This homemade Three Bean Salad recipe is so much tastier than the store-bought variety. The dressing gives it a sweet, vinegary bite that is irresistibly good!
If you’re looking for more fresh and flavorful sides, don’t miss my Mexican Three Bean Salad and Marinated Vegetable Salad.
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Three Bean Salad was not part of my life until I met my husband. It just wasn’t a thing in my house growing up. But over at Paul’s house (just blocks away), his mom frequently tossed the jarred variety with greens for an easy side dish salad, and he loved it.
So I obliged his cravings and bought a jar. At first bite, I knew I could make it better at home.
This recipe has become a reader favorite over the years. Check the comments below for the glowing reviews!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Fresh is Best: Many recipes for Three Bean Salad call for canned green beans but I use quickly blanched fresh beans and there is just no comparison in the quality. Canned green beans are dull in color and typically quite salty. Fresh is definitely best for this recipe!
Texture and Flavor: There is a texture component in Three Bean Salad that is vital, with the crunch coming from finely diced celery and white onion. But the thing that’s gonna getcha’ is the dressing. Sweet and tangy with lots of minced garlic and a touch of Dijon. It hits the taste buds in just the right places and keeps you coming back for more.
Versatile: It is delicious on its own as a side dish, will make a great addition to your summer BBQ’s.
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh green beans: Trim the woody stem ends of your green beans, if needed.
- Canned beans: You’ll need a can of kidney beans and a can of garbanzo beans (aka chickpeas). To remove that slimy film, just place the beans in a colander and rinse them well with cool water. Drain very well before combining them with the other ingredients.
- Veggies: Some finely diced celery and white onion.
- For the dressing: The slightly sweet and vinegary dressing consists of extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, garlic, a touch of Dijon, and a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. For a sweeter dressing, you can increase the amount of sugar (see the recipe card below).
How to Make Three Bean Salad
This is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Blanch the Green Beans
Blanching is the process of partially cooking vegetables in boiling water until crisp-tender.
- Bring a big pot of water to a vigorous boil and toss in about 1 tablespoon of salt and your green beans. Let them cook for just 2 to 3 minutes. You only want them slightly cooked so they still have a nice bite.
- Transfer the green beans to a colander to drain.
- Then quickly plunge them into a big bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and seal in that bright green color. Once the beans are nice and cold, drain them well and cut them into ½-inch pieces.
Assemble the Salad
- Combine the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and green beans with the finely diced onion and celery.
- Add the dressing ingredients to an airtight container, like a mason jar. Give it a good shake, shake, shake to combine and emulsify (slightly thicken) it and pour it over the salad.
- Sprinkle in the parsley and toss to combine.
Storage Tips
Transfer the salad to a storage container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate it for at least 3 hours or longer before serving. I like to turn the container over a couple of times during the marinating time to be sure it is all getting a good soak in the dressing.
Homemade Three Bean Salad will typically last 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container. The vinegar-based dressing actually helps preserve it a bit, so it should stay crisp and flavorful for several days.
It also tends to taste even better a day or two after making—perfect for prepping ahead!
For best quality:
- Keep it chilled until serving.
- Stir before serving to redistribute the dressing.
- If it starts to smell sour or the texture becomes mushy, it’s time to toss it.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few of my favorite ways to consume this fresh, delicious salad.
- As a side dish – It’s the perfect make-ahead side for summer cookouts, potlucks, or picnics.
- On a salad plate – I love adding a few spoonfuls to a big green salad, either by itself or mixed in with whatever other veggies I’ve got on hand.
- With grilled meats – Three Bean Salad pairs beautifully with grilled chicken (try the Best Grilled Chicken Marinade), Classic Beef Burgers, steak (try my Grilled Steak Marinade) or Beer Brats.
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Three Bean Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Three Bean Salad
- 8 to 10 ounces fresh green beans, stem ends trimmed, if needed
- 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained well
- 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained well
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced (approximately ¾ cup)
- ⅓ cup finely diced white onion
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
Dressing
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, (if you like a sweeter dressing use 3 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water on the stove over HIGH heat. Fill a large bowl about halfway with water and then fill with ice and set it aside.
- When the comes to a vigorous boil, toss in about 1 tablespoon salt and add the green beans. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes at most, pulling off the heat as soon as the green beans are crisp-tender. Quickly drain beans and transfer them to the bowl of ice water. Allow the green beans to soak in the ice water bath while you prepare the dressing.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a mason jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover tightly and shake for about 30 seconds.
- Transfer the green beans to a colander and drain them well. Cut into ½-inch pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the green beans, canned beans, celery, and onion. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Sprinkle the salad with parsley and toss again.
- Transfer to an airtight container with a lid and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Turn the container a few times during the marinating process to make sure all the ingredients get a good soak in the dressing.
- When ready to serve, taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if you feel it needs it.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Like this? Please rate & comment below!This recipe was originally published on June 8, 2016. It has been updated with new text and images.
Could you use truvia sweetener in substitute of sugar?? Has anyone tried this?
Where do I get a hundred and fifteen ounce cans of beans?
One 15 ounce can will do. 🙂
This is delicious! The only thing I change is to only use 1 tsp of sugar, as we don’t like it sweet.
I end up with a 5 bean salad as I like yellow wax beans and black beans too
I didn’t have celery and did have some broccoli and sinach I wanted to use up. Blanched the broccoli and threw in the spinach with everything else. Used agave instead of sugar in the dressing. It was totally outstanding! Thank you!!
My husband is on a no fat diet due to medical,problem. How would you make,this no fat? Or much lower in fat than using the olive oil ?
Hi Kay. The only way to completely eliminate the fat would be to eliminate the oil. You might consider using a bottled fat free or reduced fat dressing.
Can I use honey instead of the sugar? How much would u suggest? Also, don’t like Dijon mustard, will it be ok to leave it out? Thanks
I make mine with honey and no oil…it tastes wonderful.
This Homemade 3 Bean Salad recipe is yummy! It gets raves everywhere I take it!
I also get the inevitable question: How many calories are in this salad? Is there a calorie count for this recipe?
Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
I wanted a 3 bean dressing recipe that would work with what was in my refrigerator. I mixed up the dressing, including the onions, in the jar (no celery on hand) and it was delicious. Thank you.
This recipe is outstanding. I just found it a few weeks ago & I made it 3 times already.
That’s great to hear, Judy! Thanks so much for your comment 🙂
Could you substitute canned green beans for the fresh in this recipe?
Sure! I far prefer fresh but I’m sure it will work just fine with canned.
Thanks for sharing the recipe. This dish sounds very nutritious!