This 3-bean salad recipe is a perfect addition to your summer picnics and cookouts. I love an easy bean salad recipe that you can make ahead of time and enjoy as a great side dish or main dish. With its tangy dressing and combination of black beans, garbanzo beans, and cannellini beans, this salad is not only delicious but also packed with simple ingredients that are good for you.

I know a lot of 3 bean salads have fresh green beans in them, and I love good fresh green beans but really don't like them overcooked or over-marinated. Since this recipe is best after marinating for a day, I skip the green beans a opt for a combination of canned pulses. (Pulses are the edible seeds of plants in the legume family.)

A Note About Beans Salads:

Bean salad is such an easy convenient make head meal that it is in weekly rotation, if not more frequently, at our house. I have an ever-growing list of bean salad recipes with different combinations of dressings, fresh herbs, and a variety of beans. Because I have so many different kinds of recipes, I never get old with this simple and satisfying dish. With that said, I think in almost all cases, the bean type could be swapped in each recipe. The dressings, fresh herbs, and other vegetable combinations will work well with all kinds of beans. Here are some of my other bean salad recipes: white bean, Black Bean and Garbanzo Bean Salad, Chickpea and Kidney Bean Salad, edamame salad recipe, Italian cannellini, kidney bean, black bean and corn, and garbanzo bean salad.

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Ingredient Notes
Instructions
How to Serve
Tips, Tricks, and Alterations
Recipe

Ingredient Notes

The Beans

Cannellini Beans: These creamy white beans, also known as white kidney beans, have a smooth texture and a mild, nutty flavor.
Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans): With their firm texture, chickpeas add a hearty bite and substantial protein content to the salad.
Black Beans: These beans bring a hint of sweetness and a dense, meaty texture, which contrasts nicely with the other beans and vegetables in the salad.
** If you don't have this specific combination of beans at hand, you can easily swap in different kinds of beans, like great kidney, northern, or navy beans. Even canned lentils would work- I know this is my "3-bean salad" because I do like having different colors and textures- but really, this dressing and fresh herb combination will also work well with any single kind of bean. **

The Herbs

The fresh herbs are the key ingredient to this salad. The fresh parsley and oregano give it a similar flavor to a great Italian pasta salad. Dried herbs are not going to give you the same flavor, texture, or brightness. So, if you don't have fresh parsley or oregano, opt for other fresh herbs like basil and thyme rather than using dried herbs.

The Dressing

The dressing is a simple vinaigrette made of olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and zest.

Instructions

Prepare the Dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, and olive oil until the dressing is well combined.
Combine the Salad Ingredients: Drain and rinse the canned beans (cannellini beans, chickpeas, and black beans) under cold water. Place the beans in a large bowl. Add the chopped red onion, celery, yellow bell pepper, garlic, fresh parsley, and oregano to the bowl.
Mix the Salad: Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss gently to combine. Ensure all the salad ingredients are well coated with the dressing.
Marinate: Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving. This allows the flavors to meld together. For the best results, prepare the salad a day ahead and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to Serve

Over a bed of salad greens for a hearty lunch.
As a topping for crusty bread.
In lettuce wraps.
With scoopable chips.
On its own, it is a refreshing side dish.

Tips, Tricks, and Alterations

More Fresh Herbs: Feel free to add fresh basil, cilantro, or dill for extra flavor.
Vinegar Options: Swap rice wine vinegar with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if preferred.
Cheese Addition: Crumble some feta cheese or goat cheese over the salad for a creamy element.
Different Types of Beans: Experiment with other beans like pinto beans, navy beans, or red kidney beans.
Add Fresh Veggies: Cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, or green pepper would make great additions.
Storage: This salad tastes even better the next day. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

If you’ve tried this 3-Bean Salad recipe or any other recipe on BalancingBowls, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.

Recipe

3 bean salad recipe

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Ingredients

1 can 15.5 oz cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can 15.5 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can 15.5 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup chopped fresh celery
1 yellow bell pepper chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
3 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
2 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, and olive oil until the dressing is well combined.
Add the drained and rinsed beans, chopped red onion, celery, yellow bell pepper, garlic, parsley, and oregano to the bowl.
Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss gently to combine.
Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least an hour before serving, or refrigerate overnight for best results.