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Take this Easy Three Bean Salad along to all of your cookouts, picnics, and potlucks this summer! A hearty and fresh-tasting vegetable side dish made with a medley of green beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas in a zesty homemade vinaigrette.
Why You’ll Love This Three Bean Salad Recipe
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: No-cook
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Vegan
- Skill Level: Easy
There’s a reason that three bean salad is a classic. Maybe you enjoyed it at a summer barbecue. Maybe you’ve seen it on offer at a salad bar. You may have even made it yourself on more than one occasion! One thing is certain, my three bean salad is a crowd-pleaser wherever it goes. I just love the simplicity with a huge pop of flavor. Here’s why you’ll enjoy it too…
- Incredibly easy. I keep mine simple with green beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas (a.k.a. Garbanzo beans), mixed with bright red onions and fresh parsley in a tangy red wine vinaigrette.
- Bright and colorful. It’s a delicious way to bring a pop of color to the table. It’s a true rainbow of veggies and flavors, which also means it packs in lots of wholesome ingredients!
- Allergy-friendly. It’s a protein-rich veggie side that’s made without any gluten or dairy ingredients and is completely plant-based – no meat or eggs.
What You’ll Need
I make my three bean salad from a medley of canned kidney beans, green beans, and chickpeas tossed in a light sweet red wine vinaigrette. Here’s an overview everything you need for the salad and the dressing. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full amounts and detailed instructions.
- Olive Oil: As always, a good quality extra virgin olive oil always makes a difference!
- Red Wine Vinegar: I love the subtle sweetness of red wine vinegar with the Dijon. If you don’t have any handy, use white wine vinegar or white vinegar instead.
- Light Brown Sugar: Alternatively, you can use regular granulated sugar, but I love the slightly richer flavor that brown sugar brings.
- Dijon Mustard
- Chickpeas: I use canned chickpeas for this recipe. Remember to rinse and drain them first!
- Kidney Beans: Also canned, rinsed and drained.
- Green Beans: I use canned green beans in my three bean salad for convenience. However, you can always use fresh green beans if you prefer! Just trim the stems and blanch them beforehand (2 minutes in boiling water, followed by 15 seconds in an ice bath).
- Red Onion: Thinly sliced, for a nice sharpness and pop of purple! You can also use white onions, though they lack color.
- Salt & Pepper
- Fresh Parsley
Variation Ideas
Why not make it a four, five, or six bean salad? Add in one or more of the following bean varieties for more easy versions of this salad recipe:
- Yellow wax beans
- Cannellini beans
- Lima beans
- Pinto beans
- Black beans
How to Make Three Bean Salad
When making your salad, I highly recommend budgeting the time for a stint in the refrigerator. This bean salad will taste its best once it’s chilled for a couple of hours in the fridge, or overnight. Perfect for making ahead! Toss together this perfect three bean salad in just minutes, in two easy steps:
Prepare the Dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until the sugar is dissolved.
Make the Salad: Combine the chickpeas, kidney beans, green beans, and parsley in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the top and toss everything together until combined.
Tips for Success
- Always Rinse the Beans: Canned beans (and chickpeas) come in a thickish brine that doesn’t have such great flavor. For best results, always strain and rinse canned beans under cold water before going ahead with the recipe!
- Use Different Herbs: If parsley isn’t your thing, you can make this salad with any fresh herbs that you prefer. Try it with fresh dill, thyme, or rosemary for something different.
- Make It Ahead: I mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again! Make this three bean salad at least 2 hours ahead of when you plan to serve it or, even better, a day or two before. This gives the beans enough time to marinate and really soak up the flavors of that delicious dressing!
How to Store Leftovers
Fridge – Store leftover three bean salad in an airtight continer in the fridge for up to one week. It’s great to enjoy as an easy lunch!
Freezer – Three bean salad is hearty enough to withstand the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to store it airtight in a freezer-safe container and thaw it in the fridge before serving.
Make it a Meal
This recipe is one of my cookout favorites! I make my three bean salad as a vegetable side dish any time Pulled Pork is on the menu. It’s an easy side dish to serve with just about anything grilled. Here are some ideas:
- Burgers. Grill some Italian Burgers or make Black Bean Quinoa Burgers as a vegetarian option.
- Chicken. Have some flavor-packed Orange Saffron Grilled Chicken Legs or deliciously savory Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken.
- Beef. Have a classic Grilled Flank Steaks or try Greek Beef Kabobs on the Grill
- Salads. Fire up and cool down with BBQ Sausage Grilled Summer Salad or Grilled Summer Shrimp Salad.
- Other BBQ favorites. Skip the grilling and make Crockpot BBQ Beef or Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Legs.
Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 can green beans rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup red onion thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Whisk together until fully combined and the sugar is dissolved.
- In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, kidney beans, green beans, and parsley. Pour the dressing over the top and toss everything together until combined.
- For the best flavor, refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Did you make this?
Leave a rating below and tag @cupcakesandkalechips on Instagram and hashtag it #cupcakesandkalechips
this is one I have never heard of will try asap
What serving size are the nutrition facts based on?
A serving would be approximately half a cup.