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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!
Absolutely delicious and filling! Even my 3 year old loved it and she can be picky. I didn’t add any jalapeños or hot peppers for her sake, but otherwise followed the recipe as is. She really liked the dressing and asked if I’d make her some as a drink lol
Heads up onions don’t have seeds.
Lol that was a mistake, thanks for pointing that out
Very good!
I made this salad for a lunch side. As all the comments state it is delicious! At first I was unsure about 2 tsp of cumin, but I thought…just do the recipe. It has so much flavor and it was not too much.
LOVED the salad and so easy to make!
So happy to hear it! Enjoy! 😀
I made this today. It is delicious. Thank you for sharing all of your recipes!
I’m so happy to hear it, Vicki! Enjoy! 😀
Can you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Yes! 🙂
I was so excited to find this recipe as we are huge Mexican Food fans in our house! This tasted awesome and that was before I put it in the fridge. I substituted out the corn for extra red bell pepper and the sugar due to an autoimmune disease. My husband saw the recipe before I made it and he couldn’t wait to try it when he got home from work! I’m looking forward to making more of your recipes Sarah-Thank you for them!
I’m thrilled to hear you all loved it, Susan! Happy eating!
This recipe looks so beautiful with all the ingredients chopped uniformly. The photos in the book are ALL beautiful to look at. Your recipes are very clear for even an inexperienced cook like myself and they are not intimidating for me either- which is not usually the case with my ADHD disorderly brain! Your recipes and videos are a blessing as is your helpful nature! Continued good luck with your cookbook- its a winner!
Thank you so much—that truly means the world to me! I’m so happy the recipes feel approachable and helpful, especially with everything your brain is juggling. I’m cheering you on in the kitchen, and I’m so grateful to have you cooking along with me!
Outstanding and so easy to throw together!
So glad it hit the spot, thanks for sharing!