Mexican Four Bean Salad
This vegan Mexican Four Bean Salad is going to be your new favorite picnic or potluck side dish- because it is so flavorful and delicious, but totally easy to make! The creamy avocado and cumin dressing has a kick of smoky chipotle chili that really peps up the canned beans and edamame too.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Mexican Four Bean Salad
When I started testing this bean salad recipe I was immediately reminded of a warm ocean breeze in Mexico. One bite and it brings you back to warm weather and sunny days. So even if you’re making this salad on a gloomy day, it will be summertime in a bowl!
It’s fantastically easy to make. It’s a great recipe to serve at a Mexican food party or to make as a quick 15-minute lunch. Just open some cans of beans, thaw out some corn and edamame, add in cherry tomatoes and cilantro and toss it together with an easy avocado dressing. Done!
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
Avocado
The avocados should be perfectly ripe but still somewhat firm to the touch. If you’re unsure if you’ve got a good avocado on your hands you can remove the little stem end piece and look at the inside color.
Cilantro
Fresh cilantro really helps elevate this dish. You can find fresh cilantro in the produce section of any larger grocery store. Organic fresh herbs are best.
Beans
For this four bean salad I used black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans and edamame. If you prefer to swap any of them out you can either use more of another, or use a different bean like white cannelloni beans. I use canned beans for efficiency.
Corn
Corn helps to bring a little sweetness to this dish. I prefer to just use frozen corn but if you have time (and patience) you can shuck your own corn.
Cherry tomatoes
I used regular cherry tomatoes in this salad but you can always use heirloom cherry tomatoes if they happen to be in season. If you can’t find good cherry tomatoes you can dice up Roma tomatoes instead.
Additional Ingredients
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions to Make This Mexican Bean Salad
Step 1: Make dressing
Puree ½ avocado, ¼ cup cilantro, ¼ cup cold water, oil, vinegar, garlic, cumin, salt, chipotle and pepper in a food processor or mini prep until smooth.
Step 2: Assemble salad
Combine black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, edamame, and corn in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and stir to coat.
Step 3: Add cilantro & tomatoes
Chop the remaining 1 ½ avocado and add to the beans. Add the remaining ¼ cup chopped cilantro and the cherry tomatoes. Gently fold in and serve.
FAQs and Expert Tips
One option is to use a smoothie blender. If you don’t have that either you could mash the avocado with a fork and finely chop the cilantro.
Make the dressing ahead and store in an airtight container until ready to serve. You can also assemble the salad ahead and pour the dressing over before serving. I would wait to add the avocado so it stays fresh.
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Additional Mexican Salads To Try
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintMexican Four Bean Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
A simple side dish with tons of flavor! Mexican 4 bean salad, with corn, cilantro and creamy avocado dressing. Serve it at a picnic or bring it to a pot luck- everyone can enjoy it because it is vegan and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados, divided
- ½ cup chopped cilantro, divided
- ¼ cup cold water
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 fourteen-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 fourteen-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 fourteen-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Instructions
- Puree ½ avocado, ¼ cup cilantro, ¼ cup cold water, oil, vinegar, garlic, cumin, salt, chipotle and pepper in a food processor or mini prep until smooth.
- Combine black beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, edamame, and corn in a large bowl. Pour dressing over the bean mixture, and stir to coat.
- Chop the remaining 1 ½ avocado and add to the beans. Add the remaining ¼ cup chopped cilantro and the cherry tomatoes, and gently fold in.
Notes
Cooking Tip:
If you don’t have a food processor don’t panic! One option is to use a smoothie blender instead. If you don’t have that either you could mash the avocado with a fork and finely chop the cilantro.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2/3 cup
- Calories: 169
- Sugar: 3
- Fat: 6
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 21
- Fiber: 6
- Protein: 6
Keywords: bean salad,healthy bean salad, mexican bean salad
This salad is always a hit! Awesome side dish!
★★★★★
Everyone at my house really loved this salad! It was a huge hit!
★★★★★
This salad just screams summer with all its color and flavor! I love the dressing, so creamy and so much flavor!
★★★★★
The salad has all the good stuff! Delicious!
★★★★★
This is such a great recipe for pot lucks!
★★★★★
So many of my favorite ingredients plus such a tasty salad dressing! The whole family loved this salad!!
★★★★★
We had this for a meatless dinner, served on a bed of beautiful Bibb lettuce. Love, love love the recipe! Thanks Katie
I will definately include it in our next Potluck.Salad Looks beautiful 🙂 However, just one question, How long does this stay fresh for?
We are in a hotel room looking at our phones for a place to eat nearby. Oh gosh, I’m wish I could be heading out toward this salad instead. I can’t wait to get home to make this. Thank you Katie.
Ha ha! Love that. I am sure you found something equally as yummy! You’ll have to make it when you get home. Safe travels!
This looks delicious! I love all the colours in this bowl, perfect for summer.
PS Nature shows always makes me want to quit my job and go save the environment!
Thank you Carmy. Aren’t nature shows the best?!
This salad looks so fresh and delicious!!
Thank you very much Jessica.
Mmmm This mexican four bean salad is perfect for cinco de mayo!! YUMMY!!!
Ah yes, this would be a healthy addition to a Mexican feast on Cinco de Mayo this year! Great idea.
this is so pretty and vibrant! i absolutely love easy salads like this one, perfect for weekday lunches!
Thank you so much Georgie. We love having this in the fridge for a healthy easy lunch option.
Love love this tasty salad! I bet the addition of cumin makes it so tasty and delicious! I would love to make a big batch of this and have it through the week!
The spices in the dressing really make it a special salad in my opinion. Yes- the left-overs are great all week long!
I love the idea of chopping one avocado and pureeing the other for the dressing. Great side dish for a picnic, yes, but I think I’ll be adding this to my regular Meatless Monday rotation as a one-bowl meal!
Ah glad to hear you like this idea so much Julie! I hope you enjoy it.