This Three Bean Salad recipe makes a ridiculously easy and healthy side salad. You’ll love this classic dish that requires no cooking, comes together in 15 minutes, and for under $5.00. It’s so colorful and great for potlucks!
Memories of my youth, and going to the salad bar, flash before my eyes as I write about this Three Bean Salad. Except those memories are not fond, because a bean salad was never appealing to me at the age of 16. But now? Love love love!
Three Bean Salad is pretty much a staple at salad bars and summer picnics, with so many different varieties. Because of all the different beans!
What Makes This Three Bean Salad So Great?
- This salad comes together in minutes.
- The ingredients are common pantry staples.
- Each serving is healthy and high in protein.
- The colors are so pretty!
- It’s extremely inexpensive.
Next time you’re invited to a potluck, volunteer to bring this!
Recipe Variations
Most Three Bean salads I see include green beans, which is delicious. I often make this recipe and include them – which would make it a Four Bean salad, I guess! But the beans I crave the most are chickpeas, pinto beans, and kidney beans, so that’s what I used here.
- You could easily substitute the red kidney beans for cannellini beans or black beans for the pinto.
- Instead of red wine vinegar, you could try rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Swap the red onion for shallot.
- Toss in some fresh basil or replace the parsley with cilantro.
This salad is so versatile.
Rinse those three canned beans!
Beans are canned in water and salt, releasing starches, and creating an unappetizing slimy liquid. It’s not unsafe to eat, but um, it’s sort of gross. All you need to do is drain the beans in a strainer and then run cold water over them until all that film is gone, then add them to your mixing bowl.
Now all you need is a can opener. This is definitely a winning recipe and an example that canned goods can be…GREAT.
other bean recipes we love!
other healthy salad recipes we love!
I hope you love this delicious recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
How To Make This Three Bean Salad Recipe
Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can red kidney beans , rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can pinto beans , rinsed and drained
- 1/2 medium red onion , finely diced
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 medium limes , juiced
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add all three types of beans, the onion, and parsley.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, cumin, cayenne, and salt. (Taste and if it seems too acidic and bitter, then add a touch of sugar.) Whisk to combine.
- Pour dressing over the beans and gently stir to combine.
- You can serve this right away, but it’s best after marinating in the refrigerator for at least a few hours so the flavors can meld.
Nutrition
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Kelsey says
How long can you leave this in the fridge? I would like to make it for Saturday and make it Thursday night.
Amy @Belly Full says
Hi Kelsey! I recommend up to 12 hours prior.
Jules says
This was delicious!! Thank you.
Lynette says
This is my favorite bean salad. I add chopped red bell pepper, a bit more cumin than called for (because I love cumin), and a bit less vinegar than called for (because I think it’s too acidic as is, and I don’t want to add sugar). I eat it by itself, with celery, or on top of some chopped romaine with cucumbers and tomatoes. I enjoy it as part of a meal and as mid-morning or afternoon snack, too!
Pat says
Wonderful! Loved it! Here’s what I did…I doubled the amount of beans in this recipe but did not double the dressing ingredients. Even though I added cucumbers and cherry tomatoes (and you don’t have to…I just had them on hand) it did not need more dressing. Oh, and I made a mistake when making the dressing but it turned out great. I’m used to a 3 Tbls olive oil to 3 Tbls vinegar ratio. That’s what I did. After the salad was made and served, I realized The dressing was short a tbls of red wine vinegar. Honestly, it was fabulous and with the lime juice, it did not need more acid. I did not need to add sugar as the blogger suggested if too acidic. Also, I did not add cayenne. It didn’t need it but that’s a matter of taste. Speaking of taste…I did add a tad more salt but you might not need to. This is my new go to recipe!
sheenam | thetwincookingproject says
Oh i love three bean salad. This looks amazing.