Easy and delicious classic Three Bean Salad. It’s made with chickpeas, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, cucumber, celery, a few simple spices, and a delicious oil free sweet and tangy dressing.
Remember old fashioned three bean salad? Who doesn’t? It’s pretty much a requirement at any summer picnic or church potluck.
It’s a great dish because it’s quick, simple to make, and loaded with nutrients. And, you probably already have most, if not all of the ingredients, just sitting in your pantry and fridge.
You really should put this Three Bean Salad on your shortlist of things to make this summer for family dishes. It’s oil-free, loaded with protein and fiber, low-fat, and delicious. Fresh and clean, baby.
Let’s make it!
Table of Contents
How To Make Three Bean Salad
This recipe is so easy, requires only a few ingredients, and is absolutely delicious.
Start by dicing your celery and red onion. Then, toss them into a large mixing bowl. Deseed the cucumber, first, by cutting in half lengthways. Next, scoop out the soft seeds by running a teaspoon over the seeds. But, DON’T DIG INTO THE CUCUMBER! You want to leave the “meaty” part of the cucumber. Now, simply cut in half lengthways again and dice. Toss it into the bowl with the onion and celery.
Finely chop the parsley and toss it into the bowl. Drain and rinse the beans, add them to bowl, and mix everything together.
Now, make the three bean salad dressing. Add the red wine vinegar, maple syrup, water, and dried oregano to a small bowl and whisk together. Taste and season with salt pepper as desired.
Finally, pour the dressing over the salad and mix everything together. Place it in the fridge and let it chill for at least a couple of hours. You want to give the dressing time to soak into the beans and the allow flavors to come together. It brings this thing to life and the taste is pure electric.
When you’re ready to serve, remove the bean salad from the fridge and allow it to “almost” reach room temperature. But, if you can’t wait, enjoy it cold.
Is 3-Bean Salad Healthy?
Yes, this is a healthy three bean salad recipe if there ever was one. First, it’s oil-free so no unnecessary fat. And, once you make this you will soon see you don’t need it.
Beans are a modern-day superfood and have been around for centuries. They’re also what the gladiators ate. That’s right! Check out this article.
You need beans in your diet. They provide tons of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And, they’re loaded with protein.
Also, beans have little to no fat and are cholesterol-free. And, beans actually lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels instead of causing them to increase.
So, enjoy your summer without feeling greasy on the inside. You will love this classic Three Bean Salad recipe because it’s…
- Super simple to make
- Sweet & tangy
- Healthy
- Filling
- Protein & fiber-rich
- Low-fat
- Clean & fresh
- Delicious
This is three bean salad is great all by itself, but feel free to get creative. You can serve it on top of some mixed greens, use it to make a cold noodles dish, or even make a wrap.
More Quick & Easy Vegan Recipes For Summer
- Smoky Bacon Flavored Hummus
- Creamy Smooth Oil-Free Hummus
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus
- Amazing Vegan Chocolate Pudding
- Green Powerhouse Summer Smoothie
- Peaceful Easy Feeling Buddha Bowl
If you make this recipe let me know. Be sure and leave a comment below with a star rating. And, share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #shaneandsimple. I want to see your work. Enjoy!
Print Easy Three Bean Salad
Easy and delicious classic Three Bean Salad. It’s made with chickpeas, red kidney beans, cannelini beans, cucumber, celery, a few simple spices, and a delicious oil free sweet and tangy dressing.
- Total Time: 130 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
Three Bean Salad
- 2 celery stalks
- ½ red onion
- 1 cucumber
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley (about ½ a bunch)
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas (low-sodium or no salt added, rinsed and drained)
- 1 15- ounce can red kidney beans (low-sodium or no salt added, rinsed and drained)
- 1 15- ounce can cannellini beans (low-sodium or no salt added, rinsed and drained)
Three Bean Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the onion and celery – add to a large bowl.
- Deseed the cucumber, first, by cutting in half lengthways. Next, scoop out the soft seeds by running a teaspoon over the seeds. DON’T DIG INTO THE CUCUMBER! You want to leave the “meaty” part of the cucumber. Now, cut in half lengthways again and dice. Toss into the bowl with the onion and celery.
- Finely chop the parsley and toss into bowl. Add all the beans and mix until everything is well combined. (For some, fresh parsley is a bit strong so feel free to leave it out if it ain’t yo’ thang.)
- Mix dressing ingredients in a measuring cup or small bowl, pour over salad, and toss well.
- Let chill in the fridge for a couple hours so the beans can absorb all the flavors. But, if you can’t wait, go ahead and eat. But, you really should practice patience.
Notes
*Nutrition info based on 6 servings. *If you can’t find low-sodium or no salt added beans, use regular beans. Just be sure to drain and rinse very well.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salad, Side
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Vegan
- Diet: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 148
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 28.6 mg
- Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 27 g
- Protein: 7.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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Hi Shane, your salad is awesome! I just have one question, how long does this last in the fridge for? There is just my husband and I and after 6 days, there still is a lot left. 🤷♀️
Thank you,
Kari
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Shane…. This popped up in my email and it sounded awesome. I had all the ingredients and just made it! It was refreshing, tasty and perfect on top of some romaine lettuce with cherry tomatoes. I love all your recipes! Seriously, thank you!
