Fabulous 4 Bean Fiesta Salad

Name: Fabulous 4 Bean Fiesta Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 15 oz canned beans (kidney, pinto, black and garbanzo beans (chickpeas). Drained and rinsed in water. ); 2 medium bell peppers (red, orange or yellow, seeded & diced. ); 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen. ); 1/2 medium red onion (finely diced); 3 tbsp cilantro ( fresh - chopped or torn into pieces.); 2 tbsp olive oil; 1/3 cup red wine vinegar; 3 tbsp lime juice (fresh - approx one lime); 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh); 1 clove garlic (minced ); 1 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp sea salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tsp chili powder

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Fabulous 4 Bean Fiesta Salad 🌱 A festive, flavorful and colorful combo of delicious beans, peppers, red onion, corn and cilantro in a light & zesty citrus dressing. Perfect for potlucks, patio parties, picnics & outdoor entertaining! GF. Oil-free option.

A bowl of 4 bean salad made with kidney, black, pinto and garbanzo beans, red and orange bell peppers, corn, red onion and cilantro.

Many years ago, long before I became a vegan recipe blogger, I was on a mission to find inspiration for an easy, nutritious and delicious vegan dish to throw together for a potluck. I decided to make my favorite southwestern quinoa salad, but I also wanted to make a salad with protein that didn't require cooking, so I searched bean salad recipes. That's when a ran across a Mexican Bean Salad recipe with tons of reviews on Allrecipes.

I decided to give it a go. I liked it enough that I wanted to try it again, but with some alterations. First, I increased the variety of beans. The original recipe included far more onion than I like, so I cut it in half. Instead of green bell pepper, which tends to be bitter, I opted for sweet red, orange or yellow bell peppers.

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The dressing is what I tweaked the most. The original Mexican Bean Salad recipe specifies ½ cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons sugar. That's way more oil than I would ever use, so I reduced the oil by 75% and replaced the sugar with just 1 tablespoon maple syrup. I also cut the salt by two-thirds and adjusted the seasonings to my liking.

It turned out fantastic! The combination of tastes and textures are so incredibly good. Soft chewy beans, sweet corn, crisp fresh peppers, red onion and cilantro tossed in a mildly spicy, citrusy & lightly sweet dressing creates a flavor fiesta in your mouth.

Fabulous 4 Bean Fiesta Salad Story

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🥕Why you should try this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
🥕FAQ's
Recipe
Food Safety

🥕Why you should try this recipe

It's absolutely delicious!
Many of the ingredients are items you likely have on hand
Contains lots of fiber, protein, Vitamin C & other healthy nutrients
The perfect dish for potlucks, patio parties, picnics and outdoor entertaining!
Easy to substitute with other ingredients as needed
So colorful and appealing - it's a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

Beans - 4 varieties - I use black beans, kidney beans, pinto & garbanzo beans (chickpeas). You can also use cannellini or northern white beans.
Bell peppers - I prefer red, orange or yellow (they're sweeter than green peppers).
Corn kernels - fresh or frozen. It's ok to add the corn while frozen, as it will thaw quickly. The corn should be a bit crisp, not cooked or too soft.
Red onion - finely diced
Cilantro - fresh, chopped or torn into pieces.
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar - You can substitute with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Lime juice - fresh
Lemon juice - fresh
Garlic - minced. Substitute with garlic powder if needed.
Maple syrup - Substitute with sugar or agave nectar if you prefer.
Cumin - Cumin has a strong flavor. Decrease or increase amount per your taste preference. I find 1 teaspoon to be plenty.
Sea salt
Black pepper
Chili powder

🥕Add-in options

Chopped tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
Black olives
Lime or lemon zest
Green onions
Jalapeños - seeded & diced
Avocado - add right before serving

🥕Oil-free option - If you prefer to make the dressing without oil, simply omit it.

Instructions

Diced red and orange bell pepper, red onion and chopped cilantro in bowls.

Wash peppers and remove seeds. Dice peppers and onion into small pieces.

In a large bowl, combine beans, peppers, corn and onion. Set cilantro aside.

A bowl with kidney, pinto, black and garbanzo beans with diced peppers, red onions chopped cilantro. — Can you believe that color? It's like a painter's palette!

Prepare Dressing

In a jam jar, salad dressing shaker, cruet or small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lemon juice, minced garlic, maple syrup, cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder. Adjust seasonings to taste if needed.

Dressing ingredients for 4 bean salad. — Pour dressing over salad and toss to thoroughly combine. When ready to serve, add chopped cilantro.

A bowl with 4 bean salad made with red and orange bell peppers, red onion, corn and cilantro.

🥕FAQ's

How to store bean salad?

This salad will last up to 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container, that is, if you don't gobble it up sooner! I like it best within the first 24 hours while the veggies are crispest & brightest in color.

Why do beans need to be rinsed before using?

In many recipes, there is no need to rinse canned beans. For this 4 bean salad, I like to rinse the beans with water to remove the excess liquid because it can alter the color of the salad.

What are the best beans to use in bean salad?

I love to add a variety of contrasting flavors and color. My favorites are kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and cannellini beans.

How do you make bean salad from scratch?

With the exception of the canned beans, this recipe is basically prepared from scratch. If you have the time and would prefer to use dried beans, you'll need to prepare them in separate batches. Cooking assorted beans together can cause the varieties of flavors and colors to absorb into the other beans. I find it's a lot quicker and easier simply using canned beans.

Vegan bean salad with peppers, corn and cilantro in a bowl.

If you love this salad, be sure to check out these other delish dishes!

Pinterest pin image with 4 bean fiesta salad made with kidney, pinto black and garbanzo beans.e

very vegan 🌱 very good

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please rate it in the comments below. Sharing your experience helps others decide if they should give it a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕

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