Mexican Chopped Salad
Updated Aug 07, 2025
Easy Mexican Chopped Salad with Romaine lettuce, avocado, fresh tomatoes, black beans and red onions with a homemade, creamy cilantro dressing.
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My Mexican Chopped Salad Is So Good!
My favorite part of a chopped salad is getting each of the ingredients on my fork. In my Mexican Chopped Salad recipe, you get Romaine lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, corn, red onions, avocado, and jicama all covered in a cilantro yogurt dressing!
There’s a little prep involved to chop everything into the same size, but it’s very simple work. Then, all that’s left is to do is make the dressing and even that is easy because I use a food processor.
I can easily eat a giant bowl as is and sometimes add shredded chicken, air-fried tofu, or quinoa for more protein. It’s also a great side dish for taco or burrito night!
Mexican Chopped Salad Ingredients
- Romaine lettuce: Romaine lettuce is my go-to, but you can also use iceberg.
- Black beans: I use one can of drained and rinsed black beans, which is equal to about 1 ½ cups of cooked black beans if you’re using dried black beans you’ve cooked.
- Corn: Go for fresh off the cob if you can, or defrosted frozen corn. You can use canned if you need to.
- Tomatoes: I like to use Roma tomatoes because they have a thick firm flesh with fewer seeds. You can also used halved cherry tomatoes.
- Avocado: Look for ripe avocado that’s dark green on the outside and feels soft to the touch, but isn’t mushy. Get my top tips for how to cut an avocado quickly and easily.
- Onion: I like to use a red onion as it is milder than white or yellow and doesn’t overpower the other ingredients. The onion should be finely diced. You can find tips on how to cut an onion in my guide.
- Jicama: If you can’t find jicama, swap in another crunchy vegetable like radish.
- Cilantro: Look for cilantro with bright green leaves and no brown or yellow spots. You can also use parsley.
- Cotija: If you can’t get cotija, feta is a good alternative.
For the Cilantro Dressing:
- Cilantro: I love the flavor of cilantro, but you can use parsley in its place if you don’t like it.
- Greek yogurt: Full-fat Greek yogurt has a creamier texture, but low-fat works, too.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Lime juice: I always recommend fresh lime juice over bottled.
- Salt: I use kosher salt. If you only have regular salt, use ⅛ teaspoon since it’s more concentrated. You can always taste the dressing and add more if needed.
- Cumin: If you don’t have cumin, substitute with ⅛ teaspoon ground coriander or an equal amount of taco seasoning or chili powder.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I like the flavor of olive oil, but you can also use another oil like avocado.
How to Make Dressing for the Chopped Mexican Salad
Mexican Chopped Salad Recipe
Easy Mexican Chopped Salad with Romaine lettuce, avocado, fresh tomatoes, black beans and red onions with a homemade, creamy cilantro dressing.
Ingredients
For the Cilantro Yogurt Dressing
For the salad
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels thawed
- 2 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 large avocado diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- ½ small jicama chopped
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup cotija cheese
Instructions
- To make the dressing, add the cilantro, Greek yogurt, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt and cumin to a small blender until the sauce is creamy and smooth. Set aside.
- Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl or platter. Add the black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, red onion and jicama into sections on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and cotija on top.
- When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
Notes
Make Ahead: You can make the dressing up to 14 days in advance and you can prepare most of the salad up to 1 day in advance.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 380kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 837mg, Potassium: 1328mg, Fiber: 18g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 14296IU, Vitamin C: 36mg, Calcium: 184mg, Iron: 5mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Recipe Tips
- Make a big batch of the salad dressing. It not only works great for the salad as a dressing, but can also be used as a dip, sauce and marinade!
- Don’t add the dressing until you are ready to serve the salad. This way it will stay fresh and crunchy especially since creamy dressings can weigh down salads.
- Chop everything finely. The best part of chopped salads is that every bite has a little bit of everything, so how you chop it will actually affect the flavor.
Serving Ideas
- Mexican Chicken and Rice
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Easy Ground Beef Tacos
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Comments
I regularly combine this salad with habanero shrimp tacos for casual dinner parties. I have had multiple requests for the recipe. I particularly love the crunch of the jicama and the dressing.
Yum, that sounds like an amazing pairing!! So happy this salad has been a hit at your dinner parties. Thank you for sharing!
This Mexican salad is what I have been making for our family tacos night since I came across your recipe! The dressing is absolutely the best!! I would not change a thing
Thank you so much!
Looks so good.
Are the beans out of a can? Are they rinsed or cooked?
Thx
Hi Kimber, you can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card right above the comments. This recipe does use canned black beans that have been drained and rinsed. Hope you enjoy!
This Mexican chopped salad is what I have been missing!! I always follow directions the first time I make it and if it’s a keeper (it absolutely is) Then add my own flair.
The dressing is the star in this recipe!! I would not change a thing.
I will fire grill the corn next time to add a smokey component. Add some shrimp or chicken and you have a complete meal!
Back to this dressing….so versatile…when I tasted it my mind went wild with how to apply it to different dishes. The sauce will pare so well with carnitas tacos!
My new go to salad!!
Thank you so much, Melissa. So glad you liked it!
It is a great Mexican salad recipe.
Thank you!
What a delicious salad. Thank you.
Yay! You’re so welcome!!
Loved the recipe, I add some chopped garlic and cucumbers ๐๐๐
Sounds delicious! Thank you!!
Loved this salad so much! So fresh and easy to whip together when it’s too hot to turn on the oven or stovetop. The dressing especially was to-die for. We added a little extra lime juice and garlic, and don’t use low fat or fat free yogurt–whole fat makes it so much yummier and creamier. We also mixed in a little mexican seasonings with the beans and corn, but it really didn’t need it, because the dressing and all the ingredients were so flavorful! Thanks for your beautiful content, Yumna!
Thank you so much! I love the sound of those seasonings!!