Mixed Bean Salad (Oil-Free)
This mixed bean salad is so good because it’s packed with protein-rich beans, fresh vegetables, and a zesty dressing, creating a flavorful and nutritious dish that’s perfect for any meal. Easy to prepare and full of vibrant textures, it’s a satisfying, healthy option for lunch or dinner.
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This classic bean salad is a perfect side dish for picnics and social gatherings. It’s so versatile, it can be made with just about any type of beans you have on hand. It can be prepared in only about 20 minutes!
We have a number of bean salad recipes on this website like our easy black bean and corn salad and this cowboy caviar salsa from Straight Up Food.
Reasons you will love this recipe
- Nutrient-Dense and Filling: This oil-free mixed bean salad is packed with protein, fiber, and essential nutrients, making it a satisfying and healthy choice for any meal.
- Bursting with Flavor: The combination of fresh vegetables, herbs, and a tangy dressing ensures every bite is full of vibrant, delicious flavors.
- Easy to Prepare: With simple ingredients and no cooking required, this salad is quick and convenient to make, perfect for busy days.
- Perfect for Meal Prep: This mixed bean salad stores well in the fridge, making it an ideal option for meal prep and ready-to-go lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients you will need
- Beans- I use pintos, baby limas, black-eyed peas, and pinto beans, but you could use any assortment preferred. Black beans would be a great option as well.
- Veggies- Corn, bell pepper, and onions are the veggies we like, but you could add cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, celery, or chopped parsley as well.
- Dressing- You can purchase fat-free Italian salad dressing or use my simple 3-ingredient dressing.
How to make a mixed bean salad
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Begin by dicing up the red bell pepper and onions. I like to make pretty small chunks, but you can slice them any size you prefer.
I am often asked which knives I use personally, and I have to say that it is Victorinox. They are the same company that makes Swiss Army Knives and the quality is excellent.
STEP #2: As I mentioned before, any type of beans can be used in this recipe, and they can be fresh, frozen, or from a can. I usually buy canned pintos and red beans and then use frozen baby limas and blackeyed peas. But, make them all fresh if preferred.
For the canned pintos and red beans, I drain them in a colander and rinse them by running warm water over the top.
STEP #3: Place the frozen baby lima beans and blackeyed peas in the colander under warm water to defrost. UPDATE: Some new research is suggesting that it is best not to consume raw lima beans, so canned (drained) or freshly cooked might be better options.
STEP #4: I also highly recommend using frozen corn in this recipe. Canned corn just doesn’t have the fresh taste needed. Simply run warm water over the frozen corn to defrost it.
STEP #5: Combine all of the veggies–beans, corn, diced onion, and diced red bell pepper–in a large mixing bowl. You’ll need it to be pretty big to have enough room for stirring.
STEP #6: It’s so easy to make this simple dressing with only 3 ingredients–balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and maple syrup. Combine the three ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together well. This stuff is excellent on garden salads, pasta salads, and bean salads.
STEP #7: Pour the balsamic dressing over the top of the large bowl of veggies and stir well. It can be served immediately or refrigerated to marinate for a few hours or even overnight.
*Originally published January 2016
Your Questions Answered:
Absolutely! Any beans you like can be substituted in this recipe.
Corn, bell pepper, and onions are the veggies we like, but you could add cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots, celery, or chopped parsley as well.
You can purchase fat-free Italian salad dressing or use my simple 3-ingredient dressing which is my preference because it’s easy to make and can be customized by increasing the sweetness or tanginess.
My experience has been that it keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
I’ve never tried freezing it but see no reason why it wouldn’t do just fine.
More Protein-Packed Bean Recipes
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Mixed Bean Salad | No-Oil
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing or 3-2-1 dressing (below)
- 1.5 cups kidney beans 15 oz can, drained and rinsed, or fresh cooked
- 1.5 cups pinto beans 15 oz can, drained and rinsed, or fresh cooked
- 1.5 cups black eyed peas 15 oz can, drained and rinsed, or fresh cooked
- 1.5 cups baby lima beans frozen baby lima beans, thawed & cooked; or cooked or canned lima beans, rinsed and drained SEE NOTES BELOW
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup purple onion diced
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
3-2-1 Dressing
- 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Begin by dicing up the red bell pepper and onions. I like to make pretty small chunks, but you can slice them any size you prefer.
