Four Bean Salad

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!

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:

📋 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.

🔪 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.

(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.

💭 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.

🍽 Related Recipes

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