Cold Corn and Wild Rice Salad
Cold Corn and Wild Rice Salad is a fresh Midwestern spin on cowboy caviar with hearty wild rice, black beans and black-eyed peas, sweet corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a zippy lime dressing. It's a colorful, big-batch, no-cook cold salad that's perfect for meal prep, potlucks, or serving with tortilla chips as a dip.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more FREE recipes and tips from my Midwestern kitchen to yours!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Midwestern HomeLife
❤️At a Glance: Wild Rice Salad Recipe
- Make-ahead friendly. Easy salad to meal prep and enjoy all week.
- No cooking required. Drain, chop, stir, and chill. That's it.
- Salad or dip. Serve it over baby spinach as a salad, or leave out the spinach and scoop it up with tortilla chips.
- Easy to customize. Swap in your favorite beans, vegetables, greens, or toppings to make it your own.
- Big-batch salad for potlucks. This colorful, hearty salad makes plenty to share and travels well.
This Cold Corn and Wild Rice Salad is what happens when I crave cowboy caviar and have more garden produce than I know what to do with. The nutty wild rice takes me right back to the Wild Rice Stuffing that was always on our Thanksgiving table. I toss it with protein-packed beans, juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, crisp cucumbers, and a zesty lime dressing.
Sometimes I leave out the spinach and scoop it up with tortilla chips like a dip, or toss it with baby spinach, bacon, and sunflower seeds for a hearty salad.
🌽Ingredients
This salad is very flexible, and you can swap out almost any ingredient. See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Wild rice. I also use canned wild rice like Canoe Wild Rice. It's delicious, and I love that they're Minnesota-based--and only about an hour away from me. Great way to use up leftover wild rice.
- Corn. Fresh, canned and drained, or frozen and thawed all work.
- Chili powder. I love chili powder because it's an all-in-one seasoning that includes ground chili peppers, cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Feel free to play around with different seasoning blends.
- Baby spinach. Tender spinach leaves soften as they sit in the dressing, so I add it right before serving.
🥬Variations or Substitutions
- Wild rice. Swap in farro, quinoa, brown rice, or orzo.
- Beans. Use your favorite combination of beans, such as cannellini, pinto, chickpeas, or kidney beans.
- Vegetables. Swap in your favorite color of bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, or other crunchy vegetables.
- Greens. Use romaine or arugula instead of spinach.
- Protein. Make it a heartier meal with grilled chicken, tuna, shrimp, or crab.
- Herbs & toppings. Try fresh basil, cilantro, chives, mint, or dill, and swap the sunflower seeds for roasted nuts, dried cranberries, or feta.
🥣How to Make Wild Rice & Corn Salad
Step 1. Make the salad. In a large bowl, combine the wild rice, both cans of beans, corn, red bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and parsley.
Step 2. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. You can also shake them together in a covered mason jar.
Step 3. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss with a wooden spoon until coated. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Store the crumbled bacon separately in the refrigerator to keep it crisp.
Step 4. Before serving, toss with the baby spinach, then top with crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds.
👉Helpful Hint: Keep the spinach separate. Toss only the amount you plan to eat with baby spinach to keep the greens fresh.
✅Top Tips
- Make it ahead. For the best flavor, make the salad a few hours, up to a day, in advance so the flavors have time to meld.
- Add the toppings just before serving. Keep the bacon and sunflower seeds separate until you're ready to eat so they stay crisp.
- Serve it chilled or at room temperature. It's delicious straight from the refrigerator, but letting it sit for a few minutes takes the chill off and lets the flavors shine.
🍖What to Serve with Cold Wild Rice Salad
- Savory meats. This salad is a fresh, crunchy side for grilled chicken, burgers, Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs, or Ribs in a Roaster, especially for an easy summer dinner.
- Potluck salads. Serve alongside other cold salads and fresh sides like Mediterranean Orzo Pesto Salad, Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad with Cucumber, or Broccoli Cauliflower Salad.
- Flatbread pizza. Spoon the cold wild rice salad over a hot flatbread pizza, like my BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza or Chicken Pesto Flatbread Pizza. The contrast of the crisp, fresh salad with the warm, cheesy pizza is so good.
❓FAQs
A bright, flavorful citrus vinaigrette works well with cold wild rice salad. Try lime, lemon, or orange juice with olive oil, honey or maple syrup, and seasonings like chili powder, cumin, or fresh herbs. A balsamic or apple cider vinaigrette can also work well.
Start with cooked rice, then add beans, vegetables, herbs, and something for crunch. Black beans, chickpeas, corn, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion or shallots, dried cranberries, feta, nuts, and fresh herbs are all good options. You can also add chicken, shrimp, tuna, or another protein to make it a meal.
Yes. Cooked wild rice can be served cold, making it a great base for salads. It holds up well in the fridge, making it a great make-ahead dish.
Yes. While cowboy caviar is often served as a dip with tortilla chips, the combination of beans, vegetables, corn, and a flavorful dressing also makes a hearty salad. Add greens, wild rice, or another grain to make it even more substantial.
😋More Delicious Recipes
💌Let's Stay in Touch
Follow Midwestern HomeLife on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of the latest recipes!
📖 Recipe
Cold Corn and Wild Rice Salad
Ingredients
Wild Rice and Corn Salad
- 15 oz. can wild rice or 1 ½ cups cooked wild rice
- 15 oz. can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups corn fresh, canned (drained), or frozen (thawed)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 cup cucumber half moons
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 4 green onions (green and white parts), sliced
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
Lime Vinaigrette
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 3-4 limes)
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
For Serving
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons roasted sunflower seeds plain or honey roasted
Instructions
- In a very large mixing bowl, stir together the wild rice, black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, green onions, and parsley.
- In a small bowl or covered jar, vigorously whisk or shake the dressing ingredients until well combined.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat. Chill for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight, to let the flavors meld. Refrigerate the crumbled bacon separately to keep it crisp.
- When serving, toss only the amount you plan to eat with baby spinach, then finish with the crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox. Plus, you'll get more FREE recipes and tips from my Midwestern kitchen to yours!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Midwestern HomeLife
Notes
- Make ahead: Refrigerate the dressed salad for up to 4 days. For the best texture, keep the spinach, bacon, and sunflower seeds separate and add just before serving.
- Meal prep: Portion the salad into individual containers for easy lunches throughout the week. Add spinach and toppings when ready to eat.
- For the best flavor: Chill the dressed salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to give the flavors time to meld.
