Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe with Fresh Summer Vegetables

Introduction

This fresh and colorful Cowboy Caviar recipe combines two types of beans, delicious summer vegetables, and a sweet and tangy lime vinaigrette dressing to make a bold and versatile dish that I always make all summer long. It’s a great chip dip, party appetizer, taco topper, salad add-on, or just a simple side dish.

Plus, cowboy caviar holds up great in the fridge, so it has become my go-to healthy meal prep. I literally never get tired of it!

All recipes are rigorously tested in our Nashville Test Kitchen to ensure they are easy, affordable, and delicious.

"This stuff is fantastic. Make it the day before you intend to serve it to let the flavors mingle.

It’s great on burritos, scrambled eggs, over rice, on a chip…This is a staple recipe in my house."

Austin

What is Cowboy Caviar?

Cowboy caviar, sometimes called Texas Caviar or Mexican Caviar, is a cross between a bean salad and a fresh salsa. It combines two types of beans, black beans and black-eyed peas, with a colorful medley of fresh vegetables and a tangy balsamic-lime vinaigrette.

I serve it as a side dish, or a garnish for any number of foods like tacos, salads, grilled meats, and more. It’s absolutely delicious, and I know you’re going to love it!

Cowboy Caviar

Cost $5.54 recipe / $0.55 serving

4.52 from 102 votes

Cowboy Caviar is a deliciously fresh bean salad with a colorful mix of beans and vegetables, plus a zesty lime dressing.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Author: Beth Moncel

Servings (1/2 cup each)

Prep 20 minutes

Total 20 minutes

DRESSING*

• 2 Tbsp olive oil($0.22)
• 1 fresh lime (2 Tbsp juice)($0.25)
• 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.10)
• 1/2 tsp chili powder($0.05)
• 1 tsp ground cumin ($0.10)
• 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
• 1/2 tsp sugar ($0.02)

Salad

• 1 15oz. can(400g) black beans($0.94)
• 1 15oz. can(400g) black eyed peas*($1.24)
• 1 bell pepper (any color)($1.48)
• 2 Roma tomatoes ($0.48)
• 1 jalapeño ($0.33)
• 1/4 red onion ($0.11)
• 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.20)

Nutrition Information Serving: 0.5Cup Calories: 140kcal (7%) Carbohydrates: 21g (7%) Protein: 7g (14%) Fat: 3g (5%) Sodium: 122mg (5%) Fiber: 7g (29%)

The nutrition data is automatically calculated using all ingredients listed on the recipe card, including any listed as optional. Percentages are of daily value.

How to Make Cowboy Caviar Step-by-Step Photos

Make the dressing: I always make the dressing first so the flavors have a few minutes to blend. Whisk together 2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 Tbsp lime juice, 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt.

Prep the ingredients: Rinse and drain one 15oz. can of black beans and one 15oz.

can of black-eyed peas in a colander.

Gather one bell pepper (any color), two Roma tomatoes, one jalapeño, 1/4 of a red onion, and 1/4 bunch of cilantro. While any color bell pepper can be used, I like the colorful pop of yellow or orange bell pepper.

Finely dice the bell pepper, tomatoes, jalapeño, and red onion. The idea is to get the pieces close in size to the beans so that you have a "caviar" type appearance in the end.

Roughly chop the cilantro leaves. Place the chopped vegetables in the bowl with the rinsed beans.

Assemble the salad: Pour the prepared dressing over the salad.

Serve: Stir the salad until everything is coated in the dressing. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

This is one of those salads that tastes even better after it has time to chill in the fridge, so it’s great to eat over the course of a few days!

Cowboy Caviar Variations

This cowboy caviar recipe is extremely versatile and there are tons of other ingredients you can add to make it your own. Here are some other ingredients you can add:

• Avocado for a creamy finish
• A dash or two of hot sauce to make it extra spicy
• Skip the jalapeño to make a mild cowboy caviar
• Use green onion in place of the red onion to make it more mild, or in place of the cilantro if cilantro isn’t your thing!
• Sweet corn adds more color and texture to the mix and can be a great low-cost substitution for yellow bell pepper
• I used a mix, but you can use any color bell peppers you like!
• Fresh garlic adds a savory-spicy kick!
• Add canned hominy (drained) for more color and texture
• Use garbanzo beans in place of any of the beans

Serving Suggestions

There are SO many ways to eat cowboy caviar. Honestly, you’ll probably find yourself adding it to everything you eat.

But here are a few ideas anyway:

• Serve it as a side dish with just about any dinner
• Use as a chunky dip for tortilla chips
• Use it as a topping for tacos or ground beef fajitas
• Use it as a quesadilla filling
• Stuff it into a burrito or as part of a burrito bowl
• Sprinkle a spoonful or two over a taco salad
• Add it on top of scrambled eggs

…and so much more. If you have a favorite way to eat this recipe, feel free to share it with me in the comments below!

Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar is a deliciously fresh bean salad with a colorful mix of beans and vegetables, plus a zesty lime dressing.

Prep20 min

Total20 min

Servings10 (1/2 cup each)

Ingredients

Makes: 10 (1/2 cup each)

• 2Tbspolive oil
• 1freshlime (2 Tbsp juice)
• 1/2Tbspbalsamic vinegar
• 1/2tspchili powder**
• 1tspground cumin
• 1/2tspsalt
• 1/2tspsugar
• 140015oz. cang black beans
• 140015oz. cang black eyed peas***
• 1bellpepper (any color)
• 2Romatomatoes
• 1jalapeño
• 1/4redonion
• 1/4bunchfresh cilantro

Instructions

1. 1

   In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, 2 Tbsp of juice from the lime, balsamic vinegar, chili powder, cumin, salt, and sugar.
2. 2

   Rinse and drain both cans of beans in a colander. Once well drained, transfer them to a large bowl.

3. 3

   Finely dice the bell pepper, tomatoes, jalapeño, and red onion. Try to dice the vegetables into pieces that are roughly the same size as the beans. For a less spicy salad, scrape the seeds out of the jalapeño before dicing. Roughly chop the cilantro.

4. 4

   Add the chopped vegetables to the bowl with the beans.
5. 5

   Pour the dressing over the salad, then stir until everything is well coated. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Nutrition

Per (1/2 cup each)

140Calories

21gCarbs

7gProtein

3gFat

7gFiber

122mgSodium

Notes

*If you’re in a rush, bottled Italian dressing makes an easy and fun substitution for the homemade vinaigrette.  ”Chili powder” is a mix of spices used to season chili, not pure red pepper. *Because black-eyed peas are technically a “pea” (vegetable), they’re sometimes found with the canned vegetables rather than the beans. You can also often find them in the freezer aisle, although you’ll want to boil those black-eyed peas first, according to the cooking instructions on the package. And if you can’t find black-eyed peas, you can substitute pinto beans or navy beans.

How Long Does it Last?

Well, if you don’t eat it all in one sitting (it can happen!), this cowboy caviar recipe holds up extremely well in the refrigerator and will stay good in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days. While the vegetables will let off a little water, most of the ingredients are very sturdy.

Just be sure to stir the salad before serving to redistribute the dressing. This salad will probably not freeze well, due to the fresh herbs and vegetables.