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Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe

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Create a delicious and colorful snack by throwing together an easy bowl of Cowboy Caviar – a black bean and corn salad perfectly flavored with cilantro and lime!

cowboy caviar on large cracker

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Have you heard of Cowboy Caviar? It seems to me that it goes by a ton of different names: Black Bean & Corn Salad, Cowboy Salsa, Black Bean Salsa, the list goes on! No matter what you call it, this delicious dish of black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, and other goodies is always a crowd pleaser!

A close up of cowboy caviar

I love keeping some yummy Cowboy Caviar at the ready in my fridge this summer. It’s a filling, tasty, and healthy no-guilt snack!

Ingredients

  • corn
  • black beans
  • cherry tomatoes
  • red onion
  • green onion
  • lime juice
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • cilantro
  • avocado
  • jalapeño

Step by step

This recipe is a breeze!

  1. Drain and rinse your beans. If you are using freshly cooked beans instead of canned you can skip this step.
  2. Combine beans, corn, onions, and jalapeño in a bowl and mix.
  3. Add the lime juice, olive oil, salt & pepper, and cilantro and stir to make sure the vegetables are coated.
  4. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
  5. Stir in avocado and serve!

Tips for best results

  • Experiment with the recipe to make it your own! Fell free to substitute the black beans for another kind-kidney, pinto, and lima beans all work in this recipe!
  • Do not make this more than one day in advance to avoid the vegetables getting too soft.
  • Do not freeze this recipe.
  • Leftovers are delicious in eggs, on salad, or served over baked chicken or steak.

Variations

  • Dried black beans – if using dried beans, cook in advance
  • Onion – substitute yellow onion if needed
  • Black Eyed Peas – many versions of cowboy caviar include a can of black eyed peas
  • Meat – Stir in cubed chicken breast or chopped bacon
  • Cheese – stir in crumbled cotija cheese

Serving suggestions

You can eat it by itself, on top of salad, or with crackers or tortilla chips, and it’s great as a potluck or party appetizer too!

Like I mentioned I usually have a container of the Cowboy Caviar made up in the fridge-it lasts about three days (if it doesn’t get eaten up first!) and tastes delicious cold so it’s a great snack. It’s also a HUGE hit when entertaining and can be prepped ahead of time.

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close up of cowboy caviar

Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe


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4.6 from 14 reviews

Description

Create a delicious and colorful snack by throwing together an easy bowl of Cowboy Caviar – a black bean and corn salad perfectly flavored with cilantro and lime!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup corn
  • 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/3 cup red onion, diced
  • 1 green onion, diced
  • juice of two limes
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 medium avocado, diced
  • 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except avocado.
  2. Stir to coat and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Add avocado and serve.

Notes

  • Can be kept in the refrigerator up to three days
  • Experiment with the recipe to make it your own! Fell free to substitute the black beans for another kind-kidney, pinto, and lima beans all work in this recipe!
  • Do not make this more than one day in advance to avoid the vegetables getting too soft.
  • Do not freeze this recipe.
  • Leftovers are delicious in eggs, on salad, or served over baked chicken or steak.
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Category: appetizer
  • Method: none
  • Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/2 cup
  • Calories: 88
  • Sugar: 2.5 g
  • Sodium: 122.1 mg
  • Fat: 3.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 12.3 g
  • Protein: 2.8 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

You might also like these appetizer recipes:

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78 Comments

  1. This was absolutely delicious! Put it on top of some Carnitas with homemade sourdough tortillas. I added a little bit of lime zest and went heavy on the cilantro. This will be on regular rotation in our house.






  2. YUM! Wasa Crackers have been a staple in our household (since I was quite young) for as long as I can remember! Always so crispy and very flavorful. Your recipe looks great and is on my ‘must try’ list for this summer. Thanks for the great recipe and the fabulous giveaway!






  3. I stumbled upon your recipe here googling cowboy caviar for July 4th! I wanted something heartier that could also double as a quasi-meal for vegetarian guests. This fits This fits the bill PERFECTLY thanks to the crispbread addition. I have found a winner and new blog to add to my list. Thank you!!!!

  4. I have tried Wasa Crackers and like them. I bought some around Christmas time and set them out during our festivities with hummus spread. Thank you!

  5. I cannot remember if I have ever tried these, but I do know of them and they seem like they would be great with the Cowboy caviar too! Thanks so much for the chances to win.

  6. My version is called Texas Cavier but doesn’t have avocado or lime juice in it. I am interested in trying your version. I usually serve it with corn chips but will try some Wasa crackers the next time I go to the store. They look like they might be good with cottage cheese as well.

  7. Yum! This recipe reminds me of a black bean, corn and avocado salad that I make. I need to make this, the name alone is super cute. Thanks for sharing.






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