Vegan Bean Salad Recipe

Before going vegan, bean salad was one of my only exposure to beans, which is why perfecting a Vegan Bean Salad Recipe was very important to me. If you ask me, bean salad is the perfect recipe to bring to potlucks, picnic and BBQ’s, and the fact that it’s a cold dish makes throwing it together super easy in just 15-minutes. And it actually tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge. It’s pretty much the perfect food.

This bean salad recipe pairs the tanginess of lemon, acidity of balsamic vinegar and sweetness of maple syrup perfectly to create an addicting, healthy recipe that’s perfect as a side, main dish, or served as an appetizer!

Main Ingredients

Beans: You might be thinking that there’s nothing overly exciting about beans, but you’re wrong! Beans are packed with plant-based protein, iron, calcium and fiber. Fiber is what gives beans their reputation to make you gassy… But it’s that fiber that also may help prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. Fun fact, it also helps with feeling full from our meals, and of course, regular bowel movements!

If you find beans make you gassy, don’t give up! This is normal but it should go away with time. Try increasing the amount you eat slowly. Start with just 1/4 cup a day, increasing by a tablespoon or two each day. The idea is to make sure that you’re eating them consistently, so your body builds up the correct microbes to digest them (how cool is the human body?!). In this bean salad recipe I used cannellini beans exclusively, but feel free to use whatever kind of beans you have on hand! Also, canned is totally fine!

Herbs: Oregano and fresh basil bring a beautiful earthy flavor to this bean salad, and I highly recommend including them! I picked fresh basil from my garden, but if you don’t have access to fresh, you could try a teaspoon of dried instead!

Vegetables: I kept the vegetables simple in this bean salad recipe with red onion and celery. I purposely chose vegetables that would hold up well mixing with the dressing if stored in the fridge for a few days, but if you’re going to eat the bean salad the same day, feel free to add any additional veggies you like! Just be aware you may need to increase the dressing portion.

Dressing: The dressing in this recipe is what ties it all together! A simple mix of extra virgin olive oil, lemon, balsamic, salt, and pepper that packs a bright, mouth-watering flavour.

Try making this bean salad recipe the night before you plan to eat it, since the longer it sits in the fridge and marinates, the better! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three or four days.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! If you try it out, make sure you leave a rating a review on this blog post and share your photo with me on Pinterest and Instagram.