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This Bean Salad is the perfect easy side dish for any potluck. I love this recipe for the summer months because it is so quick to put together and serve! It is a classic salad recipe with a homemade dressing – you’ll love it!

bean salad mixed with vegetables in a clear bowl.


Why You’ll LOVE This Recipe

I love this 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!

Bean salad is so perfect because you can really get a full meal from it. The beans are a great source of ported and fiber, but there are also vegetables added in! 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.

Ingredients Needed

  • 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 and Celery: Add a great texture in comparison to all the beans
  • Red Bell Pepper: I chop all the extra salad ingredients in to good bite size pieces
  • Fresh Parsley: Fresh herbs always add an extra light taste to the recipe
  • Red Wine Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I typically use twice as much oil to vinegar, but you could also use equal parts.
  • Honey: Everything needs a bit of sweetness!
  • Garlic: Make sure it’s pressed!

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

How to make Bean Salad

  • Drain and rinse your beans. Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl.
  • 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.
bean salad mixed with vegetables in a clear bowl.

Expert 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.

FAQs

How do you store this salad?

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

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
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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.

Recipe Video

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

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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.

5 from 12 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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11 Comments

  1. Excellent!
    Best bean salad ever!
    I had at bbq and asked for the recipe.
    Canโ€™t wait to make it๐Ÿ˜‹