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Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad Recipe

June 6, 2018 by Jeanette 76 Comments

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Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad - this festive summer salad is perfect for picnics and large gatherings. It's inspired by esquites, Mexican street corn

This Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad is a festive warm weather salad, perfect for a crowd. I love fresh corn, and although I enjoy it on the cob, I find it makes a great side dish when used in salads.
Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad - this festive summer salad is perfect for picnics and large gatherings. It's inspired by esquites, Mexican street corn

I think warm weather is finally here to stay, so I have been trying to take long walks outside, and visiting our local farmer’s market as much as possible.

I made this Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad for a large gathering of women for one of our Bible study celebrations. I’m always trying to concoct something new for this group of ladies, while keeping it on the healthier side.

Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad - this festive summer salad is perfect for picnics and large gatherings. It's inspired by esquites, Mexican street corn

The idea behind this salad comes from the Mexican street food called Esquites, which is served in little cups. It’s a mixture of boiled or sautéed corn, mayonnaise, Cojita cheese, cilantro and chili powder. Sometimes jalapeño peppers are added too. What I love about Esquites is the combination of sweet (from the corn), spicy (chili powder), and salty (Cojita cheese).

I find pan roasting the corn brings out the natural sugars and makes it taste even sweeter.

Pan Roasted Corn

Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad Ingredients

Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad

Let’s talk a little about the health benefits of corn – whole corn that is, not processed. I have to be honest – for years, I didn’t consider corn a healthy vegetable. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of The World’s Healthiest Foods a few years ago, that I started paying more attention to the unique nutritional profile that different fruits and vegetables have.

Here are a couple of fun facts about corn you might be interested in:

  • Corn is high in both soluble and insoluble fiber. We need both kinds of fiber in our diets. Dietary fiber helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower our risk of heart disease.
  • Corn contains two important carotenoids (lutein and zeaxanthin), which are relatives of vitamin A that support eye health and may have other disease-preventing properties.
  • Corn is a good source of B vitamins (folate, B1, B3, B5, B6) which are essential for energy production and making red blood cells

The important thing to remember here is to eat corn in its whole form.

Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad - this festive summer salad is perfect for picnics and large gatherings. It's inspired by esquites, Mexican street corn

Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad © Jeanette's Healthy Living
5 from 2 votes
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Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad

This makes a big batch. This recipe is on the milder side because I made it for a large crowd and wanted to make sure it had broad appeal. Spice things up even more with additional cayenne pepper or chili powder.
Course Side Dish
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 20 as part of a buffet
Calories 120 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 3 cups corn
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 cups cooked quinoa
  • 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
  • 1 cup cojita cheese feta or romano cheese would also work, crumbled
  • 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
  • 3 tablespoons scallions minced
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • a few dashes of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • sea salt to taste
  • fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute corn and garlic until corn has some brown spots (that's the caramelization that makes the corn even sweeter). Transfer to a large bowl and toss in the rest of the ingredients. Season to your liking with additional chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.

Recipe Notes

Cut recipe in half for a smaller group.

Nutrition Facts
Mexican Corn Quinoa Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 120 Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 6mg2%
Sodium 140mg6%
Potassium 211mg6%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 245IU5%
Vitamin C 8.1mg10%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

If you like this recipe, you might like:

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Chipotle Black Bean Corn Tomato Avocado Salad - this can be eaten as a dip or a salad - perfect for summer barbecues and picnics!

Quinoa Corn Kale Tomato Salad

Kale Quinoa Tomato Corn Salad © Jeanette's Healthy Living

Corn Tomato Avocado Salsa Salad

Corn Avocado Tomato Salad © Jeanette's Healthy Living

Mexican Corn Tomato Feta Salad

Mexican Corn Tomato Feta Salad - you'll find all the flavors of Mexican street corn are in this creamy summer salad

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post by Kitchen PLAY in partnership with the Florida Sweet Corn Exchange for their “Put a Little Sweet in Your Step” event.

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Filed Under: Clean Eating, csa, gluten-free, healthy choices, New Year, salads, side dishes, vegetables Tagged With: corn, quinoa, salad

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Comments

  1. sara says

    April 7, 2014 at 9:57 am

    Yum! This looks totally fabulous! 🙂 I would love to join the pin party, and my pinterest name is cupcakemufin.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 7, 2014 at 10:50 am

      Thanks Sara – just sent you an invite to pin to our Sweet Corn Love board. Thanks for participating – can’t wait to see what you pin!

      Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:32 am

      Hi Sara – just sent you an email to invite you to our Pinterest pin party. Thanks and happy pinning!

      Reply
  2. Cathy S. says

    April 7, 2014 at 11:16 am

    Please add me to your pin party. Pinterest name is themrsschiffman.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 7, 2014 at 11:20 am

      Cathy – I just sent you an invite to the Pinterest board. Look forward to seeing your corn pin!

      Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:34 am

      Hi Cathy – just sent you an email to invite you to our Pinterest Board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  3. Christine from Cook the Story says

    April 7, 2014 at 11:20 am

    This looks beautiful and sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 7, 2014 at 7:38 pm

      Thanks so much Christine!

