Description
A vibrant, fresh bean salad that works as both a dip and side dish. Packed with flavor and perfect for parties, this easy Texas Caviar comes together in minutes and gets better as it marinates.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn kernels, drained (or 1½ cups fresh corn)
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 avocados, diced (add right before serving)
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Dice all your vegetables into uniform, bite-sized pieces. This ensures every scoop gets a perfect balance of flavors. Pro tip: seeding the tomatoes prevents your Texas Caviar from becoming watery.
- Combine the base: In a large bowl, gently mix the black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, bell peppers, jalapeño, red onion, tomatoes, and cilantro. Be careful not to mash the beans—you want to maintain their texture.
- Whisk the dressing: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, honey, cumin, chili powder, and minced garlic until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Marinate: Pour the dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture. Stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, though 4-6 hours is ideal for the flavors to fully develop.
- Final touches: Just before serving, dice the avocados and gently fold them into the mixture. This prevents them from turning brown while still adding that creamy texture everyone loves.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For best results, add avocado right before serving. The flavors continue to develop, making day-two leftovers particularly delicious. Not recommended for freezing as the vegetable texture will become mushy.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 280mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg