This Mexican Three Bean Salad is quick, easy and the perfect make-ahead salad to serve at dinner parties and potlucks. This protein-rich bean salad is loaded with Mexican flavors and always a favorite!
This 3 Bean Salad is insanely delicious and very easy to make. It is one of my go-to recipes every time I have company or need to bring a dish to a potluck or event. This bean salad is the ultimate stress-free, make-ahead, vegetarian, crowd-pleasing side dish you must have in your repertoire.
Packed with vegetables and protein-rich beans, this Three Bean Salad is also perfect served as a light lunch. Add a couple of warm tortillas and you are set! This Mexican salad can also be served as an appetizer or party dip with crispy tortilla chips. Just like the popular Texas Caviar, this flavor packed dish will be a hit at any party!
I have updated this post to give you more insights, information and to answer some questions I get asked often. Same photos and same delicious recipe!
Mexican Three Bean Salad Ingredients
- Beans – I use canned beans. I used black beans, light red kidney beans and great northern beans. Feel free to use any canned bean you may have at home.
- Bell Peppers – Diced. I used red bell peppers but any color works.
- Onions – Diced. I use red onions, you can use brown or white onions as well.
- Roasted Corn – Below I give you instructions on how to easily roast/char corn at home.
- Avocado – Chopped. Only add the avocado when ready to serve.
- Cilantro – Chopped. If you don’t like cilantro, use parsley instead.
- Jalapeno – Seeded and diced.
- The Citrus Vinaigrette – Fresh lemon and lime juice, cilantro, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, oil, cumin, chili powder and a bit of honey to balance all the flavors!
How To Make This Three Bean Salad
- Mix all the bean salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk the citrus vinaigrette ingredients. You can also put all the ingredients in a jar and give it a shake. Done!
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and mix.
You have questions? We have answers!
I’m short on time, do I have to use roasted corn for this recipe?
No. Frozen corn (thawed) can be used also, just keep in mind that roasting the corn adds a nutty toasted flavor to the dish. Canned corn is another option. Of course, canned roasted corn is now readily available at supermarkets.
How long will this 3 Bean Salad keep?
Refrigerated in an air tight container, without the avocado, this salad will keep for about 3-4 days.
How To Roast Corn
- In a Cast Iron Skillet: Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium hot heat. When hot, add the corn kernels in a single layer and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Stir and cook until the corn is charred.
- On the Grill: Shuck and clean the corn. You don’t have to worry about removing every piece of silk as it will burn on the grill. Heat your grill to medium hot. Place the corn directly on the grill. Grill turning occasionally for about 10 minutes or until charred and cooked through.
3 Bean Salad Recipe Tips
- Add the chopped avocado when you are ready to serve the salad to prevent discoloration. Although the dressing has citrus, the avocado tends to look a bit mush when added in advanced.
- You can serve the salad immediately, (I couldn’t wait and had to have a serving right away) but know that the flavors will develop and intensify the longer the salad sits in the refrigerator. 2 hours is perfect but more time won’t hurt it either!
Wondering What To Serve With This Amazing Easy Three Bean Salad?
- Tequila Lime Chicken
- Lemon and Herb Roasted Chicken
- Bourbon and Peach BBQ Ribs in the Oven
- Baked Pork Chops
- Baked Salmon Recipe
Take A Look At These Other Salad Recipes:
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Mexican Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounces bag frozen corn or 2 to 3 ears of fresh corn
- 1 (15 ounces) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounces) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used light red)
- 1 (15 ounces) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed (you can use canellini beans as well)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño or serrano chili, seeded and diced (optional)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 avocado, chopped
For the Citrus Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder (or any other chili powder)
- extra chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions
TO PREPARE THE CORN
METHOD #1: On a Cast Iron Skillet or Regular Skillet (frozen corn)
- Heat a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium hot heat. When hot, add the corn kernels in a single layer and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Stir and cook until the corn is charred. You may have to repeat this process until all the corn is nicely charred.
METHOD #2: On a grill (on the cob)
- Shuck and clean the corn. You don’t have to worry about removing every piece of silk as it will burn on the grill.
Heat your grill to medium hot. Place the corn directly on the grill. Grill turning occasionally for about 10 minutes or until charred and cooked through.
METHOD #3
- Defrost the corn and use it as is.
To Make the Citrus Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl whisk together the oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, ground cumin, salt, pepper and chili powder and cilantro.
You can also put all the ingredients in a lidded jar and shake!
Assemble the Salad
- In a large bowl combine the corn, beans, bell pepper, onions and jalapeño (if using).
- Pour the Vinaigrette over the beans and vegetables. Mix well to combine.
At this point, you can serve it (just fold in the chopped avocado gently), or you can refrigerate for a few hours. The flavors will develop as the salad sits. Just add the avocado before serving. - Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with extra chopped cilantro, if desired.
Cynthia says
This recipe is delicious. I tweeked it just a bit to suit my taste.. It would be perfect to take to a party. The colors make it look so much more appetizing. Very tasty. I recomend this to everyone. Yummy.
Kathy says
Thank you!
