Have you started working on the Super Bowl weekend menu yet? This year, we plan on watching the game at a friend’s house. She already sent out an e-mail invitation and asked that we all bring a dish. Being the only food blogger in the crowd, I volunteered to bring two dishes; a dip and a salad.

Need more inspiration for your next game day gathering? Here are my top Healthy Football Snacks that are guaranteed to impress.

A woman is pouring salad dressing on a bowl of five bean salad photographed from the front view.

For the dip, I am making one of my go-to recipes, this red pepper and walnut dip, and for the salad, I am bringing this Five Bean Salad with Garlicky Mustard Sauce. I think both recipes are great to feed a crowd, can easily be doubled, and quick and easy to put together.

5 Bean Salad - Freshly cooked green beans are placed in a colander to drain before they go into the five bean salad.
5 Bean Salad Recipe - The ingredients (kidney beans, garbanzo beans, green beans, black beans, pepper, and dressing) for five bean salad are photographed from the top view.

How To Make Five Bean Salad Recipe

It is no secret that you can make a bean salad in a million different ways. The combination of black, garbanzo, red kidney, cannellini, and fresh green beans happen to be my favorite. However, if you like other beans, this recipe is versatile enough to use whatever kind you prefer.

To save on time, I used canned beans for all beans except green beans. I find that most canned green beans are too mushy so I am not a big fan. I prefer fresh green beans. Yes, having to cook them is a little bit of extra work, but thanks to my foolproof method for boiling green beans, I think it is totally worth it.

This is the method I use cooking my reader favorite, Garlic Butter Green Bean recipe and it never disappoints.

5 Bean Salad Recipe - A woman is photographed from the top view as she is getting ready to mix a bowl of five bean salad.

To cook the green beans, I boiled some water with salt, let them cook for 5-7 minutes, and then transferred them (using a slotted spoon) to a bowl filled with ice water to stop the cooking. Now, I like my green beans on the crunchier side so 5-7 minutes was enough for that texture. If you prefer softer beans, you can cook them 3-4 more minutes. As always, taste as you go to find the texture that suits your liking.

In terms of the dressing, I used homemade garlicky mustard dressing (flavored with a little bit honey) that I quickly whipped up in a jar. The whole salad, from start to finish, came together in 20 minutes or so, which in my book is just the right amount I’d like to spend for a salad.

A plate of recipe for five bean salad is photographed from the top view.

A Few Tips and Variations for the Best 5 Bean Salad Recipe

  • If you want to add some crunch into your 5 Bean Salad, feel free to chop up a few celery stalks.
  • In the past, I’ve also added a half a cup of chopped pickled cucumbers (the salty kind) into this salad. The saltiness it added was a nice addition when combined with the mustard dressing.
  • If you want to make it ahead, you can cook the green beans, put all the salad ingredients in a bowl, place them in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge. You can prep the salad and the dressing up to 2 days in advance. When you are ready, drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve.
  • If you have leftovers, as long as you keep in the fridge in an airtight container, this salad keeps fresh up to 2 days.
  • Five Bean Salad Recipe Video: For more of a visual, be sure to watch the quick how to video below in the recipe card.

If You Liked This Five Bean Salad Recipe, You Might Also Like

 

Five Bean Salad Recipe

4.90 from 38 votes
Yields6 servings
Prep Time20 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Whether you make it for a picnic, potluck, or a weeknight dinner at home as a side dish, this Five Bean Salad is guaranteed to impress. Flavored with homemade garlicky mustard dressing, it comes together in 20 minutes, can be made ahead, and travels well.

