This three bean salad is a blend of kidney beans, green beans and garbanzo beans, all tossed in a sweet and savory 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.
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!
Salad ingredients
This salad includes garbanzo beans, kidney beans, thinly sliced red onions and green beans. The beans are coated in a dressing made of olive oil, sugar, cider vinegar, salt, pepper and parsley.
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!
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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
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.
The most common beans for a three bean salad include garbanzo beans, kidney beans and green beans. You can include other types of beans to make variations on the classic recipe.
Most bean salads use a sweet and savory dressing that includes some type of vinegar, olive or vegetable oil, sugar and a variety of seasonings.
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 Beans: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans
- Five Beans: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans
- Six Beans: Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, wax beans, cannellini beans, lima beans
- Seven Beans: 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
Three bean salad video
Three Bean Salad
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.
Notes
- 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 prefer to use fresh green beans, but canned will also work and do not need to be blanched.
Bonnie Bladen says
I used fresh green beans, used kidney, garbanzo, pinto and black beans, and added grated carrot, chopped celery for crunch and sliced black olives. It was delicious. I thought it was a little too sweet, will use 2 T sugar in the future, but this time I added a little more olive oil and salt to round it out.
Trista says
What bean would you recommend for replacing garbanzo (I don’t care for garbanzo beans)?
Sara says
Cannellini beans will work!
Lauren says
Can I use red wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar?
Sara says
That should be fine!
Alison says
We love this recipe and now make it weekly. It’s the only way my husband really enjoys green beans. I do cut the sugar down to 2 TBs because we prefer more tang and less sweet.
Adrian says
Just saw this…look amazing yummeh. Dunno what to pair it with though… any suggestions ?
Sara says
It’s great with grilled meats and a loaf of bread!
Lori says
Just made your 3 bean salad, so good. Made the pineapple chicken the other night, so good. You really need to write a cookbook.. I’d be the first in line to buy one, Thank you, Lori
Sylvia Altmann says
Hi! Can this recipe be frozen? I make meals for my mom (93yrs old & living alone) and would like to include healthy salads with my entrées.
Thank you!
Sara says
I have not tried freezing this recipe so unfortunately I can’t say for sure. I think freezing it could significantly change the texture.
Gillian says
Has anyone tried this with balsamic vinegar instead? I don’t have apple cider vinegar. Do you think that flavour would go well?
Sara says
I think it would be ok but you’d want to cut the sugar a bit since balsamic is naturally sweeter than cider vinegar.
Yvette says
Easy and delish, just subbed black for red kidney beans because that’s what I had on hand. Will be making this a lot . Thanks!
Mirlene says
This salad had all of my favorite beans! I’ll be making this again for our BBQ this weekend.
Mahy says
I just made it using a different recipe. Yours looks absolutely amazing, too – can’t give it a try over the weekend.
Ieva says
100% agree on using fresh green beans. They just add another texture to the salad! The dressing was spot on, as always! Thanks for another brilliant recipe:)
Tavo says
I love that this recipe is made with lots of vegan protein! My kind of salad. I am surely making it again soon!
Carrie Robinson says
Such a classic salad and definitely a must-make for those upcoming summer BBQ’s! 🙂
Roberta says
I made this and used fresh (blanched) green beans instead of canned.and added a little fresh garlic…….it’s delicious 😋
Ecobb says
How many servings?
Sara says
It is 6 servings.
Cheryl says
Can you use frozen green beans?
Sara says
Yes just thaw them first!
Julie J Cline says
My family requests this dish every holiday. Absolutely what a three bean salad should taste like. Love it!
CYNTHIA AGREEN says
Can I can this salad?
Sara says
I’m not sure if this would work as I’m not well versed with canning!
DEB LUTZ says
Very tasty!!! Substituted Cannellini beans and regular vinegar and it turned out fantastic. Such a refreshing summer salad to serve with grilled burgers. Thanks for all your delicious recipes. I can always count on you!