This Mediterranean bean salad recipe is a vibrant twist on the classic three bean salad. This recipe features kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas tossed with fresh veggies, and herbs in a zesty garlic Dijon vinaigrette.
My Mediterranean twist on the classic three bean salad is a vibrant, flavor-packed recipe featuring kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas mixed with crisp bell peppers, cucumbers, red onions, fresh herbs, and capers. Tossed in a bright garlic Dijon vinaigrette with a hint of sweetness, this bean salad recipe is light, tangy, and bursting with fresh flavors.
If you’ve spent any amount of time around this site, you know I love beans and have countless recipes like Garlic Parmesan White Beans and Balela Salad using these small but mighty wonders (for good reason). Beans are a staple in the Mediterranean Diet, because they are a nutritional powerhouse, loaded with fiber, plant-based protein, and essential nutrients like folate and iron. They’re heart-healthy, filling, and an excellent addition to a balanced diet.
When you’re looking for an easy bean salad recipe with bold flavor, bright colors, and loads of nutrition this recipe checks all the boxes. Ready in minutes, it’s light, refreshing, and satisfying—ideal for any occasion when you need a quick, healthy, and hearty side dish for a backyard BBQ or weekday desk lunch.
Table of Contents
Which Beans Are Best for Three Bean Salad?
If we’re talking about a traditional American 3 bean salad, you’ll typically see three types of canned beans: green beans, kidney beans or black beans, and garbanzo beans, also known as chickpeas. I’m not a fan of canned green beans so I skip them in my bean salad recipe. Here are my top bean picks:
- Canned cannellini beans in this recipe, I like their creamy texture and subtly nutty flavor.
- Chickpeas are a staple in many Mediterranean recipes. They have a little more bite to them than softer beans, which is what I love about them. I often make them from dried because I can control the texture that way, but canned chickpeas are just fine too.
- Canned kidney beans add color, fiber, and an earthy flavor to the bean salad.
Other options, while not traditional for a three bean salad (but that will taste lovely nevertheless), are black eyed peas, pinto beans, or steamed wax beans.
Mediterranean Three Bean Salad Ingredients
This bean salad recipe takes a few simple ingredients, including some canned beans, fresh veggies, and herbs. Here is what you need to make it:
For the Salad
- Canned beans: I used kidney beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), and cannellini beans.
- Bell peppers: Chopped green and red bell pepper add lots of crunch and color to the salad.
- Cucumber: I prefer the meaty crunch of English cucumbers here, because I find them less watery than other types. If you use regular slicing cucumbers, peel the thick waxy skin off, slice it in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds.
- Red onion: Starchy beans need seasoning to sing in a bean salad and the pungent sweetness of red onion
- Capers are optional, but I think their salty, briny flavor takes this bean salad recipe to the next level.
- Fresh herbs: The trio of parsley, mint, and basil adds so much refreshing flavor to the salad.
For the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette
- Garlic: beans drink up flavor and they’re particularly good with garlic.
- Dijon mustard adds wonderful peppery tanginess to the dressing and helps keep the vinaigrette emulsified.
- Fresh lemon juice adds its signature zest to this dressing, which helps wake up the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Sugar: A little sugar balances the sharpness of the lemon. You can substitute with a little good quality honey, if you prefer. Do note that the recipe will no longer be vegan if honey is used.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Our Early Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil or Spanish Hojiblanca olive oil is a good option in salad dressings because of the bold, peppery flavor.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper are key seasonings that help tie the salad together.
How to Make Three Bean Salad
Get your cutting board out. You just need about 10 minutes to chop vegetables and a few more to mix everything together. You can eat this bean salad right away, or let the ingredients get to know each other for about 30 minutes before trying it out. Either way, it will be delicious.
- Make the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette. In a serving bowl large enough for the salad, add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, and a big pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously to combine.
- Prepare the beans. Drain and rinse 1 (15-ounce) can each of kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas. Add to the bowl with the vinaigrette.
