This three bean salad recipe is simple, affordable and delicious! Green beans, red kidney beans and garbanzo beans are combined with a sweet and tangy dressing.
The dressing is as easy to make as the salad. Apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sugar and spices, that’s it! Three bean salad is best when it sits for a while in the dressing and gets nice and cold. So make it ahead of time and refrigerate until party time.
This is a cold side dish that goes great with barbecue, hot dogs, hamburgers, you name it! Serve it with this loaded potato salad, potato egg salad and this refreshing artichoke salad for a fantastic side dish buffet.
Since this bean salad is meatless, your veggie loving friends will be happy. For another meat free option, try these delicious marinated tomatoes.
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Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 16 ounce can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained
- 16 ounce can Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas), rinsed and drained
- 10 ounce package Frozen Cut Green Beans, cooked to the lowest recommended time on package
- 2 tablespoons Onions, sliced paper thin
- 2 tablespoons Parsley, chopped
Recipe tips
- Slice the onion paper thin so the flavor does not overwhelm the other ingredients.
- Add the garbanzo and red beans to a strainer. You can add them together or separately it doesn’t matter. Rinse them gently with cold water and drain completely.
- To avoid mushy beans cook them following the package directions but use the lowest recommended time. As soon as the beans are done, add them to a strainer, drain and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking.
Make the dressing
Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a small jar or bowl. Canning jars are great for dressings because the lids close tightly and you can shake vigorously without spilling.
Shake the jar, or whisk until combined. Refrigerate the dressing while you finish the salad to allow the flavors to come together. Give it a good shake or stir before adding it to the beans.
Instructions
Add the red beans, garbanzos, green beans, sliced onions and parsley to a large bowl.
Next, add the dressing to the three bean salad.
Gently toss and stir the ingredients with a rubber spatula until combined and coated. Take care not to tear the beans.
Cover and refrigerate the salad for 2 hours, up to overnight. Stir and toss well before serving.
Frequently asked questions
We use green beans, red kidney beans, and garbanzo beans (chickpeas) but bean options are varied and plentiful! Wax beans (which are green beans that have been bred without the pigment obtained from chlorophyll) and cannellini beans are other popular options.
In this recipe we forgo the canned green beans and go for frozen instead. Frozen green beans hold their texture and color better than canned.
Refrigerate the salad (covered) for 2 hours to overnight. Stir it well before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
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📖 Recipe
Three Bean Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Dressing
- ⅓ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Garlic Powder
Bean Salad
- 16 ounce can Red Kidney Beans rinsed and drained
- 16 ounce can Garbanzo Beans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 10 ounce package Frozen Cut Green Beans cooked to the lowest recommended time on package
- 2 tablespoons Onions sliced paper thin
- 2 tablespoons Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cook the green beans following the package directions and use the lowest recommended time. As soon as the beans are done, add them to a strainer, drain and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking.
Make the dressing
- Add the apple cider vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a small jar or bowl. Shake the jar to combine, or whisk until combined. Refrigerate the dressing while you finish the salad to allow the flavors to come together. Stir well before adding to the salad.
Finish the three bean salad
- Add the red beans, garbanzos, green beans, sliced onions and parsley to a large bowl.
- Add the dressing to the bean salad.
- Gently toss and stir the ingredients with a rubber spatula until it’s all combined and coated. Take care not to tear the beans.
- Cover and refrigerate the bean salad for 2 hours, up to overnight.
- Stir and toss well before serving.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
Colin Parrish
How long can you freeze this for?
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Hi Colin, You can freeze this for 2-3 months.
J monte
I had to adjust the ingredients to what I had on hand - garbanzos, black beans and leftover steamed green beans. The dressing is perfect. Most recipes I found had too much sugar. Yours was just enough.
Elizabeth
Hi. I’m glad you put leftover steamed green beans to good use, that’s a good idea! Thank you for your kind review.
Yvette
Love that it's lower sugar- had everything in the pantry and so easy to throw together. Great for summertime! Yum!
Elizabeth Rodriguez
So glad you enjoyed it! Love hearing that it was easy to pull together. I agree, great summer side. Thanks for stopping by!