Three Bean Salad

Who doesn't love an easy three bean salad, perfect for summer picnics and potlucks?! This classic American picnic salad has cannellini beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, celery, red onion, parsley, and a sweet and sour dressing.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated May 27, 2022
Elise Bauer
Three Bean Salad
Elise Bauer

Three bean salad is one of those quintessential American summer picnic foods. It's comforting, protein-rich, and easy to put together quickly with pantry ingredients.

What Kind of Beans Go Into a Three Bean Salad?

Three bean salad is usually made with canned green beans instead of the cannellini white beans I'm using here. But I've yet to meet a canned green bean I like, so cannellini it is.

In addition to canned cannellini beans, we are using kidney beans and garbanzo beans. You can easily used home-cooked versions of the same (either made on the stove or in a pressure cooker) if you have those on hand. You can also swap out any of them for cooked green beans, wax beans, or black beans. (Also, try this Mexican Three Bean Salad if you'd like something a little different!)

3 bean salad recipe
Elise Bauer

How Do You Dress This Salad?

This 3-bean salad is traditionally dressed with a sweet and sour dressing made with vinegar, oil, and sugar. You can cut back the sugar if you want, but I wouldn't cut it out completely, or the dressing will be too acidic.

Once you make the salad, chill it in the refrigerator for several hours to allow the dressing to soak into the beans, and the flavors to meld. Olive oil is key to the dressing and will coagulate when chilled. So to serve, remove the bean salad from the refrigerator and let it come close to room temperature.

Generally I say cooked beans will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, but since this salad is basically "pickled" by the vinegar in the dressing, it may last longer.

Picnic Salads Are the Best! Here Are 5 More to Love

0:50

Watch This Three Bean Salad Recipe Come Together

Three Bean Salad

Prep Time 10 mins
Total Time 10 mins
Servings 4 to 8 servings

Prep the onion first. Soak the chopped onion in a small bowl of water to take the edge off the onion while you prep the other ingredients.

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

  • 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup), soaked in water to take the edge off the onion

  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

  • 1 cup loosely packed, fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • 1 teaspoon fresh finely chopped rosemary

For the dressing:

  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar (more or less to taste)

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method

  1. Make the salad:

    In a large bowl, mix the 3 different types of beans, the celery, onion (drained of soaking water), parsley, and rosemary.

    Three bean salad recipe combine the beans and veggies
    Elise Bauer
    three-bean-salad-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  2. Make the dressing:

    In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

  3. Chill and serve:

    Transfer the salad to the refrigerator for several hours, to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing. Let come to close to room temperature to serve.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
280 Calories
7g Fat
43g Carbs
12g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 280
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 845mg 37%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 9g 34%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 11mg 56%
Calcium 112mg 9%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 547mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.