Easy Cowboy Caviar
This easy Cowboy Caviar is a colorful bean salad made with a mix of black beans, black-eyed peas, fresh veggies, and a tangy lime dressing. Eat it with a spoon or scoop it onto a chip for the perfect bite!
Cowboy Caviar, sometimes call Texas Caviar, has always been a favorite of mine, especially in the summer when weekends are packed with fun family get-togethers and I need something awesome to bring with me.
It’s got all of the qualities I look for in a great potluck recipe, just like our classic 3 bean salad or chickpea salad. It’s easy to make (takes about 15 minutes), it’s served cold (no need to worry about transporting a hot dish or heating up when you get there), and it’s absolutely delicious!
Bonus, it tastes even better the next day, so making it ahead of time just means people will enjoy it even more.
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Ingredients
- Black beans – A can of black beans gives you lots of protein and flavor in every bite.
- Black-eyed peas – We enjoy using black-eyed peas because they are something different, and they don’t get as much attention as they should. They are delicious!
- Corn – Use whole kernel canned corn for the best results. The yellow kernels give you a burst of color too.
- Bell Peppers – It’s best to use a variety of colors of peppers. Using yellow, red, or orange adds so much vibrancy to the dip.
- Roma Tomatoes – You can use other varieties of tomatoes if you want, but Romas are durable and hold up to the vinegar and other ingredients well.
- Red Onion – Dice it up and toss it in for a beautiful purple color.
- Cilantro – Chop the cilantro finely, and it will be perfect. I love the flavor that adding cilantro gives to the Texas caviar.
- Olive Oil – You don’t need a ton of olive oil, but it gives you a boost of antioxidants.
- Red wine vinegar – I can’t get enough of the tangy flavor of the red wine vinegar in this dip. It’s amazing and rounds out the flavors beautifully.
- Lime juice – Using a little bit of lime juice adds some zest to the easy dip recipe. Yum!
- Garlic – You can never go wrong with garlic in this cowboy caviar recipe. It’s so incredible with the other ingredients.
- Salt – Feel free to add more or less salt depending on your preference; we usually stick around one teaspoon.
How To Make Cowboys Caviar
Step 1 – Prepare beans. Drain and rinse the canned black beans and black-eyed peas.
Step 2 – Combine. Combine black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.
Step 3 – Make dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and salt.
Step 4 – Toss together. Pour the dressing over the bowl of beans and vegetables and gently toss together. Cover container and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Step 5 – Serve. When ready to serve transfer to another bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving excess dressing behind.
Serve with chips and enjoy!
Throwing together this cowboy salsa is so simple, and it only takes a few minutes of hands-on work. The rest is waiting for the juices to marry together to create an insanely good side dish for all occasions.
Texas Caviar Variations
One of the things I love about cowboy caviar recipes is that there isn’t just one right way to make them. If you are like me, then sometimes you feel like tossing in a little bit of this or that to adjust the flavors. I wanted to share a few ideas that work well in this cowboy salad.
- Jalapeno – If you are a fan of spicy foods, feel free to chop up one or two peppers and mix into the dip recipe. Keep in mind the more you put in, the spicier it’s going to be.
- Avocados – Dice up one or two fresh avocados and mix into the cowboy caviar. It’s delightful!
- Honey – Hear me out here…If you love a touch of sweetness, then add in ½ – 1 tablespoon of honey. It gives you excellent sweetness.
- Italian Dressing – Some people make it with Italian dressing, and it’s a fabulous idea. You can trade out the red wine vinegar for the dressing.
Love salsa as much as we do? Try these!
Not only is cowboy caviar absolutely delicious, but it’s also loaded with lots of fantastic nutrients too. I wanted to take a minute to give you some information regarding the health benefits. When you eat this side dish, you will get magnesium, iron, protein, fiber, folate, vitamin B6, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin K, and so much more. This is a dip that is actually good for you, and you don’t have to have any guilt when indulging.
This black bean salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The longer it sits, the more the flavors of the seasonings and ingredients have to combine. This results in a salad that’s so full of character and makes a quick snack anytime you need it. Keep in mind; you should store it in an airtight container.
Also, if it ever smells strange or you notice that there is mold growing, you should toss it out. It’s never a good idea to eat food once it has begun to spoil.
This easy bean salad makes a great side for summer pot lucks. Serve it along with some pulled pork, a delicious burger, or some tacos and watch it disappear.
I love to scoop it up with tortilla chips like a bean salsa, but you can also eat it with a spoon, or even add it as a topping to burgers, fish, and chicken.
Looking for More Easy Pot Luck Recipes?
- Instant Pot Boston Baked Beans
- Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Sour Cream Potato Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Roasted Corn and Jalapeno Dip
- Mexican 7 Layer Dip
- Crunchy Asian Ramen Noodle Salad
- Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips
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Easy Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients
- 15 ounces Black beans
- 15 ounces Black-eyed peas
- 15 ounces Corn
- 1 cup Bell Peppers, mix of colors, diced
- 2 Roma Tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup Red Onion, diced
- ¼ cup Cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup Lime juice
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the canned black beans and black-eyed peas.
- Combine black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, and salt.
- Pour the dressing over the bowl of beans and vegetables and gently toss together.
- Cover container and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
- When ready to serve transfer to another bowl using a slotted spoon leaving excess dressing behind.
- Serve with chips and enjoy!
Nutrition
