Mexican Bean Salad Recipe

This post may include affiliate links. Thank you for your support.

This Mexican Three Beans Salad recipe is bursting with fresh flavor from crisp veggies, delicate herbs and a silky cilantro vinaigrette! It’s healthy, incredibly easy to prepare, can be made in advance and travels beautifully! (Healthy, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan-option)

This quick bean salad is perfect for on-the-go lunches, picnics, potlucks, summer parties and easy weeknight dinners! Continue to read for tips on making the best beans salad, plus tips for serving it.

If you are a fan of beans and quick, refreshing salads sans the lettuce, say hello to your new favorite dish!

This three bean Mexican-style salad is easy to make, can be customized to taste and is absolutely delicious! It’s full of flavor and texture and guaranteed to be a hit at both weeknight dinners and summer parties!

And, if all that wasn’t enough to get you excited, this salad is light, healthy AND doesn’t require you operate an oven or grill! High fives all around!

About this recipe for Mexican bean salad 

Cool, refreshing and packed with flavorful goodness, this versatile Mexican salad anything but boring or bland!

This salad features a colorful trio of tender beans tossed with fresh corn, pungent shallots, sweet bell peppers, slightly spicy jalapeno, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes and salty crumbled queso (optional). Generously drizzled with a silky, herbaceous cilantro vinaigrette this salad is sure to impress!

What is a Mexican beans salad?

Bean salad is a common Mexican cold salad made with a variety of cooked beans and raw veggies tossed in a light, flavorful vinaigrette dressing.

Ingredients for 3 bean Mexican salad 

The blend of beans in a classic American bean salad is typically green beans, kidney beans and wax beans or garbanzo beans.

This Mexican-style salad utilizes black beans, kidney beans and white beans as well as a variety of fresh vegetables for crunch and a silky cilantro vinaigrette for added flavor!

• Beans
• Corn
• Onion
• Bell Pepper
• Avocado
• Jalapeno (optional)
• Cherry Tomatoes (optional)
• Cilantro (optional)

How to make this Mexican beans salad recipe

This versatile, Southwestern dish is simple to prepare and perfect for quick weeknight dinners, easy lunches, potlucks, picnics and parties!

(Don’t forget to scroll down for the detailed instructions in the complete printable recipe at the bottom of the page.)

To make Mexican three bean salad

• Prepare the vinaigrette dressing.  Add cilantro, vinegar, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder and olive oil to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
• Make the salad. In a large bowl, combine beans, corn, shallots, bell peppers and jalapeno. Mix well.
• Add the dressing.  Pour half of the dressing over the bean mixture and stir to combine.
• Refrigerate.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (preferably 1 hour) or overnight to allow the flavors to develop.
• Serve.  When ready to serve, add in the avocado and gently mix together. Taste and add more dressing or seasoning (salt and pepper) as desired. Garnish with optional additions and serve!

Storing bean salad mexican

Can you make bean salad ahead of time?

Bean salad is actually best when made in advance! This salad tastes best when the beans are allowed to marinate in the refrigerator for three to four hours, so it’s the perfect dish to make ahead of time!

While I recommend this salad is not made more than 24 hours in advance, you can store it in the refrigerator for longer than that if necessary. If making more than a day in advance, be sure to drain the excess dressing from the salad after 5 hours and then, when ready to serve, toss the beans with more (reserved) dressing.

How long will it keep in the fridge?

Leftover 3 bean salad will keep in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. For best taste, do not add the avocado until ready to eat!

Can you freeze Mexican bean salads?

You can absolutely freeze this salad (minus any fresh herbs and avocado). The bean salad should be stored in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or bag. Properly stored, this salad should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Serving Mexican three bean salad

This colorful bean salad with avocado is a great side dish for picnics, potlucks and summer barbecues. Or, it is perfect on its own as a meatless dinner!

Chef serving recommendations: This bean salad pairs well with everything, from lighter dishes, such as lettuce wraps, to more substantial meals, like chicken tacos, pork tacos, or bean tacos, and bean burgers or hot dogs, to Mexican Casseroles, Mexican shredded beef barbacoa, and so much more.

How to serve bean salad    

• Serve as a side with Mexican classics, like burritos, chimichangas, steak fajitas, and quesadillas.
• As a topping for Tacos or Taco Bowls
• Alongside hearty Tex-Mex dishes and Mexican casseroles, like green chili and chicken enchilada casserole, barbacoa shredded beef, and chicken fajitas casserole
• As a topping or garnish for Salmon or Chicken.
• As a side dish with steaks.
• Add a protein punch to this three bean mexican salad by poaching shrimp, dicing them up, and tossing them in for a healthy and delicious entree.
• Serve bean salad as a dip with pita chips – don’t forget a side of guacamole and salsa!
• Make it a vegetarian main dish by serving the bean salad scooped into lettuce cups or warm tortillas

More mexican recipes!

Pair your bean salad with your favorite Mexican dishes to crate a flavorful fiesta for your tastebuds! Here’s some of mine:

• Mexican Shrimp Ceviche
• Cauliflower Mexican Rice
• Mexican Cabbage Slaw Recipe

Nutritional information

Is mexican bean salad good for you?

Three bean salad is a great healthy side or main vegetarian dish option!

Overall, this salad is high in fiber and healthy fats, while low in sugar! Plus it’s nutrient dense, a good source of plant-based proteins and an excellent source of vitamin C!

If you eliminate the cheese and swap out the honey for agave this salad is vegan!

Fresh and full of flavor, this Mexican three bean salad is definitely a crowd pleaser!

Until next week, friends, cheers – to stellar sides!

If you enjoy fresh, light bean salads, be sure to try this yummy white bean salad!

Craving MORE? Follow all the deliciousness on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram!

More recipes using a can of beans!

• Brown Sugar and Bacon Baked Beans
• Black Bean and Chicken Soup
• Tostadas with Salmon, Black Beans and Rice
• Black Beans Cuban

The best Mexican Bean Salad recipe 👇

©No Spoon Necessary.  All images and content are under copyright protection. Please do not use any images without prior permission. If you want to reference this recipe, please do so by linking directly to this post.