Vegan Bean Salad

This Vegan Bean Salad is the perfect addition to your list of go-to summer salads! Packed with beans, fresh herbs and veggies, this tasty salad definitely hits the spot. Even better, this dish comes together in under 20 minutes with just one dish!

This colorful bean salad pairs really nicely with our Chimichurri Carne Asada, Red Enchiladas, and our Chicken Fajita Tacos. If you love vegan salads packed with fresh ingredients, be sure to also check out our Bow Tie Pasta Salad and Grapefruit Arugula Salad.

Jump to:

• 👍 Why We Love This Vegan Bean Salad
• 🫘The Beans
• 🛒 Ingredients
• ↪️ Substitutions
• 👨🏼‍🍳 Instructions
• ✔️ Expert Tips and Tricks
• ❓FAQ
• 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
• 👧🏽 Modify for Picky Eaters
• 🧶 Crafts for this Recipe
• 🥗Other Salad Recipes 
• Vegan Bean Salad

👍 Why We Love This Vegan Bean Salad

Quick and easy- No cooking involved here, just come chopping and mixing! Bonus: You may have most of these ingredients already in your pantry!

Versatile! Enjoy our Vegan Bean Salad as a meal unto itself or as a side dish. You can dip chips into this salad, use it as a topping for your favorite grilled protein, or snack on it for lunch.

Travels well- Bring this salad to a potluck, BBQ or outdoor picnic! This dish holds together nicely and is the perfect dish for a summer gathering.

Protein-packed- This salad is packed with three different kinds of beans, which are good sources of fiber and high in protein. 

🫘The Beans

We use three kinds of beans in this salad, as each bean brings a unique flavor and texture to the mix. We love kidney beans for their slightly sweet flavor and deep red color. Garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) are starchy, white beans that offer a nutty flavor to this dish. And finally, our vegan bean salad includes black beans, which are softer with a mild flavor that nicely absorbs the other flavors of the salad's ingredients.

🛒 Ingredients

Notes on ingredients:

Beans (Kidney, Garbanzo and black)- strained and rinsed

Corn- unsweetened, canned corn is ideal ( strained and rinsed) but frozen can will work as well if thawed ahead of time.

Shallot- chopped

Red bell pepper- chopped

Cucumber- peeled and chopped

Cilantro- both leaves & stems, finely chopped

Basil-just leaves, finely chopped

Olive oil- a good quality, extra-virigin olive oil, which will be basis of the lime dressing

Lime juice- for added flavor and punch

Salt & pepper-to flavor the dressing, adjust according to preference

Avocado- sliced and placed on top of finished salad

↪️ Substitutions

• Feel free to use any other bean/legume (like pinto beans or lentils) or combination of beans for this dish. 
• For added spice, consider adding a pinch of red pepper flakes to this salad. 
• So many herbs and spices work with this vegan bean salad. For example, dill or thyme would taste great in this dish.
• Add or swap veggies as desired. Chopped tomatoes, olives or celery would be nice add-ons!
• Feel free to swap our dressing for a dressing of your choice. A simple vinaigrette or jarred dressing of your choice are always options!

👨🏼‍🍳 Instructions

Step 1: Combine beans, veggies and herbs.

Step 2: Combine dressing ingredients in small bowl.

Step 3: Toss salad contents in dressing.

Step 4: Top with sliced avocado and serve!

🧒🏻Kid Steps🧒🏻

• Rinse and pour! Kids can pour and rinse the canned veggies in a colander.
• Chop veggies! Recruit kids to help chop veggies. We're big fans of these Curious Chef kid-safe knives.
• Prepare herbs. Kids can use kitchen shears (with adult supervision) or their hands to remove the basil leaves from their stems and a kid-safe knife to chop the fresh herbs.
• Combine! Kids can mix all salad ingredients together (just be careful not to smash the beans!).

✔️ Expert Tips and Tricks

• If time permits, consider tossing the salad in the dressing a few hours before serving and placing in the fridge so that flavors can meld together.
• Slice avocado right before serving so that it doesn't brown as it sits.
• Be careful not to smash beans as you stir this vegan bean salad. We recommend using a spoon instead of tongs.

❓FAQ

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

Our vegan bean salad can be served alone or alongside another dish. This salad pairs nicely with some of the following:

• Tacos, enchiladas or burritos.
• Sandwiches or wraps, like these Hot Dog Crescent Rolls and Turkey Burger Sliders.
• Grilled chicken, pork or beef dishes, like this Chimichurri Carne Asada, Panko Parmesan Pork or any of these pork chop recipes.
• Over rice, quinoa or even mashed potatoes!
• Over chips or nachos.
• With fresh cornbread or baked bread of your choice.

👧🏽 Modify for Picky Eaters

🍅Separate the parts! If your kids don't like their foods touching, try making a plate with separate servings of corn, beans, red bell peppers, cucumber, and avocado. Then season the plate with salt & pepper if your kids are into it.

🍅Dressing on the side. Let kids dress their portion of the salad themselves.

🍅Let kids pick a side. Popular picks for our kids include:  baby carrots, frozen peas, steamed broccoli, applesauce, mashed potatoes, garlic bread or corn chips.

🧶 Crafts for this Recipe

While you cook, kids can choose from one of these three food-related crafts! Celebrate corn with the sweet handprint corn craft! Or, transform avocado skins into awesome avocado boats that actually float! Finally, hold onto those empty tin cans and transform them into adorable DIY pencil holders!

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🥗Other Salad Recipes 

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