I am all about corn in the summertime. I just can’t get enough of it, and I especially love grilled corn. If you are looking for a delicious, bright, crowd-pleasing salad loaded with grilled corn, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro, this one more than fits the bill. You really can’t go wrong with this combination of fresh ingredients, and the citrus-honey dressing makes all the flavors pop in the best possible way.

I promise, if you bring this Grilled Corn & Avocado Summer Salad to your next summer BBQ, you’ll be the hit of the party.

Editor’s Note: Originally published in 2023 and updated for Summer 2026. This fresh grilled corn and avocado salad is still one of our favorite easy summer side dishes for BBQs, cookouts and warm-weather entertaining.

Grilled Corn & Avocado Summer Salad

Joan has been one of my BFF since we were tots and we share many interests, including our love of food and recipes. She gave me this Grilled Corn & Avocado Summer Salad recipe, which she swears by. Of course, she tweaked it a bit…because that’s what we do.

Joan can make a meal out of virtually anything. She used to do it all the time at my house when we were teenagers. My mom’s pantry was filled with things like WASA crackers (which we called “WASPY crackers”), tuna packed in water, and Peter Pan peanut butter — basically anything low-calorie, low-fat, and not exactly bursting with flavor. But Joan could take one look in the cabinets, assess the situation in under two minutes, and somehow whip up something surprisingly delicious. It was honestly impressive. I eventually learned how to cook myself, but to this day, Joan and I still talk food and recipes.

Anyway, this grilled corn and avocado salad is an excellent side dish, or you can add grilled shrimp or chicken to turn it into a light lunch or easy summer dinner. It’s one of those fresh summer salads that always disappears quickly.

Grilled Corn & Avocado Summer Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes  |  Cook Time: 7 minutes  |  Total Time: 17 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pint grape tomatoes (Or get fancy like I did and use multi-colored tomatoes), halved or quartered
• 1 ripe avocado, diced
• 2 ears fresh sweet corn, grilled (you can also use good-quality frozen corn) *
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Honey Lime Dressing

• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Grill the corn cobs for about 7 minutes at 400 degrees F. Remove and carefully cut the kernels from the cob.
2. In a large salad bowl, combine the corn kernels, tomatoes, avocado, and chopped cilantro.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vegetable oil, honey, and minced garlic. Season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
4. Pour the honey lime dressing over the salad and toss gently until combined. Serve immediately.

* Trader Joe’s sells frozen grilled corn. I have not tried it with this recipe yet so I can not attest if it will taste as good, but it’s an option. Just thaw and don’t heat/cook the corn.

(The salad pictured above is a double portion.)

How To Ripen Avocados Fast

It never fails. You need ripe avocados, and all the store has are ones that are rock hard. Here’s how to ripen them quickly:

Wrap each avocado in foil and place in a 200-degree oven for about 10 minutes. Check to see if they’ve softened enough. If not, place them back in the oven for another 10 minutes, repeating as needed until softened. Let cool before slicing open.

How does this work? Avocados naturally produce ethylene gas, which slowly ripens the fruit. Wrapping them in foil traps the gas around the avocado, helping speed up the ripening process.

A fresh, easy summer salad like this one is perfect for cookouts, BBQs, pool parties, or even a simple weeknight dinner on the patio.

What To Serve With This Salad

This fresh grilled corn and avocado salad pairs perfectly with grilled chicken, burgers, steak, shrimp skewers or tacos. It also makes a colorful addition to summer potlucks, picnics and holiday cookouts.