Easy Mediterranean Three Bean Salad

I used to think bean salads were just something you’d find at potlucks, sitting next to the store-bought potato salad and pasta in mayo. You know the kind—mushy beans swimming in vinegar that nobody really wants to eat. But then I tried a Mediterranean version at a friend’s dinner party, and it completely changed my mind.

This three bean salad is nothing like those sad potluck dishes. It’s got fresh herbs, crunchy vegetables, and a lemony dressing that actually tastes good. The beans stay firm, the flavors are bright, and it’s the kind of side dish people go back for seconds on. Plus, you just dump everything in a bowl and toss it together—no cooking required.

What Kind of Beans Should I Use?

For this three bean salad, you can absolutely use canned beans to save time – just make sure to drain and rinse them well to get rid of excess sodium and that slightly metallic canned taste. If you prefer to cook dried beans from scratch, that works great too and gives you more control over the texture, though it’ll add some extra prep time to your recipe. When it comes to the specific varieties, feel free to swap out any of the three beans for whatever you have in your pantry – black beans, great northern beans, or even green beans would all work nicely. The key is to make sure all your beans are similar in texture, so if you’re using canned, stick with all canned, and if you’re cooking from dried, cook them all to the same tenderness.

Options for Substitutions

This salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swapping ingredients:

• Beans: Feel free to mix up the bean trio. Black beans, navy beans, or even edamame work great here. Just stick with three 15 oz cans total to keep the proportions right.
• Bell peppers: Any color bell pepper works – yellow, orange, or even all green if that’s what you have. You could also use roasted red peppers from a jar for a smokier flavor.
• Lemon juice: Red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar make good substitutes if you’re out of lemon juice. Start with 1 ½ tablespoons and adjust to taste.
• Fresh herbs: While fresh herbs really make this salad pop, you can use dried in a pinch. Use about 1 teaspoon each of dried parsley, mint, and basil – just remember dried herbs are stronger, so less is more.
• Capers: If you’re not a fan of capers or don’t have them, chopped green olives or a splash of pickle juice can give you that briny kick.
• Red onions: White or yellow onions work fine, though they’re a bit sharper. You can also use thinly sliced scallions for a milder onion flavor.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake with bean salad is skipping the draining and rinsing step, which leaves your dish with a slimy texture and metallic taste from the canning liquid – always rinse those beans under cold water until the water runs clear.

Another common error is dressing the salad and serving it immediately, but this dish actually needs at least 30 minutes in the fridge for the flavors to blend together and the beans to absorb the dressing properly.

To keep your vegetables from getting mushy, make sure to dice them into similar-sized pieces as the beans and avoid over-stirring, which can break down the softer ingredients like the cucumber and herbs.

For the best flavor, taste and adjust your seasoning after the salad has chilled, since cold temperatures can dull the taste and you might need to add a bit more salt, lemon juice, or a drizzle of olive oil before serving.

What to Serve With Three Bean Salad?

This Mediterranean three bean salad is perfect as a side dish for grilled meats like chicken, lamb kebabs, or even a simple grilled steak. It also works great alongside other Mediterranean dishes – try serving it with hummus, pita bread, and some grilled halloumi cheese for a complete mezze spread. If you’re looking for something heartier, this salad pairs nicely with grilled fish like salmon or sea bass, since the lemon and herbs complement seafood really well. You can also serve it on its own as a light lunch by adding some crumbled feta cheese on top and eating it with warm pita or flatbread on the side.

Storage Instructions

Store: This bean salad actually gets better as it sits! Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavors really meld together after a day or two, making it perfect for meal prep or bringing to potlucks.

Make Ahead: You can prep this salad up to 2 days in advance. If you want the herbs to stay extra fresh and green, consider adding them right before serving instead of mixing them in ahead of time.

Serve: Give the salad a good stir before serving since the dressing tends to settle at the bottom. It tastes great cold straight from the fridge, or you can let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to bring out more of the flavors.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1050-1200
• Protein: 30-36 g
• Fat: 32-38 g
• Carbohydrates: 160-185 g

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

For the salad:

• 15 oz kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 15 oz cannellini beans (rinsed and drained, Randall Beans recommended)
• 15 oz chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• 1 green bell pepper (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 red bell pepper (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cucumber (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 cup red onions (thinly sliced)
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 cup parsley (finely chopped)
• 15 mint leaves (fresh, thinly sliced)
• 15 basil leaves (fresh, thinly sliced)

Step 1: Prepare All Vegetables and Herbs

• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 cup red onions
• 1 cup parsley
• 15 mint leaves
• 15 basil leaves

Dice both bell peppers into uniform 1/2-inch pieces, dice the cucumber into 1/2-inch pieces, and thinly slice the red onion.

