10 Minute Make Ahead White Bean Salad
If you have 10 minutes, this White Bean Salad is for you. It's fresh, simple, and filled with creamy white beans, crisp vegetables, herbs, and a quick vinaigrette that brings everything together.
Served chilled or at room temperature, this easy bean salad is perfect for packed lunches, picnics, gatherings, potlucks, brunches, and simple side dishes. Any time of the year!
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Key Takeaways
- This White Bean Salad is easy to make and packed with healthy ingredients.
- Use any white bean, along with vegetables like peppers, parsley, red onion, and tomatoes.
- Prepare a quick vinaigrette with olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, and honey.
- Refrigerate the salad for up to 4 days, perfect for meals and gatherings.
- Try other recipes like Lemon Vinaigrette or White Bean Olive Salad for more variety.
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What I Love About This White Bean Salad
This is one of those simple salads I love to make ahead for busy weeks. It's quick, colorful, and easy to serve with almost anything.
The white beans make it hearty enough for lunch, while the tomatoes, peppers, red onion, and parsley keep it fresh. A simple vinaigrette with olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and a touch of honey gives it bright, delicious flavor.
It's also flexible. Serve it as a side dish, spoon it over greens, tuck it into lunch containers, or bring it to a picnic or gathering.
Simple White Bean Salad Ingredients
The recipe card below includes the full ingredient amounts, but here are the basics you'll need:
- White beans: Use canned white beans, drained and rinsed well, or about 3 cups of cooked homemade beans.
- Peppers: A bell pepper works beautifully, but use any sweet pepper you have on hand.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds flavor and freshness. The salad really isn't the same without it.
- Red onion: Adds color and a mild, crisp bite.
- Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are easy to quarter into bite-size pieces.
- Garlic: Added to the vinaigrette for punchy, savory flavor.
- Olive oil: Use a good-quality olive oil if you can.
- White wine vinegar: This forms the base of the vinaigrette, along with lemon juice and a little honey for balance.
The Beans in White Bean Salad
This salad works with almost any white bean, including Great Northern beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans.
The recipe calls for two 15-ounce cans of white beans, rinsed and drained. If you like to cook dry beans, you can also use about 3 cups of homemade cooked beans. In the photos, I used homemade navy beans from a batch I had made earlier in the week.
How to Make This Easy Bean Salad
Add the beans, pepper, tomatoes, parsley, and red onion to a medium-size salad bowl.
To make the quick vinaigrette, add the olive oil, white wine vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper to a lidded jar. Secure the lid tightly and shake until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the white bean salad and gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. The salad keeps well for up to 4 days.
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10 Minute Make Ahead White Bean Salad with a Quick Vinaigrette
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (15-oz) cans white beans (navy, northern, or cannellini), drained and rinsed
- 1 bell pepper finely chopped *
- 7-8 cherry tomatoes quartered
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
Quick Vinaigrette Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 -2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Into a medium size salad bowl, add the beans, pepper, tomatoes, parsley, and red onion. Set aside.
- Make Vinaigrette Dressing: Into a lidded jar, add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, honey, salt, and, pepper. Secure the lid tightly and shake until well combined.
- Add the dressing to the White Bean Salad and gently toss the ingredients together. Adjust salt and pepper seasoning as needed.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Notes
Peppers:
I've used a pepper out of our garden in the photo, but choose any pepper you like. Bell peppers lend a sweetness to the salad where poblanos or jalapenos will bring spicy heat.Seasoning:
My guys like a little extra kick in this salad. Consider adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for added zest.Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
How much olive oil for the dressing?
You will need 1/4 cup of olive oil in the dressing.
Great!