Fresh Cowboy Caviar Texas Style Salad
A vibrant and flavorful Texan-style salad featuring black beans, black-eyed peas, fresh vegetables, and a zesty lime-cilantro dressing with a smoky chipotle kick. Perfect for potlucks, game days, or as a refreshing side dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Texan, Southern, Tex-Mex
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (15 oz / 425 g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz / 425 g) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup (150 g) fresh corn kernels (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1/2 cup (15 g) fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 ripe avocado, diced (optional)
- Juice of 2 large limes (about 3 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup for vegan option)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder
- Salt and pepper to taste (preferably kosher salt)
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the canned black beans and black-eyed peas thoroughly under cold running water. Set aside to drain completely.
- Rinse and halve the cherry tomatoes. Dice the red and green bell peppers into small, bite-sized pieces. Finely chop the red onion and mince the jalapeño, removing seeds if less heat is desired. Chop the fresh cilantro leaves and dice the avocado into cubes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the freshly squeezed lime juice, olive oil, honey, ground cumin, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained beans, corn kernels, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly. Fold in the avocado last to avoid mashing.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. If short on time, 15 minutes will suffice.
- Before serving, taste and adjust salt, pepper, or lime juice as needed.
Notes
Rinse canned beans well to avoid canned flavor. Add avocado just before serving to prevent browning. Adjust jalapeño seeds for desired heat. Dressing can be whisked separately before adding to salad. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes for best flavor. Use maple syrup instead of honey for vegan option.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 1 cup per serv
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 7
- Protein: 6
Keywords: cowboy caviar, Texas style salad, black bean salad, fresh salad, potluck recipe, Tex-Mex, healthy salad, easy salad recipe