      Reply
  4. whatjessicabakednext says

    April 7, 2014 at 2:20 pm

    I love these big, fresh salads full of so many fusions and flavours!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 7, 2014 at 7:37 pm

      Thanks! Me too!

      Reply
  5. Margot C says

    April 7, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    Marvelous, please invite me to your pin board. I assume that I should take a picture of what I make (sort of a duh question I guess) and put it on your board. Ok, we LOVE corn!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 7, 2014 at 7:37 pm

      Hi Margot – I just sent you an invite to the Sweet Corn Pinterest Board. You can pin a picture of a corn recipe you make or pin any other fresh corn recipes to the board. Thanks for playing!

      Reply
      • Margot C says

        April 8, 2014 at 2:54 pm

        Hi Jeanette, thanks for the invitation, For some reason when I click on it it just takes me to a Pinterest log-in page (even though I’m already logged in), it hiccups then takes me to the main Pinterest page. This all happens really fast. When I found your corn board by searching I found that I was not on the list of participants. Maybe it’s a Mac thing, but it doesn’t work for me.

        Reply
        • Jeanette says

          April 8, 2014 at 3:07 pm

          Hi Margot, I think you have to follow all my boards to join my group board. Let me know if you are still having trouble after you do that. Thanks for letting me know.

          Reply
        • Jeanette says

          April 11, 2014 at 8:40 am

          Hi Margot, I think we’ve got a solution – just sent you an email. Hope that works. Thanks!

          Reply
  6. Alicia K says

    April 7, 2014 at 8:47 pm

    i want to participate! pixystik4u at gmail dot com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 7, 2014 at 10:08 pm

      Great! Just sent you an invite to the board Alicia. Happy sweet corn pinning!

      Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:35 am

      Hi Alicia, just sent you an email to invite you to our Sweet Corn Pinterest Board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  7. EA-The Spicy RD says

    April 7, 2014 at 11:11 pm

    Great salad Jeanette! My kids love corn, and I think this would be a winner in our house. I’ll be cheering along with you at baseball games this spring 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:36 am

      Thanks EA – quinoa and corn go together so well. Have fun with baseball this Spring!

      Reply
  8. Chris says

    April 8, 2014 at 12:18 am

    Wow! I am a HUGE fan of Quinoa. As many times as I have made it, I have not used this combo of flavors. Can wait to try!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:36 am

      Thanks Chris – hope you enjoy this recipe!

      Reply
  9. Jessie C. says

    April 8, 2014 at 12:20 am

    I would like to be part of the Pin Party
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:37 am

      Hi Jessie, just sent you an email to invite you to pin to our Sweet Corn board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  10. cheri says

    April 8, 2014 at 12:56 am

    What a fantastic salad, great combination of flavors. love that you used quinoa in this.

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:37 am

      Thanks Cheri – this is a fun salad – great for a party!

      Reply
  11. alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says

    April 8, 2014 at 8:40 am

    I just had this similar idea, but now I have the recipe too for summer! Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Teri K says

    April 8, 2014 at 11:48 am

    I’d love an invite to your board. Corn is one of my favorite veggies!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:29 am

      Hi Teri,
      Just sent you an email with invitation information.
      Thanks and happy pinning!
      Jeanette

      Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:38 am

      Hi Teri, just sent you an email to invite you to pin to our Sweet Corn board on Pinterest. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  13. Pam says

    April 8, 2014 at 12:22 pm

    Great combination of flavors & textures – it looks terrific.

    Reply
  14. Shaina says

    April 8, 2014 at 2:54 pm

    So bright and sunshiney. I love this salad!

    Reply
  15. Terra says

    April 8, 2014 at 4:11 pm

    I just pinned a few of your quinoa recipes, love all the different ways to enjoy quinoa!!! This salad would be perfect for my lunches, hearty, full of nutrients, and holy cats delicious! Hugs, Terra

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:41 am

      Thanks Terra – hope you’re doing well!

      Reply
  16. Kristin says

    April 8, 2014 at 4:26 pm

    Yummy! Mexican is my favourite and I’m always looking for new ways to make quinoa since it’s so good for you!

    The Cheap Chef

    Reply
  17. Toni says

    April 8, 2014 at 4:41 pm

    This looks great! I think we are going to try it for dinner tonight. I’ve been looking for a good recipe to get us to like quinoa. Hopefully this is it!
    Pinterest name is Roxygirli05 🙂

    Reply
  18. Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says

    April 9, 2014 at 7:13 am

    Gorgeous salad, Jeanette! Love, love, love. Thank you for sharing. Pinning (of course)!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:47 am

      Thanks so much Stacy!

      Reply
  19. Pam Gurganus says

    April 9, 2014 at 10:09 am

    I LOVE corn and I’d like to be part of the pin party! Thank you! 🙂 pam_gurganus@yahoo.com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:26 am

      Hi Pam,
      Just sent you an email with invite info.
      Thanks,
      Jeanette

      Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:45 am

      Hi Pam – I just sent you an invitation to our Sweet Corn Pinterest Board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  20. Kelli B says

    April 9, 2014 at 10:46 am

    I printed this recipe out yesterday and plan to make it soon! Thanks Jeannette!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:45 am

      Kelli – hope you enjoy this!