- Prepare the vegetables: To the bowl with the beans, add 1 cored and chopped green bell pepper and 1 cored and chopped red bell pepper. Followed by 1/2 chopped English cucumber, 1 cup finely chopped red onion, 1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers, 1 cup chopped fresh parsley, and 10 to 15 leaves each fresh mint and fresh basil, torn or gently chopped. Toss to coat in the vinaigrette.
- Chill. For best results, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so that beans soak up the vinaigrette flavors. Give the salad another quick toss before serving.
Tips for the Best Bean Salad
This Mediterranean bean salad recipe is simple to put together, but a couple of tips make the difference between a good salad and a great one. Here are my top tips for no-fail bean salad:
- Rinse and drain beans thoroughly. Canned beans release starch into the canning liquid, making it murky. The canning liquid is not bad for you, but just doesn’t look that great and it will make the salad ingredients stick together.
- Factor in chilling time. Starchy beans need a little time to soak up flavor, so it’s a good idea to make this salad ahead and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to up to several hours before serving. If you want to make it a day or more ahead of time, wait to add the herbs until 30 minutes or so before serving.
- Make it your own. One of the best things about this salad is how versatile it is. You can easily swap the bell peppers for cherry tomatoes, try different combinations of fresh herbs, add lemon-stuffed olives for a briny and citrusy punch, or swap in different kinds of beans.
Beans: A Mediterranean Diet Powerhouse
Beans are a staple in my Mediterranean diet pantry because they’re nutritious, versatile, and affordable. Whether canned or cooked from dry, beans are rich in vitamins and minerals. They’re a hearty and healthy plant-based protein powerhouse alternative to high-fat proteins.
What’s more, they’re delicious! In my recipes for Garlic Parmesan White Beans and tomato-braised Gigantes Plaki (Greek-Style Baked Giant Beans) they drink up flavor and add luscious creamy texture.
Another bonus, specifically to cooking with canned beans, is how fast and easy it is to turn them into a meal. I can put together my quick and easy Turkish White Bean Salad (Piyaz) or its creamy cousin Bean Salad with Tahini and Eggs (Tahinli Fasulye Piyazı) in just moments.
What to Serve with this Bean Salad Recipe
This is the perfect make-ahead salad and is very satisfying on its own. You can toss in some cooked whole grains of your choice, serve it with a cup of soup or mix-in some poached chicken breasts for a light meal.
It’s especially wonderful in summertime as a side dish. Pair it with smoky Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Thighs with Dill Yogurt Sauce or tangy Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with harissa marinade. I also love it with juicy Grilled Swordfish, and don’t forget a bright and sunny Lemon Tart for dessert.
More Bean Salad Recipes to Try
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Mediterranean Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
For the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup Early Harvest extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Salad
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced
- 1 cup chopped red onions
- 1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 10-15 fresh mint leaves, torn or gently chopped
- 10-15 fresh basil leaves, torn or gently chopped
Instructions
- Make the Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette. In a serving bowl large enough for the salad, add garlic, mustard, lemon juice, sugar, extra virgin olive oil, and a big pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously to combine.
- Prepare the beans. Drain and rinse the canned beans. Add to the bowl with the vinaigrette.
- Prepare the vegetables. To the bowl with the beans, add green bell pepper, red bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, capers, parsley, mint, and basil. Toss to coat in the vinaigrette.
- Chill. For best results, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving so that beans soak up the vinaigrette flavors. Give the salad another quick toss before serving.
Video
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe.
- Give it time to chill: Make this Three Bean Salad a little bit ahead of time. The beans need a little time to soak up flavor, so it’s a good idea to make this salad ahead and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes up to several hours. If you want to make it a day or more ahead of time, wait to add the herbs until 30 minutes or so before serving.
- Leftovers: Properly refrigerated in an airtight container, three bean salad will keep for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
*This article first appeared on this site in 2017 and has recently been updated with new information and new media for readers’ benefit
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Looks real healthy, and worth the detail prep. I would use sea salt, and a sugar that is not white. Lovely picture of you. In my 80,s. You would look good on a bowl of pasta. Wonder if you could share some mideastern, Egyptian and North African recipes that are simple and healthy. Love tabouli. Famialiar with zatar and sumac.
