Simple, protein-packed Kidney Bean Salad with lemon and parsley. Filled with texture & bright, fresh, zesty flavors, and perfect for a healthy, light lunch or tasty side!
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This easy-to-make, zippy, fresh, and protein-packed Kidney Bean Salad is loaded with kidney beans, chickpeas, cucumber, sweet onion and parsley.
It's all brought together with an appropriately lemony, garlicky dressing and it's here for all of your summer-forward vegan salad and side dish needs!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make Kidney Bean Salad:
You can use canned beans or beans you've cooked yourself at home. Red beans can be used instead of kidney beans. Even black beans work well. It's pretty flexible!
How To Make Kidney Bean Salad
This red bean salad is so easy. Here's a quick visual of how it's done. See my recipe video for more detail.
- Drain and rinse the kidney beans and the chickpeas and add to a large bowl along with the chopped cucumber and parsley.
- Put the dressing ingredients in a jar or small bowl and give them a good stir, whisk or shake.
- Pour the dressing over the salad.
- Toss together well.
Success tip - After making the salad let it all sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving so the flavors have time to blend nicely.
Serving Suggestions
This red kidney bean salad recipe is bright, light and refreshing. It's really good with grilled food so perfect for BBQs, picnics or potlucks. I love it with:
Storage Tips
Store the leftover salad in an airtight container. It will last for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. You can make it last a little longer by making it without the parsley. Then add the parsley just before you serve to keep it fresh and wilt-free.
Variations
With all of those beans it's already a pretty substantial salad, but if you want to make it even more so, try stirring some cooked and cooled quinoa, couscous or rice and extra veggies like bell peppers, corn, green onion, raw carrot, dill pickles, chopped celery or cherry tomatoes.
A crumble of my vegan feta cheese over the top would be delicious, and fresh cilantro or basil work well in place of or as well as the fresh parsley.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, kidney beans are safe to eat straight from the can.
You don't need to cook/boil canned kidney beans because they are already pre-cooked.
Beans of all kinds are an important part of a healthy diet. US dietary guidelines recommend adults eat 3 cups of of legumes, including beans per week. Beans are very low in fat, dense in macro and micronutrients and they provide us with complex carbohydrates, dietary fibre and plant-based protein. For more info on their nutritional composition and health benefits see this evidence-based article from North Dakota State University.
Recipe
Kidney Bean Salad
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1½ cups (1 x 15oz can) kidney beans , drained and rinsed, (a 398 ml can in Canada)
- 1½ cups (1 x 15oz can) chickpeas , drained and rinsed, (a 398 ml can in Canada)
- 1 medium cucumber , diced
- ½ medium sweet white or red onion , finely chopped
- 1 cup (or 1 to 2 big handfuls) flat leaf parsley , chopped or torn
For the dressing
- 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice , usually around 1 large juicy lemon or 1½ medium ones
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , (omit to make oil-free)
- 2 small cloves garlic , minced very finely or grated
- 1 - 2 teaspoons sugar , or a little drop of maple syrup or agave
- ½ teaspoon salt , or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper , or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Drain and rinse the beans then add to a large salad bowl.
- Add the chopped cucumber, onion and parsley.
- Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together, or put them in a jar and give them a good shake. I recommend adding the sugar to taste so you get the perfect balance of tangy and sweet for you.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss together well.
NOTES
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Sally Jones-Rooy says
I’ve been making this salad regularly since I saw Mel’s recipe! It’s easy to make and is refreshingly delicious! The flat leaf parsley sets this bean salad apart from others. Heartily recommend this!
Brian Lauzon says
Hello. I do want to try this salad. However, I never use canned beans, I always cook my beans fresh after soaking. Do you know what the quantity of dried beans would be in this case, since the volume in the can includes the brine.
Melanie McDonald says
1½ cups is the drained amount of canned beans to use so you'd need about ¾ cup of dried beans. It doesn't need to be absolutely exact in this recipe though so if you end up with a few more just throw them in.
Marie says
Delicious recipe! Thank you:)
Gerry says
I haven't made the salad yet but looking forward to it. It looks fantastic. I just wanted to say thank you for the Canadian measurement for the beans. I get a bit tired of measurements that don't match what I'm buying in the store. Thanks so much for your consideration.
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased it's helpful Gerry. I do wish measurements were the same everywhere. It would make life so much easier!
Georgia says
I haven't made this yet, but plan on it tomorrow so I can have a few quick healthy meals during the heatwave. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Janet Moret says
I make the Kidney Bean Salad frequently. It is simple to put together and Delicious and especially great on these hot summer days!
Thanks Mel,
Janet
MAZZ says
Thanks for the step by step info, my sister sent me this recipe and I am going to make it today. (I gave up meat about 8 mths ago but I have not been good at substituting protein in my new diet).
Sue Williams says
Made this salad tonight, it was absolutely delicious, just the right mix of textures and the sauce made it really tasty. This was so quick and easy, it will definitely be my go to regular salad. I had some cherry tomatoes left over in the fridge so added some of those in too.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Sue. Glad you enjoyed it!
cindy says
This salad look beautifull! Is it possible to describe how u cook the beans in the instantpot ?
Many thanks in advance. :-)
Kind regards,
Cindy
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you. When I use my Instant Pot I don't bother soaking the beans first. I just put them in, cover with about 3 inches of water and cook. Kidney beans take about 30 mins on high pressure with a natural pressure release. 45 mins if you want to do a quick pressure release.It does depend how old your beans are though. They sometimes take a bit longer, but if you open it and they aren't done just close the lid and put them back on for a few minutes. That's it. Done. If you want to inject some flavour into them you can cook them in veggie broth, and add a bay leaf and a few cloves of garlic and some salt.
Amy says
Yum! So fresh and delicious. We really enjoyed it.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Amy!
Jacqueline Wood says
So easy and yummy! A lovely fresh salad. It teamed perfectly with some veg chilli we ate with it. I also added some roughly chopped iceberg lettuce, thinking I would make it go a little further, which it did, but he lettuce also gave it a nice bit of crunch. Will make again, and again, and again ...................!
Jenn says
I love this fresh salad! It's perfect for lunchtime, but I'm especially excited about it for picnics in the summer
Kristina says
Loved it! Great with spicy food.
Becky says
Oh, I love a good bean salad, and this one is top notch, thanks Mel!
Sarah Smith says
I LOVE this salad! So simple and tasty.