Easy 5 Bean Salad
This easy 5 Bean Salad is PERFECT for potlucks, BBQs, picnics and quick weekday lunches! It’s ready in less than 10 minutes, healthy, delicious and tastes even better the next day! You will LOVE it.
I believe we all need at least 10 “go-to” recipes in our repertoire for potlucks, BBQs, cookouts, etc. THIS 5 Bean Salad should be on your list! It’s ridiculously simple too. People are always asking me for this recipe, trust me, you’ll want to save/print this one!
I also like to refer to 5-Bean Salad as my “July 4th salad” because it’s perfect alongside a grilled hot dog on the 4th! My Mom has been making a variation of this 5 bean salad for decades, a true family favorite. It’s totally customizable because you can swap out the beans for your faves. It always tastes great.
This salad has a super simple salad dressing made with just red wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. It gives the perfect touch of tart and sweet that combines the flavors so well. If you let it “marinate” wrapped in the refrigerator for 4 hours (or overnight), I think it tastes even better!
If you like, you can substitute the red wine vinegar for white wine vinegar.
I especially love this salad for large gatherings with various dietary restrictions because it’s vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, low carb, naturally gluten-free and loved by all! Plus, it’s delicious at room temperature too so no worries about leaving it out on a party table.
What Beans are in 5 Bean Salad?
- Black Beans
- Garbanzo Beans (aka chickpeas)
- Cannellini Beans
- Dark Red Kidney Beans (you can use light red too)
- Pinto Beans
As you can see, it’s a delicious blend of 5 different types of beans, hence the name “5 Bean Salad” but you can totally customize this bean salad with different beans. Wax beans? Navy Beans? Lima Beans? Black-Eyed Peas? Feel free to swap them in too.
If you love green beans, you can swap those in too. You can choose canned green beans or fresh green beans, both work! Basically, the premise of this bean salad is the same! Toss and serve, insanely easy.
Do I need to Cook the Beans?
Nope, you do not need to cook the beans in this salad. The canned beans are ready to eat, you just simply need to drain and rinse them well to get off all that sodium. Invest in a good colander to make your life a lot easier! I use mine *all the time*.
How long does 5 Bean Salad Last?
Keep leftovers in a large bowl, wrapped tightly or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days! I love salad on day 2, I think it has even more flavor, but up to 5 days is totally fine. The vinegar acts as a natural preservative.
What to Serve with 5 Bean Salad?
This cold salad is a summertime fave, but I actually enjoy it all year long! It’s so easy to make and keep in the fridge for a light lunch, but here are a few more ways I serve this salad.
Serve this 5 bean salad alongside….
- Hot Dogs
- Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Chicken
- Steaks
- Add to large leafy salads for extra flavor!
- Chicken Wings
- BBQ Chicken
- Baked Potatoes
Another way to serve this easy bean salad recipe? Serve it up as a dip with tortilla chips! I love to even top it with crumbled feta cheese too. It’s a great dish you can use in so many ways! It’ll be a huge hit at your next potluck!
More Easy Salad Recipes You’ll LOVE:
5 Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans also known as chickpeas
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can pinto beans
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can kidney beans light or dark
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can cannellini beans
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can corn
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 2 stems celery chopped
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp course black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the 5 cans of beans and the corn.
- In an extra large mixing bowl, toss together the beans, corn, red onion, bell pepper and celery.
- In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt and black pepper until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat evenly. Stir in cilantro. Enjoy right away or for best results, refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 4 hours. Toss again just before serving.
- 5 Bean Salad will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator as vinegar is a natural preservative.
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