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This Easy Bean Salad Recipe is the perfect easy side dish for any potluck. It’s fresh with the perfect combination of textures with a tangy homemade dressing – such a classic recipe!

bean salad mixed with vegetables in a clear bowl.


I love this Bean Salad recipe because there are so many textures – crunchy and soft – the perfect summer potluck dish. You can make it ahead of time (it actually tastes better as it sits) and you can serve it alone or over a bed of lettuce. It’s the best lunch! There are so many great flavors and textures mixed into one. Every summer I tack this recipe on to anything else we are serving and everyone raves about it!

bean salad mixed with vegetables in a clear bowl.

Ingredient Notes

  • 3 Bean Salad: Red Kidney Beans, Garbanzo Beans (also known as Chickpeas), and Cannellini Beans (white beans) – you’ll need three 15-ounce cans (canned beans are just so much easier)
  • Red Onion, Red Bell Pepper and Celery: Add a great texture in comparison to all the beans
  • Red Wine Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I typically use twice as much oil to vinegar, but you could also use equal parts. Round out the dressing with honey and garlic.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!

Variations

  • Switch up the beans: you can use pinto beans or black beans if you like those better.
  • Some bean salads also include green beans or wax beans – swap out one of the cans of beans for a can of green beans.
  • I added Italian seasoning but you could omit and use thyme and/or oregano
bean salad mixed with vegetables in a clear bowl.

How to make Bean Salad Tips

  • This salad tastes even better after soaking up the dressing for a few hours!
  • If you want to skip making your own dressing that is fine! Use what you have on hand! I suggest a light balsamic or red wine vinaigrette.
  • You could also add some dijon mustard to the dressing if you want it creamier.
  • Store in the fridge for up to 3 days! Make sure it is covered.
bean salad mixed with vegetables in a clear bowl.

Easy Bean Salad Recipe

5 from 12 votes
This easy Bean Salad is a traditional three bean salad recipe that's the perfect side dish, complete with a homemade dressing.

Recipe Video

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 serving
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Ingredients
 

Salad:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can an garbanzo peans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-ounce) can white cannelloni beans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ red onion diced small
  • 4 stalks celery diced small
  • 1 red pepper diced small
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped

Dressing:

  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 clove garlic pressed
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions

  • Add all salad ingredeints to a large bowl. Make sure that you've drained and rinsed your beans first!
  • Add all dressing ingredinets to a mason jar. Cover and shake well to combine. Pour over salad, toss to combine.
  • Chill until ready to serve. This tastes best after soaking a few hours and will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
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Recipe Notes

  • Swap any beans (color or green beans or wax beans) for a can of the beans listed. Use your favorites.
  • If you want you can use a bottled dressing – balsamic or red wine vinaigrette is best.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Vitamin C: 18.1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.8mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Author Dorothy Kern

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Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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5 from 12 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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11 Comments

  1. This was delicious! I didn’t have cannelloni beans which wasn’t a problem and I substituted cilantro for the parsley. I added one pint of grape tomatoes and two cucumbers to the salad to get rid of some excess produce. The flavor was great, especially after allowing the salad to sit for over an hour in the fridge. I will definitely be making this again and thank you so much for creating this awesome salad recipe!

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  3. I’ve made something very similar to this. I added small pieces of mozzarella cheese and black beans. Added a little lime juice too. Basil if you want….delish!!!!

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  4. I was wondering what to do with an over abundance of beans that we had and came across this recipe. Simple but delicious. The dressing is perfect. Definitely in the rotation now. Thanks for sharing.

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