Southwest Dense Bean Salad
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
A great way to get plant protein & veggies in, this Southwest Dense Bean Salad is not only healthy it is super tasty. Perfect for meal prep!
The new year is here and while I don’t believe in feeling bad for indulging on tasty foods…because I definitely had about a million vegan cookies over the holidays and have ZERO regrets. But, I do know that most of us are probably craving something a little lighter post-holidays. This Southwest Dense Bean Salad is a great way to kick off the year. It is filled with healthy ingredients, it packs in plenty of protein and it is great for meal prep!
Step One: Make the Dressing
The dressing for this salad is a play on the dressing from my Southwest Pasta Salad. It is creamy, tangy and has the perfect amount of smokiness.
Here is what you need:
- avocado oil
- vegan mayo – you can also skip the vegan mayo and sub it with non-dairy yogurt or more oil
- chipotle pepper
- adobo sauce – from the chipotle can
- garlic
- ketchup
- yellow mustard
- apple cider vinegar
- cumin
- pepper
Add everything to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. I like to thin it out with a little water too.
Step Two: Prep the Salad
The majority of this recipe is chopping and opening cans. There is no cooking involved, which is great when you are short on time!
Here is what you need:
- white beans
- chickpeas
- kidney beans
- diced fire roasted tomatoes
- purple cabbage
- green onions
- cilantro
- bell peppers
- jalapeño
- red onion
- corn
Add all of the chopped veggies and beans to a super large bowl and pour over the dressing. Toss until everything is coated.
Step Three: Serve it Up
Now it is time to eat! You can serve this right away – like I did. Or, you can pop it in the fridge to chill for a while. It tastes great either way!
I also served mine with some tortilla chips for scooping. This would also be great with some avocado on top!
If you are making this for meal prep, transfer the salad to individual containers and place them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Since all of the veggies and beans are dense, the dressing won’t make it soggy!
Tips & Tricks
You can use any combination of beans you want – pinto, black, white, chickpeas, or kidney.
You could also use cooked lentils in place of some of the beans.
For less spice, remove the ribs & seeds from the jalapeño or omit it.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Southwest Dense Bean Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the chipotle can
- 1 clove garlic peeled
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- water as needed to thin
FOR THE SALAD
- 1 15-ounce can white beans drained & rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans drained & rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes drained
- 1/4 head purple cabbage chopped
- 5 green onions diced
- 1 small bunch cilantro chopped
- 2 bell peppers diced, any color
- 1 jalapeño finely diced, optional
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 cup corn
Equipment
- mixing bowl
Instructions
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend on high until smooth, thinning with water as needed. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Set aside.
- Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature or chill in the frige.
Video
Notes
- You can use any combination of beans you want – pinto, black, white, chickpeas, or kidney.
- You could also use cooked lentils in place of some of the beans.
- For less spice, remove the ribs & seeds from the jalapeño or omit it.
- Be sure to drain the liquid from the tomato can before adding it to the salad. Otherwise, you’ll have a soupy mess at the bottom of the mixing bowl.
- This can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Holy moly I was hesitant to try this but it is SO good
I did not realize a salad could be this good. I’m gonna be eating this for the rest of the week!
Just made this for lunch with some chips and it was perfect! Definitely going to be one to add to the rotation. My 5 and 7 year olds like it too!
So glad your whole family loved it! I hope my son loves it too when he is older – we’re still on soft foods 😂
This salad is going to change my life and probably my family’s lives as well!!! I have been on a journey to health/fitness and have list 100 lbs so far! 60 more to go. Meals like this are exactly what is pushing me to keep going, Thank you!
Wow! That is so inspiring! Hope you and your family love it!
This was really good! It is pretty spicy but I used a very large chipotle pepper. I think it is more like 10 servings which is two full cups for me.
I love this recipe! I was actually able to freeze it in individual portions and take the bags out as I needed. It tastes pretty fresh still. Just make sure you drain any liquid before freezing. I also froze the sauce in individual portions.
I did have a question about the calories. Is the 516 calories for the whole batch including sauce ?
Me again. I left a review with four stars (see other comment) because I was missing about three ingredients, but the salad still came out pretty good. I have just procured and added in the three missing ingredients: extra adobo sauce, cilantro, and jalapeño. I also “changed” the recipe by adding a little bit of salt to taste.
WOW! This recipe is definitely deserving five stars, easily. I love all of the same things about it, but now that flavor got ramped up and if anything I would add a little bit more jalapeño and adobo but that’s just to suit my own personal taste. It’s really good and actually quite satisfying. I can’t stop eating it and I’ve already had probably a cup and a half
Delicious! I love mixed salads like this one that combine so many good delicious veggies in a new, interesting flavor palette. It is such a great way to incorporate fresh foods into my diet because I’m so much more likely to eat lots of it, ha ha.
I didn’t have jalapeño, cilantro, adobo sauce (I had frozen peppers with sauce on them but not additional sauce) or green onions on hand. I know the absence of those items is significantly impacting the flavor, and in fact I plan to pick them up tonight to throw in and see the difference! As-is, I would add a pinch of salt, personally, and definitely add the other flavors except maybe green onions (personal preference).
As it is currently, it is a bit less flavorful than I want (intensity-wise) but it is very fresh, satisfying, and I LOVE the textures! Can’t wait to test it once I have the adobo jalapeño and cilantro! Maybe a squeeze of lime? Mmm
This is such a great recipe! I changed a few things to make it my own. It makes A LOT of food though. I’m having trouble eating it fast enough. Do you know if I can freeze it?
This turned out tasty, but way too spicy for my liking. Any tips on toning it down drastically? I skipped the jalapeno.
I’ve made this a few times now, and it gets better every time! I love all the colors, the slight kick, and the fresh flavor.
Thanks so much Taylor!
What is the fiber count per serving?
The best bean salad I’ve ever made! Dare I say it beats cowboy caviar!!!
Yayyyy! So glad you loved it Laura!
Wow! This is the best dense bean salad I’ve ever had! And Ive made quite a few. It has the perfect balance of heat…the dressing is SO good! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks so much Ashley!
This quite literally might be the best salad i’ve ever made!!!! Great for meal prepping for lunch!!!
Yayyyy! That is the highest compliment. So glad you loved it!
One to add to the rotation. Amazing flavors.
Thank you!!!
Thanks so much!!
Has others found this makes just 5 servings? How big are the servings? Why I’m asking is 3 cans of beans and 1 can of tomatoes plus a lot of veggies in there I’m having a hard time picturing it as just 5 servings
The serving sizes are just a suggestion. If you are serving this as a side or prefer a smaller meal it will make more servings.
This was so yummy thank you!
Thanks so much Blanca!
DELICIOUS! This is super tasty, super easy and perfect for entertaining. Even my non-vegan daughter and son in law LOVED it. I ate this for days and did not get sick of it at all! I used corn chips to scoop it for Super Bowl food and it was a big hit!
Thanks so much Stephanie! So glad it was a hit with the whole fam!
Are the macros per serving or for the whole thing?
Per serving.
Yummy! I served over rice and doubled the dressing recipe. You can never have to much dressing!
Agreed – there’s no such think as too much dressing! So glad you loved it!
This is so good! Nutritious, affordable and the servings are generous. Thank you!
Thanks so much Kathryn!
Great flavor, and just enough kick to make it sing! Excellent recipe to start off the new year!
Yayyyy! So glad you loved it Jennifer!
Loved this! The dressing really made it – spicy (but not too spicy), creamy, tangy and we loved all the textures and flavors. It came together super fast and was CHEAP! Yet another fantastic recipe!
Thanks so much Lauren! So glad you loved it!