      Reply
      • Kelli B says

        April 11, 2014 at 10:23 am

        I made it last night and LOVED it! I didn’t realize that I was out of cayenne pepper so I substituted it with some chipotle powder and it turned out well! Thanks Jeanette!

        Reply
        • Jeanette says

          April 14, 2014 at 9:50 am

          Kelli so glad you tried this and loved it! Thanks for letting me know. Chipotle sounds excellent – nice and smoky!

          Reply
  21. Lisa Brown says

    April 9, 2014 at 11:00 am

    i would love to be able to pin, send me an invite, please 🙂
    jslbrown2009(at)aol(dot)com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:45 am

      Hi Lisa, just sent you an email with an invitation to join our Sweet Corn Board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  22. Neiddy says

    April 10, 2014 at 7:38 am

    Thank you for the chance to win and for sharing this recipe with us.

    Please add me to the board, my email is neiddyruiz@gmail.com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 8:43 am

      Hi Neiddy, I just sent you an email inviting you to our Sweet Corn Pinterest board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  23. Toni says

    April 11, 2014 at 10:31 am

    Sorry forgot the @ part!
    Roxygirli05@gmail.com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 14, 2014 at 9:56 am

      Toni – sent you an invite – happy pinning!

      Reply
  24. Teri K says

    April 11, 2014 at 10:55 am

    Hi Jeanette,
    Thank you for the invite. I’m loving the corn board.

    Teri

    Reply
  25. Amanda Sakovitz says

    April 11, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    This looks yummy! please add me, thank you!
    pokergrl8 at gmail.com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 14, 2014 at 9:52 am

      Hi Amanda – I sent you an email – need your Pinterest name in order to add you to the board.

      Reply
  26. Thomas Murphy says

    April 11, 2014 at 7:50 pm

    This recipe looks great. I would like to be added, thanks!
    http://www.pinterest.com/rounder9834/
    rounder9834 @yahoo.com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 11, 2014 at 7:57 pm

      Thomas, I just sent you an invite through Pinterest. Looking forward to your Sweet Corn pins.

      Reply
  27. Carolsue says

    April 11, 2014 at 9:42 pm

    I’d like to take part.
    Pinterest: @Cezovski9
    Digicats@sbcglobal.net

    Reply
  28. MaryB says

    April 12, 2014 at 4:10 pm

    Would love to join the pin party. pinterest.com/okieinwa jodoobers@ gmail.com

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 12, 2014 at 8:15 pm

      Mary – I just invited you to the board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  29. Karen D says

    April 12, 2014 at 4:22 pm

    Email is same as here, user name is karengdel

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 12, 2014 at 8:16 pm

      Karen, I just invited you to the board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  30. Christine Mayfield says

    April 12, 2014 at 4:50 pm

    I would like to be a part of the pin party. My pinterest name is BeeBubbaBella

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 12, 2014 at 8:17 pm

      Christine, I just invited you to the board. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  31. Carolsue says

    April 14, 2014 at 5:15 am

    Why did you invite everybody but me?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 14, 2014 at 8:39 am

      Hi Carolsue, so sorry it was an oversight. Please check your email – just sent you instructions. Happy pinning!

      Reply
  32. Toni says

    April 14, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    We made this and loved it! Finally enjoyed quinoa. We did add chicken and ate it over squash (to meet our dietary needs).
    With make quinoa again and look forward to trying more recipes on your 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 14, 2014 at 10:59 pm

      Toni – so glad you enjoyed this – great additions! Looking forward to hearing what you make next.

      Reply
  33. Caz says

    April 14, 2014 at 9:04 pm

    Hi! Just a quick question. Is this a cold salad or warm?

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      April 14, 2014 at 10:57 pm

      Caz – I served this salad room temperature, but it would good warm or cold.

      Reply
  34. Jodee Weiland says

    September 19, 2014 at 11:03 am

    This dish looks so delicious and healthy! I love the ingredients and the flavors brought together here…thanks for sharing your recipe!

    Reply
  35. J.A. Garland says

    February 15, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    5 stars
    I’m trying this out today for a family birthday party. It looks sooo yummy!

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      February 15, 2015 at 2:58 pm

      I hope you all enjoy this today – thanks so much for trying it for your family celebration!

      Reply
  36. sippitysup says

    June 15, 2016 at 11:28 am

    Sorry to miss the party but I’d be happy for a helping of salad! GREG

    Reply
    • Jeanette says

      June 15, 2016 at 2:51 pm

      Thanks Greg 🙂

      Reply
  37. Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says

    June 16, 2016 at 9:20 am

    We’ve been doing the same thing here for the summer. . farmer’s market and playing around outside. I LOVE this Mexican spin on quinoa salad! and it looks amazing!!!!

    Reply
  38. marie johson says

    October 28, 2019 at 1:17 pm

    5 stars
    Mexican Street Corn Quinoa is a great way to jazz up quinoa! Love this easy recipe <3

    Reply

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