Finely chop the parsley and thinly slice the fresh mint and basil leaves.

Having all your vegetables and herbs prepped and ready will make assembly quick and ensure even distribution of flavors throughout the salad.

Set everything aside in separate bowls or on a cutting board.

Step 2: Build the Vinaigrette Base

• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Mince the garlic cloves finely and combine them with the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, and dried oregano in a large bowl.

Whisk these ingredients together to combine, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly to emulsify the vinaigrette.

Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

I like to taste the dressing at this point and adjust the lemon or salt—a well-balanced vinaigrette is the foundation of the entire salad, so don’t rush this step.

Step 3: Combine Beans and Dress Them

• 15 oz kidney beans
• 15 oz cannellini beans
• 15 oz chickpeas
• vinaigrette from Step 2

Rinse and drain all three cans of beans (kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas) thoroughly under cold water to remove excess sodium and starch.

Add the drained beans directly to the vinaigrette in the large bowl and stir well to coat each bean with the dressing.

The beans will absorb the flavors more effectively while still warm and wet, so don’t skip this step of coating them before adding the vegetables.

Step 4: Add Vegetables, Capers, and Fresh Herbs

• prepared vegetables from Step 1
• 2 tbsp capers
• prepared fresh herbs from Step 1
• bean mixture from Step 3

Add all the prepped vegetables (bell peppers, cucumber, red onion), the capers, and the fresh herbs (parsley, mint, and basil) to the bean mixture.

Stir gently but thoroughly to distribute all components evenly throughout the salad, ensuring each spoonful will have a balanced mix of beans, vegetables, and fresh flavors.

I find that a gentle hand with fresh herbs helps preserve their texture—avoid crushing them as you fold everything together.

Step 5: Chill and Finish

• complete salad from Step 4

Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and develop.

After chilling, give the salad a gentle toss and taste again, adjusting salt and pepper as needed since chilling can mute flavors slightly.

Serve chilled or at room temperature, depending on your preference.

Easy Mediterranean Three Bean Salad

Delicious Easy Mediterranean Three Bean Salad recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 52 minutes mins

Servings 8 servings

Calories 1125 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the vinaigrette::

• 2 garlic cloves
• 3/4 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2.5 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

For the salad::

• 15 oz kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
• 15 oz cannellini beans (rinsed and drained, Randall Beans recommended)
• 15 oz chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
• 1 green bell pepper (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 red bell pepper (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1/2 cucumber (diced into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 cup red onions (thinly sliced)
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 cup parsley (finely chopped)
• 15 mint leaves (fresh, thinly sliced)
• 15 basil leaves (fresh, thinly sliced)

Instructions

 

• Dice both bell peppers into uniform 1/2-inch pieces, dice the cucumber into 1/2-inch pieces, and thinly slice the red onion. Finely chop the parsley and thinly slice the fresh mint and basil leaves. Having all your vegetables and herbs prepped and ready will make assembly quick and ensure even distribution of flavors throughout the salad. Set everything aside in separate bowls or on a cutting board.
• Mince the garlic cloves finely and combine them with the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, and dried oregano in a large bowl. Whisk these ingredients together to combine, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly to emulsify the vinaigrette. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. I like to taste the dressing at this point and adjust the lemon or salt—a well-balanced vinaigrette is the foundation of the entire salad, so don't rush this step.
• Rinse and drain all three cans of beans (kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas) thoroughly under cold water to remove excess sodium and starch. Add the drained beans directly to the vinaigrette in the large bowl and stir well to coat each bean with the dressing. The beans will absorb the flavors more effectively while still warm and wet, so don't skip this step of coating them before adding the vegetables.
• Add all the prepped vegetables (bell peppers, cucumber, red onion), the capers, and the fresh herbs (parsley, mint, and basil) to the bean mixture. Stir gently but thoroughly to distribute all components evenly throughout the salad, ensuring each spoonful will have a balanced mix of beans, vegetables, and fresh flavors. I find that a gentle hand with fresh herbs helps preserve their texture—avoid crushing them as you fold everything together.
• Cover the salad and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and develop. After chilling, give the salad a gentle toss and taste again, adjusting salt and pepper as needed since chilling can mute flavors slightly. Serve chilled or at room temperature, depending on your preference.