salad are black beans, diced red bell pepper, diced avocado, fresh cilantro, green onions, or some lime wedges on the side for a squeeze of fresh lime juice. It would also be great with some cotija cheese or feta cheese on top!
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Grilled Corn Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
Description
The absolute PERFECT side dish for any summer meal! So much flavor and bright colors – great on its own or in a rice bowl!
Ingredients
Grilled Corn
- 3–4 ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked (remove outer leaves and silk strands)
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
Grilled Corn Salad
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2–3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 2 cups English cucumber, sliced and quartered
Instructions
- Grill Corn: Ensure grill grates are clean and preheat grill to 450 degrees F. Place clean, shucked ears of sweet corn on a plate or baking sheet. Very lightly drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to massage oil into each ear of corn. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Grill sweet corn on direct heat for a total of 10-15 minutes, turning once or twice with grill tongs. Remove when corn is slightly charred. Let cool slightly and then cut off corn kernels from cob.
- Combine Dressing: In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
- Combine Salad: In a medium bowl combine grilled corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cucumber.
- Toss + Taste: Drizzle dressing over top and give it a toss. Taste and add additional salt or Italian seasoning, as desired.
- Serve: We love serving this with our Blackened Salmon Rice Bowls or Grilled Steak Rice Bowls!
Notes
- Corn: If you don’t want to grill corn just sub in about 2 cups or so of canned corn or frozen corn (thaw first, of course!).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 106
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 127.1 mg
- Fat: 6.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.4 g
- Protein: 2.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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