Denise G says
This sounds amazing! I hope to try it as a Meatless meal, serving with either brown rice or pasta mixed in.
Sarah Coderre says
I love it! This is so easy to make & you could vary the ingredients. We had leftover cooked egg & feta, so we used that. I might tweak the seasoning a bit & add something crunchy for another texture.
Mark says
Delicious and had half ingredients already in my cupboard! Gonna take it to thanksgiving get together (spiciness tone down a bit for the older folks).
Awesome, tasty, filling, healthy, inexpensive, appealing visually….. I mean come on, what more do you want?
Kathy says
happy you liked it. It’s a great dish to take to an even. It travels well and it tastes better when made ahead. Thank you!
M. Pearce says
First off I wanted to say that I have seen several other recipes, all with the same ingredients for this bean salad, but this recipe, how it is written on this site, the instructions, and the pictures showing examples that were provided, they all made this one stand out for me. I also wanted to comment on what made me choose this recipe and site from others with the same ingredients. This recipe and site had all the extra details, hints, tricks, suggestions, substitutions, and questions answered that the others did not. I particularly appreciated the instructions with how to cook/grill and prepare the corn for adding to the recipe. I also like that it even offers some other ingredients suggestions and substitution suggestions. Those are what I always look for and appreciate because I like to add or change a recipe to fit our needs and tastes as a family also according to what ingredients I actually have at the time that I want to make it. I only ended up changing two things. We changed the type of beans and used black beans, navy beans, and pinto beans because those are the ones my family likes best. And I did 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder in place of the minced clove because that’s what I had on hand.
As well as tips, and tricks, it even shares questions others have had, like…How long does it store?…Do you need to make it in advance?…and…How far in advance is best before serving? These questions were the same things I was wondering about too and I was so glad that you addressed them with good answers to help me make this salad a success.
Next, I’m glad that I initially chose it for all of the reasons above. And I was looking for a bean salad recipe that makes a lot to share ✅, has several types of beans✅, has plenty of fresh vegetables✅ and tasty fresh ingredients✅. I wanted it to be cost friendly. ✅ I wanted it to be fairly simple to prepare. ✅…Like so simple my hubby could do it, since he is the one who really loves loves all things beans.???? It caught my attention, it gave lots of extra information that I needed and appreciated, it even gave me different serving size options, and because of all that and also those I mentioned before, I was able to make it quickly without much fuss.✅
Lastly, you should know that this three bean salad was the most beautiful I have ever seen, the most delicious I have ever tasted, and the easiest I have ever made. It was SOOOO GOOD!!! We even snagged a small portion for ourselves after we made it and before it was going to be served because it was just that good! Not only did it taste great, it smelled really good too, and the flavors popped but then also went with each other very nicely. It just looked so beautiful with all of the shapes and colors! It was a wonderful surprise that it actually tasted even more delicious than it looked! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. And thank you for all of the extras you included which helped me make it a success too. This will be one that I will save and my family requests frequently ❤️❤️❤️
Kathy says
Thank you so much for your kind words. You made my day!! I am humbled and grateful for your beautiful comment. I feel incredibly blessed to have this blog and readers like you. Thanks again.
Kelly says
Great recipe and instructions. I served it with Pork Carnitas and Mexican Street Corn Salad. Some people ate it as a salsa with tortilla chips. One comment was how fresh tasting it was.
Kathy says
Thank you Kelly! It is such a fresh salad for sure. Glad everyone enjoyed it.
Vera says
Excellent! I made a few changes, that I do not think impact the original recipe: I used a can of Whole Foods 365 Bean Trio (black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans) instead of what was listed in the recipe. I was only making two servings so one can was perfect for us. I used frozen fire roasted corn for a shortcut. For the Dressing, I used all lime juice instead of lime/lemon and added more cumin, because I just love the stuff. I served it with grilled Mexican chicken drumsticks and cilantro & lime rice. I will definitely make this again.
Kathy says
Thanks Vera! Glad you enjoyed it. Make it your own girl!! 🙂
t. says
My kids and husband said we have to put this as a favorite. Healthy and full of good stuff for you. I am a registered dietitian and this is going to be a regular in our family. Eat plain as a light meal, in a tortilla, or with tortilla chips, etc. Great flavor!
Kathy says
Thank you!! I really appreciate the feedback. Glad you all enjoyed it (and yes! healthy and good!)
Lacey Schurdell says
This recipe is a must try, delicious and low on the calorie scale!! Basically guilt free and all of my coworkers loved it. Will definitely make again!
Kathy says
Hi Lacey! I am glad to hear you liked it. It’s definitely a favorite!
Susan K. says
The flavour is so intense and refreshing! I can’t get enough of it. A recipe I will make often. It is requested often, as well, from those that I’ve made it for.
Kathy says
Thank you! So happy to hear that.
nicole mac says
Super tasty, got tons of compliments at a work potluck. I added tomatoes and amped up the seasonings (double lime, plus lemon, extra spices)
Kathy says
Yum! Thank you!
Maddie says
I loved this recipe I add quinoa tabbouleh to make it more of a meal it was a hit, i served it with sour cream