Three Bean Salad

This 3 bean salad recipe is a fresh, fun twist on the American classic! I toss fresh green beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas in a bold, tangy dressing.

Three bean salad

Like macaroni salad and potato salad, three bean salad takes me right back to my childhood. It was something I ate at potlucks, picnics, and even the occasional school lunch. I remember liking the sweet and tangy dressing, but the mushy canned green beans? Not so much.

So, to kick off picnic salad season this year, I’ve got a new three bean salad recipe to share with you. In many ways, it’s just like the one I ate as a kid. It features dark red kidney beans and hearty garbanzos, and it’s tossed in a punchy (though considerably less sweet) dressing. But those canned green beans? You won’t find them here. Instead, I add blanched fresh ones, along with thinly sliced celery and red onion for crunch. It’s bold and refreshing, and like any good picnic salad, it only tastes better if you make it ahead. I think you’re going to love it!

3 bean salad recipe ingredients

Three Bean Salad Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy three bean salad recipe:

  • Three beans, of course! I use fresh green beans, kidney beans, and garbanzos, though you could certainly experiment with using other types of beans if you’d like. Pinto beans and cannellini beans would both be good substitutes for the kidney beans and chickpeas. And if you have fresh wax beans on hand in addition to green ones, by all means, toss them in!
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard, and honey – You’ll whisk together these ingredients to make the dressing. In a traditional three bean salad recipe, it would be much sweeter, with almost equal parts vinegar and sugar. I prefer the flavor of a natural sweetener like honey (or maple syrup, if you’re vegan), and I scale it wayyyy back to give the salad a tangy, pickle-y pop.
  • Red onion and celery – They add savory flavor, color, and crunch.
  • Parsley – It gives the salad a nice fresh finish.
  • And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Blanched green beans in colander

How to Make Three Bean Salad

This three bean salad recipe is super simple to put together! Here’s how it goes:

First, blanch the green beans. This speedy cooking technique makes the fresh beans more tender and highlights their natural sweetness. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the beans into the boiling water, and cook for 2 minutes, or until they’re crisp-tender and bright green. Transfer them to the ice water, then drain and transfer to a kitchen towel to dry.

Hand whisking dressing at the bottom of a large bowl

Next, make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, and salt.

Three bean salad recipe ingredients in a glass mixing bowl

Then, toss the salad together. Add the onion, kidney beans, chickpeas, blanched green beans, celery, and parsley to the bowl with the dressing, and toss to coat.

Hand using wooden spoon to mix three bean salad in large glass bowl

Once you toss the salad together, pop it in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. You might be tempted to skip this step, but trust me, the salad will be so much better if you don’t! As it chills, the beans soak up the flavors in the dressing, which makes the whole dish punchier and more exciting to eat.

After an hour (or up to 3 days), go ahead and dig in!

3 bean salad on a serving platter with wooden tongs

Three Bean Salad Serving Suggestions

This three bean salad would be a delicious addition to any summer picnic or cookout. Try pairing it with whatever you’re grilling – maybe veggie burgers or black bean burgers – and a few fun sides like fruit salad or corn on the cob.

This three bean salad is also a great recipe to make ahead for lunch. I often enjoy it on its own (the protein-rich beans make it plenty satisfying), but it’s a great side dish for a sandwich too. We love it with Caprese, egg salad, and chickpea salad sandwiches and these healthy lunch wraps.

Three bean salad recipe

More Favorite Picnic Salads

If you love this three bean salad recipe, try one of these fresh picnic salads next:

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Three Bean Salad

rate this recipe:
5 from 16 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
This 3 bean salad recipe is an easy, delicious summer side dish! Be sure to chill it for at least an hour (or up to 3 days) before serving so that the beans can soak up the flavors in the dressing.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set a bowl of ice water nearby. Drop the green beans into the boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove the beans and immediately immerse in the ice water long enough to cool completely, about 15 seconds. Drain and place on paper towels or a kitchen towel to dry.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic, mustard, honey, and salt. Add the onion, chickpeas, kidney beans, celery, green beans, and parsley, and toss to coat. Chill for 1 hour, then serve.

16 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Laura
    02.03.2024

    5 stars
    Great recipe! I used black beans instead of kidney beans because that is what I had. It was delicious.

  2. teresa
    02.02.2024

    How do you cook the chickpeas?

  3. Lauren
    01.28.2024

    5 stars
    Great salad! Love making this as part of my meal prep for the week. I like adding lentils and hemp hearts too.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.30.2024

      Hi Lauren, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  4. Amber B
    05.08.2023

    5 stars
    really good but be careful with your onion! I used 1/2 red onion that had been in my fridge for a few days so it was probably already really strong, didn’t measure. It is really overpowering the salad. Otherwise, will def make again!

  5. Victoria
    02.26.2023

    5 stars
    Served this to my friends and every one of them asked for the recipe. Lol. I’m vegan. They don’t like my food normally.

  6. Julie
    07.28.2022

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! Always looking to cut back on sugar for family members with diabetes. This salad is still packed with flavor!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.31.2022

      I’m so glad you’ve loved it!

  7. Cat28590
    07.24.2022

    5 stars
    This is such a delicious and refreshing bean salad! Wonderful recipe with great flavor. It’s my hearty, protein-packed afternoon “snack”. Satisfying yet great nutrition.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.25.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  8. Mrs E from loveandlemons.com
    06.08.2022

    This recipe is absolutely genius! I’m on the third round of making it since it posted a few weeks ago. This time I did not skimp on the olive oil, salt or vinegar, I did on the first few rounds, and it is the best when following exact ratios. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.11.2022

      I’m so glad you loved it so much!

  9. Sabrina from newkitchenlife.com
    06.06.2022

    great salad, thank you, legumes are part of my regular diet, and haven’t had a bean salad in a long time so this will be a nice change

  10. Lisa
    05.31.2022

    5 stars
    This was really good!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.