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With dozens of five-star reviews, you can see why this famous Mexican bean salad is a family staple! It’s packed with fresh and simple ingredients, can be made in advance, and gets better with time (hello, meal prep!).
save this recipe!This salad will be the only bean salad you ever need to bring to a potluck. Ever since I can remember, my mom has always made this Mexican Bean Salad recipe for any sort of neighborhood party or cookout (and that’s before dense bean salads were cool).
So if you, too, want to be the hit of the party, this bean salad is your ticket. (Enjoy any leftovers, if you have them, with bean and cheese tacos.)
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
Dense bean salad…more than just beans!
Jump to the recipe card for all of he measurements and printable instructions!
- 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 for a milder flavor.
- 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 with a bit of sugar, cumin, and pepper.
Meal Prep It
Combine this Bean Salad with your favorite grain for a flavorful meal prep idea!
Mexican Dense Bean Salad (10 Minutes)
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, finely 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
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.
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).
Salad looking owsum to have and it really contains healthy ingredients that helps everyone to improve and maintain health.
I find you can use Mrs Dash instead of salt if you’re trying to cut back on sodium
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?
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.
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!
I would think you could rinse them right after cooking without a problem 🙂
Im going to make it,thanks for sharing
Can you use a substitute for cilantro for the bean salad
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 😀
How about a little diced/minced celery?
I don’t care for cilantro either but I love
celery and find it is similar without the bitter edge.
Awesome salad.
this looks so good! can’t wait to make it.
Do you cook the beans first?
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 😀
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.