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Home » Salads » Three Bean Salad

March 24, 2019 By Sara 37 Comments

Three Bean Salad

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This three bean salad is a blend of kidney beans, green beans and garbanzo beans, all tossed in a sweet and sour dressing. A classic salad that’s easy to make and is the perfect addition to almost any meal!

I love a good salad, some of my favorites include pesto pasta salad and Mexican coleslaw. This bean salad is so good that I can make a whole meal out of it! Best of all, it takes just 10 minutes to prepare.

Three Bean Salad Recipe | Bean Salad | Green Bean Salad | Chickpea Salad #salad #beans #vegetables #vegetarian #glutenfree #dinneratthezoo Three Bean Salad Recipe | Bean Salad | Green Bean Salad | Chickpea Salad #salad #beans #vegetables #vegetarian #glutenfree #dinneratthezoo

Three bean salad with green beans, garbanzo beans and kidney beans in a homemade dressing.

Growing up, we always had a big jar of three bean salad in the fridge. My mom would buy it at Costco and it made for the perfect easy snack or side dish. My homemade bean salad is a million times better than the store bought version, and it takes just minutes to make!

How do you make three bean salad?

This salad is a blend of kidney beans, garbanzo beans and green beans. Traditionally, this salad is made with canned green beans, but I use fresh green beans here and it makes a huge difference with the flavor and texture. The beans get tossed with a little red onion and a homemade dressing that takes just 2 minutes to make. Add a sprinkling of parsley and you’re ready to eat!

Green beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans and red onion in a bowl.

Do you need to rinse canned beans?

The kidney beans and garbanzo beans in this recipe are packed in a thick liquid that I always like to rinse off before proceeding with the recipe. Simply place your beans in a colander and rinse them under cold running water for best results.

Three types of beans and red onion topped with salad dressing and chopped parsley.

How do you blanch green beans?

The green beans in this recipe are blanched, which means that they’re lightly cooked in boiling water just until tender. Transfer your cooked green beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process; this also helps them retain their bright green color.

A spoonful of three bean salad garnished with fresh parsley.

Tips for Three Bean Salad

  • This salad is actually best made at least 2 hours before you plan to serve it. You can make your salad up to 3 days before you plan to eat it, and the beans will marinate in the dressing.
  • I typically use parsley in my salad because I always have it on hand, but other great options include green onions or fresh dill.
  • I use a mandoline to get ultra thin shavings of red onion.
  • Serve this salad as a side dish, or add some protein like cooked cubed chicken for a main course offering.
  • While I recommend using fresh green beans for the best flavor and texture, you can also use canned green beans if needed.

A serving bowl of three bean salad garnished with a sprinkle of parsley.

Bean Salad variations

While I love this salad as-is, sometimes I mix thing up a bit by including other types of beans! You still want about 5 1/2 – 6 cups of beans total, but you can add in different varieties for a different flavor.

  • Four Bean Salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans
  • Five Bean Salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans
  • Six Bean Salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans, lima beans
  • Seven Bean Salad: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans, lima beans, pinto beans

No matter what type of beans you choose, this salad is always a huge hit!

More great salad recipes

  • Cherry Tomato Salad
  • Black Bean and Corn Salad
  • Creamy Cucumber Salad
  • Farro Salad
  • Chickpea Salad

Three bean salad video

Three bean salad with green beans, garbanzo beans and kidney beans in a homemade dressing.
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4.96 from 21 votes

Three Bean Salad

This three bean salad is a blend of kidney beans, green beans and garbanzo beans, all tossed in a sweet and sour dressing. A classic salad that's easy to make and is the perfect addition to almost any meal!
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword bean salad, three bean salad
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 129kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 1 15 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups fresh green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup red onion very thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes or until just tender. Place the green beans in a bowl of ice water to cool, then drain and pat dry.
  • Place the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, red onion and parsley in a large bowl.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
  • Pour the dressing over the beans and toss to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours or up to three days, then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Filed Under: Eat Your Veggies, Salads Tagged With: Beans, Green Beans

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Comments

  1. Sonya says

    December 23, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! I’ve been looking for this recipe. I could easily live on this salad minus the oil.
    Thank you

    Reply
  2. Lynne says

    September 3, 2020 at 9:48 pm

    5 stars
    This is wonderful!! I mix it with cooked Quinoa, some Feta and call it a meal – YUM! 😋 And in the name of the old Mr. Food “any beans will do”!

    Reply
  3. Cheryl says

    August 6, 2020 at 11:37 am

    5 stars
    Wow, this was delicious – and easy! I just had leftovers from yesterday and it only got better. Great balance of ingredients to get wonderful tanginess. We are trying to wean ourselves off meat, so I was looking for a protein-rich recipe. Had it will meatless burgers on home made whole wheat burger buns. Great summer dinner.

    Reply
  4. Cheryl says

    July 30, 2020 at 2:18 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it!!

    Reply
  5. Aimee A Glenister says

    July 23, 2020 at 4:06 am

    5 stars
    I got requests for a repeat for our weekly ‘potlunch’. I made one addition–a pinch of dry mustard in the dressing. A quick squirt of prepared mustard would do too, I suppose– I’ve found most cold dressed salads like this benefit from just a hint of the stuff, and I don’t even like mustard as a general rule.

    Reply
  6. Bobbie says

    June 9, 2020 at 6:24 am

    5 stars
    I used wax beans, it was delicious.

    Reply
  7. Stacey J. says

    May 25, 2020 at 2:51 pm

    5 stars
    I made this recipe and I really like the result! I followed everything except I used canned green beans and dried parsley, and added some dried dill. I added the sugar 1 Tbsp at a time because some said it was too sweet, but I ended up using the recommended 3 Tbsp and got a good flavor (to me). I mostly eat vegan so this is a recipe I will keep in my usual rotation.

    Thanx for the great recipe, I’m eating some right now! I like how it is simple and few ingredients.

    Reply
  8. DAGMAR says

    May 6, 2020 at 3:40 pm

    The recipe sounds great. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks a lot. Dagmar

    Reply
  9. Marge says

    May 4, 2020 at 11:22 am

    5 stars
    So happy to find this recipe as I had everything already in the house to make it. Great flavor too!

    Reply
  10. Lori says

    April 29, 2020 at 4:37 am

    5 stars
    OMG! This was so delicious! I couldn’t wait for things in the bowl to get friendly; I started eating it right away. It was the perfect amount of sweet and sour! I will be making this a lot! Even if it’s just for me! 😁

    Reply
  11. Barbara Carter says

    April 13, 2020 at 6:18 pm

    Sounds wonderful! I will definitely be trying this one. I have found that an old fashioned potato peeler works well for the ultra thin onion slices as well!

    Reply
  12. Mindy Hitchcock says

    February 23, 2020 at 10:28 pm

    I like wax beans in mine too, adds more color!

    Reply
  13. Janet says

    January 4, 2020 at 3:12 am

    5 stars
    Nicest 3 bean salad I’ve ever done (and easiest!)
    Thanks for sharing the recipe

    Reply
  14. Amy says

    August 2, 2019 at 11:16 am

    4 stars
    Fantastic recipe, but I have to drop a star for too much sugar. I’ve made it a couple times now and the first time the dressing was way too sweet. The second time I only used 2 Tbsp sugar even while doubling everything else and it was still pretty sweet. Next time I’ll try just one or maybe one tablespoon of honey. The second time I used cilantro instead of parsley and felt it was equally as good.

    Reply
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