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Home Eat Appetizers

Mama’s Famous Bean Salad

4.57 from 30 votes
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By: Sarah BondUpdated: Oct 10, 2022 23 Comments

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Bean salad in a bowl on an orange background
Bean salad in a bowl on an orange background
Bean salad in a bowl on an orange background
Bean salad in a glass bowl on orange background - This easy Bean Salad recipe is famous in our house, and for good reason! Quick to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for bringing to potlucks!

This easy Bean Salad recipe is famous in our house, and for good reason! Quick to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for bringing to potlucks!

Bean salad in a bowl on an orange background

Ever since I can remember, my mom has always made this Mexican Bean Salad recipe for any sort of neighborhood party or cookout.  Which is to say, this Bean Salad defines my childhood about as much as this Taco Soup does.

Clearly my family has a thing with beans.

We always eat this bean salad as a dip with tortilla chips, but after making the recipe for myself for the first time,  I was left with way more than little ole me could finish off alone.  

And not being one to ever waste food, I experimented and found that this bean stuff can go in salads, tacos, quesadillas, omelets…you name it!  So without further ado, Mama’s Famous Bean Salad!

bean salad recipe in a bowl with dressing being poured in

Ingredients for Mexican Bean Salad

  • Beans: All the beans! We’ll use a combination of red beans (either pinto or kidney) and black beans.
  • Pepper: All the peppers! Jalapeno brings zing while red bell pepper adds crunch. Feel free to add your favorite type of pepper for extra spice!
  • Corn: Fresh, from a can, or even frozen. Anything goes!
  • Onion: We’ll use red onions, but you could also use shallots.
  • Cilantro: Negotiably the most important ingredient. Don’t skimp on this one!
  • Vinegar dressing: Tying everything together with a quick spiced vinegar dressing.
Bean salad in a bowl on an orange background

How to make this bean salad

Making this bean salad is ridiculously easy and has just a few short steps. It goes something like this:

  1. Mix dressing ingredients
  2. Mix salad ingredients
  3. Mix everything together
Bean salad in a bowl on an orange background

And the best part about this bean salad is it somehow gets better over time. The beans marinate in the vinegar dressing, making for the most flavorful bowl of yum!

What to pair with this bean salad

I love eating it as a chip dip, but you could also serve this Mexican-inspired bean salad with these Enchilada Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (meal prep-able!), spooned over these vegan “Pulled Pork” Nachos, or to add more flavor to Huevos Rancheros! Or serve this bean salad as a side with our Vegan Pozole Verde.

Bean salad in a glass bowl on orange background - This easy Bean Salad recipe is famous in our house, and for good reason! Quick to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for bringing to potlucks!
This easy Bean Salad recipe is famous in our house, and for good reason! Quick to make, packed with flavor, and perfect for bringing to potlucks!

Mama’s Famous Bean Salad

4.57 from 30 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 100kcal
Servings: 6 cups
Print Rate
Ever since I can remember, my mom has always made this bean salad for any sort of neighborhood party or cookout. It’s simple, healthy, and so delicious!

Ingredients

Dressing

  • ½ cup white vinegar 120 mL
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil 60 mL
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Salad

  • 2 15-oz cans pinto or kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15-oz can corn drained
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • ½ medium red onion seeded and diced
  • 2 jalapenos seeded and finely chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro

Instructions 

  • Dressing: Whisk together the Dressing ingredients. Set aside.
  • Salad: Toss together the Salad ingredients.
  • Combine: Mix the dressing into the salad mixture. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to allow flavors to mix (can skip this step if necessary). Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-7 days.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.5cup Calories: 100kcal (5%) Carbohydrates: 11.2g (4%) Protein: 2.8g (6%) Fat: 5.1g (8%) Saturated Fat: 0.9g (6%) Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 314mg (14%) Potassium: 115mg (3%) Fiber: 2.8g (12%) Sugar: 2.6g (3%) Calcium: 10mg (1%) Iron: 1.3mg (7%)
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  1. Faith says

    Posted on 7/31 at 4:14 pm

    Hi Sarah. First I have to tell you how much I enjoy you and your recipes. You are a ray of sunshine !!! My question is , do you know if there is alcohol in our kombucha? I have been making it for many years and have never really thought of it but my granddaughter does not drink , and really wants to make it and asked the question. Thank you Sarah and keep up your beautiful work.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 8/4 at 1:52 pm

      Aw thanks so much, Faith! There are trace amounts of alcohol in kombucha (anywhere from 0.5% to 1% – depending on how long you brew it for).