- If using canned beans, I drain them in a colander and rinse them by running warm water over the top.
- I highly recommend using frozen corn in this recipe. Canned corn just doesn’t have the fresh taste needed. Simply run warm water over the frozen corn to defrost it.
- Combine all of the veggies–beans, corn, diced onion, and diced red bell pepper, salt & pepper–in a large mixing bowl. You’ll need it to be pretty big to have enough room for stirring.
- Make the balsamic dressing by whisking together the 3 ingredients.
- Pour the balsamic dressing over the top of the large bowl of veggies and stir well. It can be served immediately or refrigerated to marinate for a few hours or even overnight.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I’m the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I’m passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to help others care well for their health and the bodies God has given us. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Super easy to make, healthy, and delicious!
Hi Dorthy- It’s one of my favorite summertime (or anytime) dishes. Glad you like it!
I love love love this bean salad and haven’t made it since last summer…thanks for the reminder! I was under the impression that the frozen corn and Lima beans were supposed to be cooked, no? I just looked at a pkg of frozen corn in my freezer and it says, “cook thoroughly”. Does it depend on the brand?
Hi Jackie- I really love this easy bean salad recipe too. No need to cook the frozen corn and lima beans. Believe it or not, all you need to do is run warm water over them. The first time I saw this recipe from PCRM, I was really surprised too, but it does make it nice and simple. Enjoy!
This sounds wonderful and I shall make it today! One comment..and I find this in virtually every recipe, it makes 10 servings and the nutrition information is there for 10 servings. HOW MUCH IS A SERVING? 1 cup, 1 1/2 cup, 1 1/3 cup?? Do I have to make it, divide it carefully into 10 dishes to determine what a serving is? This is a real pet peeve as you can tell from my mini rant.
Hi Mary- The serving size for this recipe should be just under a cup. A good estimate would be approximately 3/4 cup. Hope you enjoy the recipe. It’s a real favorite around here.
I made this salad for a social-distancing picnic on Sunday with family I haven’t seen since Christmas. Only thing I did different was sub chickpeas for limas, since they were in the pantry. Absolutely delicious! I’ve done the 3-2-1 dressing before but haven’t added it to bean salad. It’ll be in my rotation. Thanks for sharing.
Delish! Thanks for a great bean salad recipe with a yummy dressing! I only had spicy brown mustard and it turned out great!
Frozen lima beans need to be fully cooked before consuming. ?
Hi Leslie,
Nope, this recipe from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine doesn’t require that the frozen lima beans be cooked, only thawed. They are surprisingly delicious!
What are the measurements for the dressing?
Thank you,
Sue
Hi Sue,
I’ve added the dressing ingredients to the recipe, and thank you for bringing this to my attention. The measurements are:
6 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (or other mustard preferred)
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Well I have had this saved forever! Trying it for Memorial Day for my meat eating family! I KNOW I will love it so if they dont that is ok!
Ha! I hope you all enjoy it, and I’m betting that will be the case. 🙂
How much is a serving? I’d only be making this for one or two people, so it’d be great to know how to portion it out. Thanks!
A serving is about 1 cup. This recipe makes quite a lot. To adjust the serving sizes of any of my recipes, simply go to the ‘Servings’ listed in the recipe card right above the ingredients list. Hover over the number of servings, and a sliding bar will appear. Slide to the number of servings you would like, and the ingredients will automatically adjust the amounts.
Just tried this today. It is so simple, easy and delicious! It will be a regular in our meals.
That’s wonderful to hear! This is a favorite dish of mine too!
I make a similar one, too….Texas Caviar with Cole Slaw
I forget to use lima beans. This is a great recipe for potlucks. Black eyed peas and lima beans add a unique combination to a bean salad.
Trader Joe makes a fat free salad dressing called Seseme Soy ginger vinegerette that’s delicious
Loved this recipe
That’s terrific to hear!
This looks great. I have made a similar recipe, and loved it.
Thank you, Elaine! 😀