This easy marinated bean salad is made with crunchy veggies and creamy beans tossed in a refreshing balsamic vinaigrette.

Recipe Highlights

Quick & Easy: No cooking necessary. Just chop, mix, and marinate!
Meal Prep: The flavors in this bean salad get even better the longer it marinates. Make a batch (or two!) at the beginning of the week and enjoy for the next 3-4 days.
Nutrition: 8g fiber, 9g protein per serving
Diet: vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, sugar-free, grain-free

Key Ingredients & Substitutions

Below is a brief look into the main ingredients and why they work in this recipe, plus any possible substitutions. See the recipe card at the bottom for the full ingredients list and quantities.

Beans ⟶ Chickpeas are my favorite for salads, but any variety will do.
Veggies ⟶ Choose veggies that will retain their texture over time and not get mushy. Carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and snap peas are some good options. Cucumbers are tasty too, but be sure to salt them first to draw out water.
Green Onions + Fresh Herbs ⟶ These add lots of fresh flavor, and I love the little crunch green onions add.
- Parsley and cilantro are my go-to herbs, but feel free to try other fresh herbs like basil, oregano, or dill.
- You can omit the herbs if necessary (the photos don’t include them since I was out), but they make the salad even more flavorful.
Balsamic Vinegar ⟶ Adds tangy and subtly sweet flavors.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil ⟶ Choose a high quality 100% extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.

How to Make

Step-by-step photos and additional tips to help you get the best results!

Toss cucumbers with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. This helps draw water out of the cucumbers, ensuring they stay crunchy in the salad.
Mix dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
Drain the cucumbers and pat dry, then add to the dressing with the rest of the ingredients.
Toss until well combined and everything is coated in dressing. Place in the fridge for a few hours to marinate for the best flavor.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this marinated bean salad as a side dish, or turn it into a main by adding some rice, quinoa, pita chips, or bread. I also love crumbling some of my vegan feta on top for a creamy element and extra protein, or sprinkle some toasted nuts/seeds on top for more crunch.

Storage & Meal Prep

This salad is perfect for meal prep since marinating really gives the beans and veggies time to soak up all the flavors. Store in airtight containers for up to 4 days. Be sure to use a clean utensil each time you serve some so as not to contaminate the rest of the salad.

Balsamic Marinated Bean Salad FAQ

The oil helps carry the flavors in the dressing and infuse them into the veggies and beans. Plus a good quality extra virgin olive oil has a lovely flavor on its own. So I highly recommend leaving it in. However, if you can’t consume oil, you can swap the oil for tahini or mashed avocado to add some body to the dressing.

Sure! I just used what was in my fridge, so feel free to mix and match your favorite veggies. Bell peppers (raw or roasted), artichoke hearts, grilled zucchini, green beans, or olives would be delicious! Avoid lettuce as it will wilt and get soggy over time.

If you are serving the salad right away and don’t expect leftovers, you can probably get away with skipping this step. However, if the salad will be marinating for any amount of time, salting the cucumbers first is crucial to avoid diluting the dressing too much. It will also help keep the cucumbers crunchy, otherwise they can start to turn mushy from all the water they release.

I prefer larger, slightly firmer beans like chickpeas or kidney beans. Butter beans or fava beans would be tasty too! But you can really use any that you like – cannellini beans, black beans, pinto beans, or even brown/green lentils.

More Easy Salads

If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!

Prep Time:15

Servings: 3

Ingredients

Balsamic Dressing

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp capers minced, optional
½ tsp oregano
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp smoked paprika

Salad

1 Japanese cucumber chopped
¼ tsp salt
1½ cups cooked beans¹ or 1 15-oz can, drained and rinsed
2 celery thinly sliced
1 small carrot thinly sliced into half moons
½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
½ cup parsley or cilantro chopped
2 green onions sliced

Instructions

Toss cucumbers with salt and set aside for 10 minutes to draw out water.
Whisk dressing ingredients together in a large bowl.
Drain the cucumbers and pat dry with a towel, then add to the bowl with the dressing.
Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss everything together until well combined.
You can serve immediately, but the flavor will improve after marinating for a few hours.

Notes

1) Beans: Chickpeas, white beans, kidney beans, black beans, or even lentils will work.

Nutrition Facts

**Nutrition information is a rough estimate and intended for informational purposes only. I am not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist, and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration.

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