Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe
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!
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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, Texas Caviar, 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!
Why I love this recipe
I love keeping some yummy Cowboy Caviar at the ready in my fridge all summer long. It’s easy to make and it is a filling, tasty, and healthy no-guilt snack and easy way to get your veggies in!
I mostly eat it as a snack but it is a delicious addition to Mexican dishes like spicy slow cooker chicken tacos, Instant Pot carnitas, or oven baked soft tacos.
Ingredients
- canned, frozen, or fresh corn
- black beans
- cherry tomatoes
- red onion
- green onion
- bottled or fresh lime juice
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper
- cilantro
- avocado
- jalapeño pepper
Step by step
This recipe is a breeze!
- Drain and rinse your beans. If you are using freshly cooked beans instead of canned you can skip this step.
- Combine beans, corn, onions, and jalapeño in a large bowl and mix.
- Add the lime juice, olive oil, salt & pepper, and cilantro and stir to make sure the vegetables are coated.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
- 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 beans, pinto beans, and lima beans all work in this recipe!
- Leftovers are delicious in eggs, on salad, or served over baked chicken or steak.
Variations
- Dried black beans – if using dried beans, soak and cook in advance
- Onion – substitute yellow onion if needed
- Bell Pepper – add in chopped bell peppers for a little sweetness and crunch
- Black Eyed Peas – many versions of cowboy caviar include a can of black eyed peas
- Meat – Stir in cubed chicken breast or chopped bacon to amp up the protein
- Cheese – stir in crumbled cotija cheese
Serving suggestions
You can eat it as a side dish, by itself, on top of salad, as a quesadilla or taco topping, or with crackers or tortilla chips, and it’s great as a potluck or party appetizer too!
Storage
Store cowboy caviar in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is best to store it without the avocado, as it will brown over time.
I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe
- Total Time: 10 min
- Yield: 8 1x
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
- 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
- In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except avocado.
- Stir to coat and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Add avocado just before serving.
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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I look forward to trying the Was a crackers and the recipe looks amazing.
I haven’t tried Wasabi crackers before, but this recipe sounds delicious! I will definitely be making some cowboy caviar asap! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I made it last night and it was pretty tasty. Healthier than chips!
Yum! I’m so glad I found your page! I was looking for something for our cookout today!
I have not tried these yet but the recipe looks delishious on them!
My mouth was watering reading this and looking at the pics! So making this tomorrow night!
I’m looking forward to trying this. I think I’ll add some extra jalapeños!
That recipe looks great on Wasa crackers.
Yes I have tried Was a crackers and I like them.
I love wasa crackers. We used to eat them when I was a kid.
I had never heard of cowboy caviar before. It looks good.
wasa crackers might be good w your cowboy caviar but it rocks w hummus
I have not heard of cow boy cavier but it looks tasty.
Wow–I haven’t had Cowboy Caviar in ages…and we love Wasa crackers. Now I’m hungry for some!
Cowboy Caviar makes a delicious, healthy, and pretty addition to any meal. Pairing it with Wasa crackers is a great idea for a snack or a light lunch!
I love Wasa crackers! One of my faves is having them with a bit of PB&J. Thanks!
This sounds great…I make something similar, without the onions and using different tomatoes 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!\\
Wow these sound delicious. I love the recipe it looks and sounds amazing!
I didn’t know about WASA crackers until this post. I will have to look for them in my local market. I love that they’re healthy and can hold toppings well.
great summer recipe! Thank you.