  2. david jacob says

    Posted on 12/3 at 12:53 am

    Salad looking owsum to have and it really contains healthy ingredients that helps everyone to improve and maintain health.

    Reply
    • Scott says

      Posted on 3/5 at 2:45 pm

      I find you can use Mrs Dash instead of salt if you’re trying to cut back on sodium

  3. Tracy says

    Posted on 4/11 at 4:30 am

    Love MAMA’S FAMOUS BEAN SALAD! Made it yesterday and even better today. Can some if it be frozen for later and still be tasty? Or will freezing ruin it?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 4/13 at 9:51 am

      Hi Tracy! While I haven’t tried freezing, I don’t think it would work well with these ingredients. If you do try it out, maybe just try freezing half a cup to see how it goes before you freeze the whole batch.

  4. Greg says

    Posted on 6/24 at 6:25 pm

    If you were using dried beans; after they are cooked, would you let them cool first and then rinse or rinse after cooking?

    I do not use canned beans very much, prefer to cook my own, seem to be much better!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 6/25 at 3:48 pm

      I would think you could rinse them right after cooking without a problem 🙂

  5. Marie Marais says

    Posted on 1/2 at 11:38 am

    Im going to make it,thanks for sharing5 stars

    Reply
  6. SYLUIA JONES says

    Posted on 1/3 at 4:49 am

    Can you use a substitute for cilantro for the bean salad

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 1/5 at 11:00 am

      As a cilantro lover I would say no. But if you’re one of the folks that can’t stand the taste, you could simply omit it 😀

  7. oscar says

    Posted on 2/21 at 8:47 pm

    Awesome salad.

    Reply
  8. Barbara says

    Posted on 4/24 at 8:53 am

    this looks so good! can’t wait to make it.

    Reply
  9. Desiree Chisolm says

    Posted on 5/2 at 5:16 am

    Do you cook the beans first?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      Posted on 5/3 at 10:57 am

      If you’re using canned beans then there’s no need. If starting from dried beans, then yes you should soak and boil them first 😀

  10. Terry Adams says

    Posted on 9/20 at 9:01 am

    Hi Sarah, thanks for the Mama’s Famous Bean Salad recipe. I made this for my monthly community group at church, and it was a big hit. Everyone wanted the recipe. I also turned them on to Live eat learn.

    Reply
  11. Lee WILliams says

    Posted on 10/12 at 8:01 pm

    Tastes like Costco cowboy caviar—/- very good! EAsy! My adult kids and spouse compliment this ( thanks so much for sharing)

    Reply
  12. Vee says

    Posted on 2/15 at 8:56 am

    This is absolutely delicious and so healthy!! I didn’t have kidney beans and used Chickpea’s and don’t like jalapenos – it was really good. Gonna make this again. Thank you!5 stars

    Reply
  13. jUDI says

    Posted on 3/20 at 6:38 pm

    This was easy and delicious! I didn’t have red bell peppers on hand nor jalpenos peppers. I used a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies instead. It was delicious!

    Thanks for sharing!5 stars

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 3/20 at 10:00 pm

      I’m so happy to hear it, Judi!

  14. Judi Fields says

    Posted on 7/3 at 2:54 pm

    Delicious and easy!5 stars

    Reply
  15. Kelsey says

    Posted on 8/2 at 2:34 pm

    Hi, this recipe looks great! Do you know about how long it will stay good for?

    Reply
    • Sarah Bond says

      Posted on 8/2 at 4:12 pm

      It’s on of our fav’s! About 1 week in the fridge!

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