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! Our community loves serving this dish at church potlucks and barbecues – see comments for serving inspiration!)
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 three 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 salad can be a great side dish, or can go in salads, tacos, quesadillas, omelets…you name it! So without further ado, Mama’s Famous Bean Salad!
Ingredients for Mexican Bean Salad
The ingredients for this dish are easy to find and contain many pantry staples!
- Beans: All the beans! We’ll use a combination of red beans (either pinto beans or red kidney beans) and black beans. You could also use cannellini beans or chickpeas here!
- 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. Chop the onion up finely for best results!
- Cilantro: Negotiably the most important ingredient. Don’t skimp on this one! I don’t recommend using parsley in its place, but if you despise cilantro and want a fresh herbs element, that’s your best bet!
- Bean Salad Dressing: Tying everything together with a quick spiced vinegar dressing.
How to make this bean salad
Making this bean salad is ridiculously easy, with minimal prep time and just a few short steps. It goes something like this:
- Mix dressing ingredients
- Mix salad ingredients
- Mix everything together
Sarah’s Tip!
This is one of those recipes that gets better with time. The beans marinate in the vinegar dressing, making for the most flavorful bowl of yum for days to come (and it makes this salad great for meal prepping – try this Stuffed Pepper and Bean Salad Meal Prep!)
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.
Reader rating
“OMG! I made this as a side dish with burgers and hotdogs, needless to say it went real fast! Made this with pinto beans. It was so good and very easy. I’ll be making this again!” —Samantha
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.
Faith says
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.
Sarah says
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).
david jacob says
Salad looking owsum to have and it really contains healthy ingredients that helps everyone to improve and maintain health.
Scott says
I find you can use Mrs Dash instead of salt if you’re trying to cut back on sodium
Tracy says
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?
Sarah says
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.
Greg says
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!
Sarah says
I would think you could rinse them right after cooking without a problem 🙂
Marie Marais says
Im going to make it,thanks for sharing
SYLUIA JONES says
Can you use a substitute for cilantro for the bean salad
Sarah says
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 😀
oscar says
Awesome salad.
Barbara says
this looks so good! can’t wait to make it.
Desiree Chisolm says
Do you cook the beans first?
Sarah says
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 😀
Terry Adams says
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.
Lee WILliams says
Tastes like Costco cowboy caviar—/- very good! EAsy! My adult kids and spouse compliment this ( thanks so much for sharing)
Vee says
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!
jUDI says
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!
Sarah Bond says
I’m so happy to hear it, Judi!
Judi Fields says
Delicious and easy!
Kelsey says
Hi, this recipe looks great! Do you know about how long it will stay good for?
Sarah Bond says
It’s on of our fav’s! About 1 week in the fridge!
Sandra says
This was delicious. I thought the cumin would spoil it for me. No way. I used navy beans instead of second can of kidney, still have to get the corn but we are eating it now. Yummy
Samantha says
OMG! I made this as a side dish with burgers and hotdogs, needless to say it went real fast! Made this with pinto beans. It was so good and very easy. I’ll be making this again!
Thank you
Kari Ward says
GREAT Summer time salad, pairs well with any grilled item too.
melissa says
Would the dressing taste the same if I substitute olive oil instead of the vegetable oil?
Sarah Bond says
It would be about the same! 😀
Marlene says
This recipe is less oil and sugar than my previous recipe but I don’t miss it. Yum