Who doesn’t love a bean salad. A delicious salad of canned beans and fresh beans marinated in a tangy briny sweet vinaigrette. It is such a classic and staple dish for summer picnics and potlucks because it’s well loved and it doesn’t require refrigeration. It is also super easy to throw together and so easy to customize too - most people add their own regional spin. Three bean salad is the most classic version and usually includes cannellini beans, kidney beans, and garbanzo beans all tossed in a sweet and savory dressing. This one also includes some veggies and some extra beans. You will love it and I hope this one lands on your picnic table soon! The most common beans for a three bean salad include garbanzo beans or chickpeas, red kidney beans, sometimes black beans and green beans. Red onions, shallots or white onions work well in bean salads along with green onions or chives. I used red onion in this one but feel free to use whatever you have or prefer. I love to add some more crunch to this fiber and protein loaded salad so I always add some chopped cucumbers and sometimes I will add chopped celery or even some chopped red bell peppers for some crunch. I love to add chopped pickles and capers for some tang and brininess - those are optional though. You can include other types of beans to make variations on the classic recipe. For example:
What Beans go in a bean salad?
- Four Bean salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans
- Five Bean salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans
- Six Bean salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans, lima beans
- Seven Bean salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans, lima beans, pinto beans
What Dressing goes on bean salad?
Most bean salads use a sweet and savory dressing that includes some type of vinegar, extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, sugar or some sort of sweetener and a variety of seasonings. In this one we used apple cider vinegar, honey and dijon but feel free to use lemon juice, white vinegar or red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar too. Feel free to grate in some garlic or add some dry spices to it like Italian seasoning or Greek seasoning for an herby dressing and a mediterranean spin.
How do you blanch green beans?
The green beans in this recipe are blanched, which means that they’re lightly cooked in boiling water just until tender. Transfer your cooked green beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process; this also helps them retain their bright green color. If you prefer you can also steam them.
Tips for making the best bean salad
- This salad is actually best made at least 2 hours before you plan to serve it. You can make your salad up to 3 days before you plan to eat it, and the beans will marinate in the dressing, but I would add the chopped cucumbers right before serving so they are crunchy and fresh otherwise they will get soft and soggy
- I typically use fresh parsley and fresh dill in my salad, but other great options include green onions, chives or other fresh herbs like fresh basil, mint or tarragon.
- Serve this salad as a side dish, or add some protein like cooked cubed chicken for a main course. On day two I like to add tuna to my leftover bean salad. It’s delicious and a great way to make this into a meal. Try hard cooked or hard boiled eggs, too
- While I recommend using fresh green beans for the best flavor and texture, you can also use canned green beans if needed.
- Canned beans don’t have to taste canned - rinsing them really well helps get rid of that unpleasant canned flavor and lowers their salt content by as much as 40%. I usually get canned beans that have low slat or low sodium and organic ones with less additives.
- You can easily used home-cooked versions of dried beans either made stove top or in the pressure cooker too
Storage & Make Ahead Instructions
- Eat immediately, or marinate at least 1 hour
- You can eat your bean salad recipe right away and it’s very tasty. Or cover the salad and pop it in the refrigerator to let it marinate for at least 1 hour, and it’s even better. The refrigeration time really lets the flavors soak in. Any longer though I would recommend adding the cucumbers or any other veggies you are adding right before serving the salad so they don’t get too soft and soggy.
Storage info
How long does homemade bean salad last? Store it refrigerated for 3 to 5 days. The flavors intensify over time! It’s great for lunches throughout the week. Beans don’t last indefinitely refrigerated, 3-5 days is the max that I usually keep them. Also the veggies added will get soggy so keep that in mind.
Serve this bean salad with:
- Grilled Flank Steak
- Greek Grilled Chicken Breast
- Classic Grilled Cheeseburger
- Easy No Fail BBQ Ribs
More delicious sides you will love:
- Greek-Style Potato Salad
- Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Greek Asparagus Salad
- Charred Corn Tomato and Feta Quinoa Salad