Never really had a bean salad before but was looking for a healthy and (obviously) delicious protein packed meal. I’ve heard so many great things about the Mediterranean style of eating and thought I’d give this recipe a whirl. I’m making this recipe for the second time and am absolutely in love with it. Needless to say, it’s officially going into the recipe box. Thanks for this fantastic recipe!
Yay! Thanks, Gina!
Made this. The dressing, to me, is inadequate. I couldn’t taste it, maybe I should double it.
I am, however, losing taste, so that could be a factor.
I think I’ll try this with a good Italian dressing (homemade or otherwise). Maybe Olive Garden dressing.
Yummy
What if I use dry beans, soak it in water overnight, drain the water in the morning, boil it for 15 minutes, drain the water, and use it in the salad?
We don’t have canned beans in Egypt
Sure, Mohamed. I think that would work just fine.
He’s going to have to cook the beans substantially longer than 15 minutes. I’d say between 45 minutes and 2 hours depending on the bean type. I find that chickpeas, for example, typically take about 80 minutes.
Delicious!!! I did follow the recipe but added field peas. Took it to a neighborhood gathering and it was a hit! Thank you!!
Awesome! Thanks, Alison!
Scrumptious!
I made this tonight, and it was fantastic! So fresh and bright! It’s going into our dinner rotation for sure. Thanks Suzy! 🥰
(I tried to put a picture here, but wasn’t able to.)
Awesome! Sorry about the picture… would have loved to see it! If you are on Facebook, you can share with us there!
I’m obsessed with this recipe and have been making it regularly for months. I only use 2 cans of beans and less veggies but it still makes more than I can eat before it starts to get mushy. Last week, I found a fritter recipe that had almost the same ingredients so I experimented. I drained the dressing from my leftover salad, pureed in a food processor along with some leftover spinach leaves, than put the mixture in clean towel to squeeze all the liquid out. In a bowl I put the pureed mixture, 2 eggs, enough oat flour to enable me to form patties. I fried these up in oil and made the most delicious veggie fritters. No more wasted bean salad!!!
What a great idea!!
Brilliant!!
I make this once a week and mix and match with my lunches and dinners. Great recipe. Thanks Suzy.
You are very welcome, Mary! So glad you’re enjoying this recipe!
I make this once a week and mix and match with my lunches and dinners. Great recipe. Thanks Suzy.
I made it very close to the recipe….used green onions because we had a lot of them. Used a local made Greek Dressing, My husband raved over this salad and although there are only 2 of us, there was very little left. He jumped on it even before the dressing went on,,…I liked it with the dressing…..almost put some feta on the salad but with the capers, it might have made it too sour…..thanks for a great recipe.
Can I boil beans and use instead of canned ones?
Sure! That would work!
Just finished it all and I’m not too keen on the dressing. I’m thinking too much lemon juice or mustard. I use an emulsifier instead of whisking and I added simple syrup to cut the taste. Hopefully after it sits in the fridge overnight it will blend all the flavors to be more palatable.
Thanks for sharing, Kevin! Hope this worked out for you in the end!
For Garlic Dijon Vinaigrette, how much Salt and black pepper ? It doesn’t say how much to add for either of the two.
Hi, Sonny! There’s no specific amounts here. It’s just to suit your personal taste.
I grew up with my Mom making a three-bean salad similar to this except there was a lot of sugar in it and for health reasons I don’t make it – this is the perfect solution to a luscious healthy three-bean salad!
I stumbled on your blog today and love your detailed explanations and reasons for why you cook things a certain way. I will be back again and again for healthy recipes.
Awwww! Thank you Sandy and welcome to The Mediterranean Dish!!
I have recently been diagnosed with liver problem and decided to start eating healthier by means of the mediterranean style diet. I came a across your site and was pleased to find so many nice and easy recipies. Just one thing I would like to mention is that, living alone myself, it would be nice if you provided options for smaller servings. Not a big deal…just saying.
I found that if you choose ‘print’ option the pop up screen will have a drop down at the top to choose the number of servings that will cut down/customize the recipe quantities.
What is the serving size?
1 salad bowl.