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Home » Recipes » Salads

Four Bean Salad

Published: Jun 28, 2021 by Lexi

40 shares
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Our four bean salad is the perfect easy side dish for a summer BBQ or as a healthy, filling lunch. We pair four fiber-rich beans with fresh vegetables and a tangy dressing that keeps every bite interesting. Bonus: it only takes 15 minutes to make and it's also vegan and gluten free!

close up view of four bean salad in a blue bowl on wood table.
Jump to:
  • 🥗 Why We Love This Recipe
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 📋 Ingredient Notes
  • 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
  • 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
  • 🍽 Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

🥗 Why We Love This Recipe

  • Feel-good food: With four kinds of beans – chickpeas, kidney beans, white beans and edamame – plus celery, carrot, and peppers, this salad is jam-packed with veggies and full of plant-based nutrition.
  • Pantry cleaner: Chances are, you have a couple cans of beans sitting neglected in the pantry. This recipe is a great way to make use of them!
  • Tangy dressing: Beans can be pretty heavy, so it's important to pair them with a dressing that can help to cleanse your palate. With dijon, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice, this dressing provides a great contrast to the richness of the beans.
  • Perfect make ahead side dish: this four bean salad actually tastes better the longer it sits, so it's perfect for making ahead for a summer bbq! It pairs well with burgers, grilled proteins, gazpacho and so much more.

🥘 Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make our four bean salad:

overhead view of ingredients for four bean salad in small prep bowls.

📋 Ingredient Notes

  • Navy beans: These can be subbed out for another variety of white bean, including great northern beans or cannellini beans, which are slightly different but essentially interchangeable.
  • Lima beans / edamame: We view these as interchangeable in this recipe, though I personally prefer edamame as lima beans can be a bit dry. It's easiest to opt for frozen shelled edamame – just be sure to cook in the microwave or boiling water before adding to the salad.
  • Garlic / Onion granules: These are little freeze dried chunks of garlic and onion. We prefer them in a salad because they can't clump together like powders. If you don't have any on hand, you can substitute with powder, which is twice as strong as the granules. So ¼ teaspoon of granules is equivalent to ⅛ teaspoon of powder.
  • White wine vinegar: feel free to sub with red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
close up view of four bean salad in a blue bowl on wood table.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

PREP: Cook edamame according to the directions on the package. When done, run under cool water and drain well.

(1 & 2) Whisk all dressing ingredients together and set aside.

before and after whisking together ingredients for dijon vinaigrette in small bowl.

(3) Rinse the kidney beans and chickpeas and drain well. Chop celery, bell pepper, herbs, and grate the carrot.

Add all of the beans to a large bowl with chopped vegetables, fresh herbs, green onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir well.

(4) Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss gently to coat.

before and after mixing together ingredients for four bean salad in a bowl.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Feel free to customize: We used four specific beans in this recipe, but feel free to mix and match, or leave an ingredient or two out. Green beans, kidney beans, black beans, or even lentils would all work well in this recipe.
  • Change up the herbs: the flavor profile of this four bean salad is super versatile. We chose to go with parsley and basil for the main herbs, but you could definitely use dill, tarragon, thyme, oregano, etc.
  • Storage: Store in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days.
  • Let flavors mingle: After tossing the salad in the dressing, you can let it sit for an hour or two in the fridge to let the flavors come together.
  • Serving ideas: This is a great side dish for grilled meats/tofu, but it's also great as a standalone lunch or paired with some chips as a hearty, healthy salsa-like snack.
close up view of four bean salad in a large white mixing bowl on wood table.

🍽 Related Recipes

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    Polenta with Vegetables and White Beans
  • close up overhead view of sriracha white bean dip on a platter with fresh vegetables.
    Spicy Sriracha White Bean Dip
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  • close up overhead view of vegan bean soup in a bowl on white linen surface.
    Three-Bean Vegetable Soup

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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📖 Recipe

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close up view of four bean salad in a blue bowl on wood table.

Four Bean Salad


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

Our four bean salad is the perfect easy side dish for a summer BBQ or as a healthy, filling lunch. We pair four fiber-rich beans with fresh vegetables and a tangy dressing that keeps every bite interesting. Bonus: it only takes 15 minutes to make and it's also vegan and gluten free!


Ingredients

Scale

Salad:

  • 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 ½ cups lima beans or edamame, cooked and drained
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1 medium bell pepper, diced (~1 ¼ cups)
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • ⅓ cup finely minced green onion
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
  • ½ tsp fine grain kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Dressing: 

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp agave syrup or granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp fine grain kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp onion granules
  • ¼ tsp garlic granules

Instructions

  1. Cook edamame according to the directions on the package. When done, run under cool water and drain well.

  2. Whisk all dressing ingredients together and set aside.
  3. Rinse the kidney beans and chickpeas and drain well. Chop celery, bell pepper, herbs, and grate the carrot.
  4. Add all of the beans to a large bowl with chopped vegetables, fresh herbs, green onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper and stir well.

  5. Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss gently to coat.

Notes

Storage: Store in an airtight container and enjoy within 2-3 days.

Let flavors mingle: After tossing the salad in the dressing, you can let it sit for an hour or two in the fridge to let the flavors come together.

Navy beans: These can be subbed out for another variety of white bean, including great northern beans or cannellini beans, which are slightly different but essentially interchangeable.

Feel free to customize: We used four specific beans in this recipe, but feel free to mix and match, or leave an ingredient or two out. Green beans, kidney beans, black beans, or even lentils would all work well in this recipe.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Category: Salads
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Bowl
  • Calories: 361
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 666.8 mg
  • Fat: 13.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 45.8 g
  • Fiber: 11.4 g
  • Protein: 17.3 g

Keywords: Four bean salad

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. D'OnKaMiNoOr

    January 12, 2022 at 12:58 am

    After the carrot salad I've tryied this one. I had some edaman in the freezer and didn't know how to use them ! Great way to eat them combined with the other beans. Dressing gives a special taste to this salad. Thank you !

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lexi

      January 12, 2022 at 9:23 am

      So glad you enjoyed!

      Reply

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