Hi Peggy! That’s so awesome and so glad you were able to make it and enjoy it. Thanks so much for reaching out and your kind words.
Hi Shane, another great recipe! Very simple, quick & tasty! I’ll be eating this all summer. Thank you!
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Thank you!
This so good! Easy to make and tasty.
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So delicious! Was always a childhood favorite but too much oil. I substituted aquafaba for the water so that the dressing was more ‘clingy’ and thicker. Worked great!!
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Sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try. I will make the recipe just as you have it for me. For my husband, I need to change out the oregano with something else. The oregano gives my husband heart burn. I am terrible spices. Do you have a suggestion for substituting some other spice for the oregano? Thank you!
Marjoram is good or you could leave it out.
I made a hybrid of this dressing and your Cowboy Caviar because I can’t eat citrus right now. Was so good! Definitely will be making more this summer, and can’t wait till I can eat citrus again to try it with this dressing!
What can I say but yummmmm! This recipe popped up in my email today and I had all the ingredients except parsley. Just made it and sorry I didn’t have the “patience” to wait a couple of hours and it was excellent! Looking forward to the leftovers when it has marinated a little. Shane, You hit this one out of the ballpark.
OMGEEEE!!! I jut made a batch of this. I always have to try as I make, and this is simply divine! I already had to eat a small bowl. My husband is smoking ribs for some family coming over this afternoon that I will be serving this alongside. I cannot wait to taste it in a couple hours after being chilled!! This would make a fabulous lunch recipe, and I’m already working out the process for including this in my weekly meal prep rotation. 🙂 Thanks again for another amazing recipe!!!
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This is incredible! Three bean salad was always one of my childhood favorites. As an adult, I have always considered it kind of a guilty pleasure. The oil seemed unnecessary, the sugar content too high, and the fancy jars of it I purchased from the gourmet food stores were obviously overpriced for what was actually in them… especially since I always ate the entire jar in one sitting. Enter this… Absolute perfect version of the salad I loved as a child but with some sophisticated touches that I love even more as an adult. It was super simple to make and I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen. I made only two substitutions: agave for maple syrup and a combo of yellow onion and red bell pepper for the red onion, both because I was out of the prescribed ingredient. I will be eating three bean salad, and all of it that I want, on the regular from now on!!!! Thank you so much, Shane!
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Nicole, that is so great! And, love your additions. Take care and enjoy…all you want:)
This was excellent!. Thank you for the recipe. I have a question for you – what can I substitute in place of the maple syrup? The recipe is delicious as written but, I have to watch my sugar closely. Any suggestions to replace the maple syrup?
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Hi, Norah! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bean salad. If you have a Whole Foods nearby, Xylitol is a great replacement. But, if not, you can always order it. You can get it HERE. It’s a little pricier, but it should last you a long time. Hope this helps.
Thank you, Shane. Will be purchasing this very soon so I can keep enjoying this great recipe! 🙂
Hope everything works out. Blessings.
I am making this today for a church gathering tonight?
That’s great, Amy! Honestly, the church needs folks like you. I worked in a church for over 10 years and the staff is usually some of the most unhealthy. Way to go!!!
Shane, just a bit confused on the beans. Canelli beans are white kidney beans. In one place you state “pinto beans” and another says “canelli, Does it matter?
Definitely will make this!
Carole
Sorry, that was a type-o in the description. Ultimately, you could use any bean you want but I changed to read cannellini. Thanks the for the heads up:) Hope you enjoy.
Gonna try. How would it taste with zero added salt? By the way, I shop Whole Foods, too. I see that’s where your beans are from. The Whole Foods brand import the beans; they are not from the USA. Eden Organic’s beans are all from the US; the can even states which states the beans are from. IMO the taste is better with US beans; perhaps just bias. But much better for planet to consume local; the more local the better.
Jim, it all depends on your taste buds. I usually make without salt but I’ve been low sodium for several years and can’t take much salt. Use your own judgement. And, I agree buying local is always best. But, sometimes we have to go with the most cost efficient option. We have 5 kids and food can’t get pretty expensive. That being said, there are certain things we only buy local. Hope you enjoy the recipe!!!
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Thx Shane for response. I made it tonight without adding any salt. Considering the no salt; it was very good. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, for food to taste as good without salt; your recipe is impressive. Sure enough, while in Whole Foods today buying ingredients; I noticed that their brand does now have some varieties from the US. Perhaps due to Trumps tariffs LOL (I do want tariffs on all imports; food, bicycles, tools, auto parts, everything). Enjoyed!
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Thank, Jim!
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YUM! Sweet and tangy. And, the fact it is chilled makes it a great meal or side for a hot summer day when I don’t want to cook. Thank you!
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I just made this for my Plant based support group meeting tomorrow night. It tastes delicious now, I’m sure itll be even tastier tomorrow! Thanks! I will share the recipes!
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That’s great, Bonnie! Thanks for reaching out.