Ingredients 

For the Green Beans:

  • 1 cup of fresh green beans, rinsed and cut into ½ inch pieces
  • Water
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For the Salad:

  • 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed, 15 ounces
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 15 ounces
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed, 15 ounces
  • 1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 15 ounces
  • 4 stalks of scallions, sliced thinly
  • 1 small bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • ½ English cucumber, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • ½ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

For the Garlicky Mustard Dressing:

  • cup olive oil
  • cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions 

  • To cook the green beans: Place a bowl with cold water and some ice. Set aside. Heat 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. When it comes to a boil, add in the green beans. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until the green beans are cooked to your liking. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans into the ice cold water to stop the cooking. Let it sit a few minutes, drain, and set aside.
  • To make the salad: Combine red kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans, Cannellini beans, cooked green beans, scallions, bell pepper, cucumber, and parsley in a bowl. Give it a gentle mix and set aside.
  • To make the dressing: Mix all ingredients in a jar, put the lid on, and shake vigorously until fully mixed.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the bean salad. Using large servings spoons, give it a mix. Taste for seasoning and add in if necessary.
  • Serve.

Video

Notes

  • I listed cans as 15 ounces, but different brands come in different sizes. Adjust the amount based on the brand you use.
  • If you want to make it ahead, you can cook the green beans, put all the salad ingredients in a bowl, place them in an airtight container, and keep in the fridge. You can prep the salad and the dressing up to 2 days in advance. When you are ready, drizzle the salad with the dressing and serve.
  • If you have leftovers, as long as you keep in the fridge in an airtight container, this salad keeps fresh up to 2 days.
  • This Five bean salad yields 1 to 1 1/2 cups per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 312kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 996mg | Potassium: 484mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 807IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @foolproofliving or tag #foolproofeats!

About Aysegul Sanford

Hello Friend! I'm Aysegul but you can call me โ€œIce." Iโ€™m the cook/recipe-tester/photographer behind this site.

If youโ€™re looking for approachable, yet creative recipes made with everyday ingredients, youโ€™ve come to the right place. Here, weโ€™re all about recipes thatโ€™s been meticulously tested to provide you with a truly foolproof cooking experience regardless of your level of cooking.

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4.90 from 38 votes (19 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




52 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is so good! Followed recipe exactly, but i was also craving some green olives so decided to add some and it worked perfect with the other flavors and that delicious dressing! Thanks ๐Ÿ˜Š

    1. I am happy to hear that you liked it Kelly. I love the addition of green olives. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.

  2. I truly appreciate your simplicity and your professional input on how to make a five green beans salad and for that I thank you.
    Tomorrow I will put this recipe to the test on my NBA finals party with confidence and pride .

  3. 5 stars
    Such a great recipe! I had some black-eye peas I needed to use so I added some along with the other beans. Also added some corn and I had to omit the green beans because I was out but I followed everything else. The dressing was amazing! Iโ€™m definitely going to make this again. Thank you for sharing it!

    1. YAY! So happy to hear that you liked it Mary. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.

  4. This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. I do have a question, however. The Nutrition Information shows that it only has 1g. Protein per serving. With all the beans you have in the recipe, that can’t be right, can it? I would imagine it would have way more than that.

    1. You are right. There was an issue with the nutrition calculator. It is now fixed. Thanks for your patience.

  5. For dinner I have a gluten-free, vegan guest that also doesnโ€™t eat anything with oilโ€ฆIโ€™m having a hard time what to make. Could I make this recipe without the oil? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

    1. Hi Lisa,
      You have quite the challenge. Here is what I would do.
      If you can’t use oil, then you need to think about adding fat to the recipe using a vegan ingredient that is high in fat. Because, let’s face it, fat makes everything tastes better. My two favorite plant-based fats are avocados and unsalted raw cashews. I am not sure if cashews work in this bean salad, but I think avocados would be a lovely addition. So, you can do one of two things:
      1- Add one or two ripe avocados to the recipe. Just be sure to season them well. You can still make the dressing as written (except oil) and use it to drizzle the salad.
      2- Make my Avocado dressing without using oil (https://foolproofliving.com/creamy-avocado-salad-dressing/) and use that instead of the dressing I made here. Now, I’ll be honest, I really like the Dijon mustard in this recipe, and not using that will make this salad taste different, but it will still be delicious.
      I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.
      Ice