Three Bean Salad

This classic Three Bean Salad brings green beans, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans together in a sweetened oil and vinegar dressing seasoned with fresh parsley and rosemary.

Prepare this salad up to 3 days in advance and let the flavor of the oil and vinegar dressing marinate the beans. This is a great dish for potlucks, picnics, reunions, and pool parties because it is so incredibly quick and easy to make, full of nutrients and fiber, and it holds up incredibly well. Enjoy this tasty side dish with grilled turkey burgers, marinated grilled chicken, country-style ribs, or grilled pork tenderloin.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.

• Apple cider vinegar: You can substitute rice vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar.
• Granulated sugar: If you prefer, you can substitute honey.
• Green beans: You can substitute drained canned green beans, but I strongly recommend fresh ones. Canned green beans are too salty, and they have been in a can for too long, for good texture. 
• Beans: There are several types of beans you can substitute, like wax beans, cannellini beans, lima beans, black beans, and pinto beans. 
• Fresh herbs: Fresh parsley, rosemary, basil, or mint.

How to make Three Bean Salad

This is the summary version; for the complete list of ingredients and instructions, see the recipe card below.

First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans cooking for 2-3 minutes. Then plunge the green beans into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain them well and pat them with paper towels to dry.

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and sugar together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Now, in a large mixing bowl, combine the green beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, red onions, and celery. Add the vinegar and oil dressing and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 2-3 hours. Add the fresh parsley and rosemary and toss to coat. For best results, serve the dish shortly after adding the fresh herbs.

Preparation Tips and Storage

• Do not cook the green beans for more than 3 minutes before plunging them into ice water. You want them to have that bright green color and be tender crisp.
• Alternatively, you can put all the ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar with a tight lid and shake it well to combine.
• This salad can be prepared up to 3 days in advance; however, do not add the fresh herbs until you are ready to serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Serving Suggestions for Three Bean Salad

• Beef: classic meatloaf, oven baked beef brisket, New York strip steak, and London broil
• Chicken: lemon pepper chicken, roasted chicken, and chicken fried chicken
• Pork: pork steaks, pork tenderloin sandwich, and slow cooker pulled pork
• Fish: lemon pepper cod, air fryer salmon, and fish and chips

More Salad Recipes

Three Bean Salad Recipe

This quick and easy classic three-bean salad tossed with a sweet oil and vinegar dressing and fresh herbs is the perfect summer side salad for all your favorite grilled recipes.

5 from 17 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: side dish/salad

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 133kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Dressing

• ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Salad

• 2 cups fresh green beans cut into 1 inch segments
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• ⅓ red onion finely chopped or sweet yellow onion
• 1 rib celery chopped
• ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the green beans cooking for 2-3 minutes. Then plunge the green beans into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain them well and pat dry with paper towels.
• Whisk the vinegar and sugar together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
• In a large bowl, combine the green beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, red onions, and celery. Pour the dressing and toss to coat. Cover and chill for 2-3 hours.
• Add the fresh parsley and rosemary and toss to coat. For best results, serve the dish shortly after adding the fresh herbs.

Notes

• Do not cook the green beans for more than 3 minutes before plunging them into ice water. You want them to have that bright green color and be tender crisp.
• Alternatively, you can put all the ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar with a tight lid and shake it well to combine.
• This salad can be prepared up to 3 days in advance; however, do not add the fresh herbs until you are ready to serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 698IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 1mg

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