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This nutritious three bean salad is super easy to throw together and so deliciously crunchy and refreshing. I love to make this for pot lucks and social gatherings since everyone always enjoys it! You can also prep this salad ahead of time for camping or road trips since it’s such a great on-the-go snack to fuel your body and fill you up, not to mention the flavor gets even better after it stores for day or two. However you choose to use this recipe, I hope you love it too!
Below is a step-by-step guide to making this bean salad, with a full recipe summary and measurements at the bottom of the page.
Here’s an informational list of the ingredients you’ll need to prepare this refreshing three bean salad:
- Black beans, Garbanzo beans, and Kidney beans: Legumes are packed with protein and fiber as well as other essential vitamins to fight against illness and disease. I always try to buy the salt-free cans if they have them so that I can maintain a healthy sodium intake, since too much can lead to negative effects. When eating a plant-based diet, it’s very important to ensure you are meeting your daily protein requirements. According to the CDC, your daily protein intake should make up approximately 16% of the calories you consume. Since beans contain roughly 8 grams of protein per one half cup serving, consuming them on a daily basis is a great way to ensure your meeting those needs.
- Corn: In it’s purest form, corn is an excellent source of vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants, such as Vitamins A, C, and B6, and helps to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease.
- Red onion: Any time I’m using raw onion for salads or other uncooked meals, red onion is my favorite type to use. Onions are very rich in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds that help to fight against disease and cancer.
- Cucumber: This crisp and refreshing vegetable is great for our health and loaded with nutrients and antioxidants. Cucumbers are also good for hydration and weight loss because they have such a high water content, so they are a great vegetable to include in your regular diet.
- Red bell pepper: You could probably substitute yellow or orange, but I wouldn’t use green since that will change the flavor profile of the salad. Some major health benefits of bell peppers are their high concentration of vitamins and nutrients such as Vitamins A, C, B6, K, and E, and potassium and fiber.
- Pickles: Pickles can be a good source of vitamins and antioxidants, however, most of the normal store-bought ones are very high in sodium so be sure not to eat too many! I will sometimes rinse mine with water to remove some of the salt when I am trying to limit my intake.
- Avocado oil: Or whatever vegetable oil you’ve got! Lots of controversy regarding the health benefits and of certain vegetable oils. Here’s my take: While some certainly contain healthier fats than others, too much oil is bad for our health, regardless of what type. Since oil is basically concentrated fat, it can be very easy to overconsume, which can lead to excess body fat and increased health issues. Nuts and seeds are the best way to achieve a healthy fat intake without consuming too many calories.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Aka rice vinegar. They are the same. This pantry staple has many surprising health benefits. Rice wine vinegar contains essential amino acids and has been known to help with digestive health as well as liver detoxification.
- Lemon juice: An essential element to this dish to add a bit of acidity and brighten the flavors. Lemon juice is high in antioxidants and also contains antibacterial and antifungal properties, so it’s a great contributor to the health and function of our immune system.
- Garlic powder, salt, pepper: According to NutritonFacts.org, spices offer a wide range of benefits and are known to improve health issues such as cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and they can even be mood boosters! Therefore, it’s important to include at least a small amount of herbs and spices in your daily diet.
Pro tip: I always try to buy my produce from the local farmer’s market because the quality of flavor makes a huge difference! Plus I love to support my community and the environment, and you can’t beat the piece of mind of knowing exactly where your food comes from. I encourage you to check out your local farms (if you haven’t already) and see what they have to offer!
Step 1:
Chop those veggies! Finely dice the cucumber, bell pepper, onion and pickles so that they will be nicely incorporated in the salad.
Step 2:
Combine your dressing ingredients and mix well. This will include the rice wine vinegar, avocado oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Pro tip: I find it easiest to shake up my dressings and sauces in a small jar like the one pictured below.
Step 3:
Drain and rinse the beans and corn and add them to a large bowl. Add the chopped veggies and dressing and toss it until everything is well combined.
Just like that it’s ready to serve! You can store this three bean salad in the fridge for up to 7 days. If you try this recipe and enjoy it, share it with a friend and comment down below. I always love to hear your feedback!
Homemade Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz. can corn drained and rinsed
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1-2 pickles diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1/2 small red onion diced
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients.
