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!
Three Bean Salad – Why We Love It!
- 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.
- This salad is so versatile.
Next time you’re invited to a potluck, volunteer to bring this!
Three Bean Salad Recipe
Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
(Scroll below for the printable recipe and measurements.)
- Beans: canned chickpeas, red kidney beans, and pinto beans. All rinsed and drained.
- Red onion and Garlic
- Fresh parsley
- Lime juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Seasonings: cumin, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt
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.
Rinse those three canned beans!
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
More Delicious Salads
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!
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
Other Notes
This is Yummly! You can use whatever bean combination your family likes. I refrigerated over night and I will definitely make this again, thank you!
How long can you leave this in the fridge? I would like to make it for Saturday and make it Thursday night.
Hi Kelsey! I recommend up to 12 hours prior.
Made this recipe yesterday. My husband and I both loved it. Will make again and again.
This was delicious!! Thank you.
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!
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!
Oh i love three bean salad. This looks amazing.