This Easy Three Bean Salad is a delicious and simple vegan side dish that doubles as a topping or makes a great afternoon snack. Filling and colorful, it's perfect for any occasion.

You're going to love this Easy Three Bean Salad. It has a scrumptious mix of tender beans and crunchy veggies. They're tossed in a flavorful homemade vinaigrette dressing with fresh parsley. This salad is the perfect thing to bring to potlucks, parties, and summer barbecues because it's tasty, simple, and looks gorgeous.

With lots of protein and fiber thanks to the beans and vegetables, this is also a very filling and healthy option. It's gluten-free, plant-based, and generally allergy-friendly, so you can feel confident serving it to guests. I love the versatility here, too, because you can make substitutions and tweak things to make it just right for your meal. Let's look at the ingredients you'll be using to make this Easy Three Bean Salad.

Video Tutorial

What you'll need

Beans. I used kidney, cannellini, and black beans for this recipe, but you can use whatever beans you like.
Onion and Celery. These add a delicious crunch and a pop of flavor.
Parsley. Fresh herbs are best. If you have no parsley, you can substitute cilantro instead.
Dressing. This is a mixture of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt, and a pinch of cayenne.

How to make this bean salad

1. Prepare the vegetables. Dice the onions, celery, and parsley. Set them aside. Rinse the cooked and cooled beans and set them aside as well.

2. Make the dressing. Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper to a small mason jar. Shake well to fully incorporate the ingredients.

3. Assemble the Three Bean Salad. Place the beans into a large bowl and add the chopped celery, onions, and parsley. Now drizzle the dressing on top and toss well until everything is coated. Serve.

Tips for the best Easy Three Bean Salad

Use dried beans. You can use either canned or dried beans that you cooked yourself for this recipe, but dried beans let you control the texture and salt level. Also, canned sometimes have a metallic taste.
Soak the onion. If you don't want a very strong onion taste in your Easy Three Bean Salad, soak the onion in water first. This will take away a lot of its most pungent flavor, making it less overwhelming.
Rinse beans thoroughly. Make sure you rinse your beans thoroughly to get rid of the sliminess that comes with cooking and canning beans. Rinse and drain until the beans are no longer slick.
Cool the beans completely. As some ingredients will be negatively affected by heat, it's important to let the beans (if you've cooked them yourself) cool completely before adding them to the salad.

Add-ins and Substitutes

Substitute different beans. You can also make this salad with cooked green beans or chickpeas. For a lower carb or keto option, you can make it with black soybeans or lima beans.
Add more vegetables. Make this Easy Three Bean Salad with more vegetables, such as carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, corn, and cucumbers.
Substitute another dressing. Besides this homemade dressing, you can also use others, including the balsamic dressing in this Tomato Avocado Salad or whatever your favorite is.
Add more herbs. Add fresh herbs such as rosemary, mint, cilantro, or basil for even more flavor.

How to Store

Store any leftover Easy Three Bean Salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last for 3-5 days, but keep in mind that the longer the beans and vegetables sit in the dressing, the softer they will become. So try to eat this salad soon after making it for the best flavor and texture.

What to Serve with it

Enjoy it on its own. This salad is filling enough to be a satisfying meal or snack all by itself.
Main courses. Make this Easy Three Bean Salad the side dish to larger ones, like these Zucchini "Steaks" with Chermoula Sauce, Vegan Gyros, Easy Hummus Wraps, and Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
Tacos/Burritos. Top your favorite tacos, burritos, and tostadas with this delicious salad. Try it with these Vegan Walnut Tacos, Vegan Potato Tacos, and Black Bean Tacos.
Grains/Pasta. Serve this bean salad on top of a bed of Spinach Rice, Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad, Tomato Mushroom Spinach Pasta, or Mushroom Couscous.

This Easy Three Bean Salad has amazing flavor and texture, and it's really easy to make. Enjoy it as a side dish, snack, or topping, or bring it to your next get-together with friends. They'll love it!

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