When I was younger, I remember making three bean salad with my mom. It’s a classic, right? Plus, three bean salad comes together so quickly and packs great flavor and nutrition. Make up a big batch to store in the refrigerator and enjoy with lunches and dinners over the next few days. Or, bring this to picnics and enjoy the warmer weather we finally (maybe?) have coming our way!
Three Bean Salad
Course: Lunch, DinnerDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes256
kcalThree Bean Salad comes together so quickly and packs great flavor and nutrition. Make up a big batch to store in the refrigerator and enjoy with lunches and dinners over the next few days.
Ingredients
- Bean Salad
1.5 cups cooked black beans (cooked at home or 1 15 oz. can) *See note
1.5 cups cooked red kidney beans (cooked at home or 1 15 oz. can)
1.5 cups cooked great northern beans (cooked at home or 1 15 oz. can)
1.5 cups green beans (1 drained 15 oz. can, or blanched fresh green beans)
1-2 bell peppers (using two different colors helps make this salad more vibrant), depending on how much you like bell pepper
6 green onions
- Dressing
3 Tbs olive oil
6 Tbs (= 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs) cup vinegar (white wine, apple cider, etc.)
1.5 Tbs white sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste – start with ~1/4-1/2 tsp of each
1/4 – 1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional, for some zing)
Directions
- Drain the black, kidney, and great northern beans, rinsing if using canned. Add to a very large bowl. And I mean large – you’ll regret it later if you use a medium-sized on, trust me.
- If using fresh green beans, cut them into bite-sized pieces and blanch. If using canned, drain, rinse if desired, and add directly to the beans.
- Chop the bell pepper(s) into your desired bite size and finely chop the green onion. Add to the beans and stir.
- In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients (oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and chili flakes if using) well.
- Pour the dressing over the bean salad and stir to evenly coat. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. If you like salads to have more sauce, you can make extra dressing.
- If time allows, store in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Taste for seasoning once more before serving. Serve slightly chilled.
Recipe Video
Notes
- *This is a flexible recipe! If you want to switch up the beans, go for it! Use your favorite types of beans that you have on hand. If possible, aim for beans of different colors, shapes, and sizes to make this salad extra beautiful and colorful.
Three Bean Salad Nutrition Facts
I created this in Nutritionist Pro so you can have an approximation of the nutrition facts for this Three Bean Salad. Values can of course vary with different brands, ingredients, etc.
I hope you enjoy this three bean salad! And yes, I know, I am not counting green beans as one of the beans because they are on a different branch of the legume family. But more importantly – who says you have to stop at only three beans?? Keep going! Let me know in the comments how many beans you added. 🙂
Looking for other simple and tasty bean salads? This Summery Chickpea Salad may hit the spot. Or perhaps this Chickpea Waldorf Salad (which also works very well with white beans)?
I love three bean salad, and I have my mother’s recipe for it. She used tarragon vinegar which gave the bean salad a nice flavor.
P.S. Love the very fun video!
Three bean salad is delicious! I will have to pick up tarragon vinegar to use in my next batch. 🙂 Thank you for reading and watching!