5 Bean Salad – Fresh, Colourful & Easy to Make
This is easily the best 5 bean salad recipe you’ll ever make. It’s quick (15 minutes!), healthy, vegan, no fuss and fantastic for feeding a crowd or if you need easy meal prep ideas.
The Only 5 Bean Salad You’ll Ever Need
There are so many things to love about this vegan bean salad. It’s inexpensive and ever so hearty. Especially great if you’re feeding a large family or crowd and you need to fill them up.
Packed with green beans, black beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, and chickpeas, it’s a beautiful medley of colour and texture.
It is simply delicious. If you love your beans like we do, it’s such a quick meal to have on its own.
It’s also good for meal prep as you can make it the day before and serve up the next day.
In fact, it actually tastes better the next day as the salad dressing really creates the flavour.
For our vegan friends and those who follow a plant-based diet, this is a fantastic salad recipe that is rich and clean.
Do You Need to Cook Canned Beans?
Canned beans are already cooked, so you don’t need to cook them before eating. However, you can add them to your recipe and heat them as you would in soup or chilli.
Feel free to explore some of our other salads that feature canned beans. Try our cauliflower rice salad with cannellini beans or chipotle corn salad with black beans.
A colourful salad with beans — green, black, kidney, cannellini, and chickpeas — tossed in a zesty apple-cider vinaigrette. Quick, healthy, and perfect for meal prep or your next summer BBQ.
Recipe Overview
Flavour/Texture: Beans generally have a buttery and starchy texture. Hence is counteracted by the crunch of al dente fresh green beans, bell peppers and raw red onion. The overall mouthful is, therefore, well-balanced.
The Dijon mustard vinaigrette is familiar and unobtrusive, giving the 5 bean salad the slight tang it needs.
Ease: Super easy indeed. A quick blanch of the green beans will suffice while everything else is out of a can or diced. Nothing complicated at all.
Time: This is a 15-minute salad. What more can we ask for?
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Mixed Bean Salad
Green beans: This is the only bean that should be eaten fresh rather than from a can or frozen. It is simply fresher and will give the salad the crunch it needs.
Canned beans: For this 5 bean salad, we chose staples such as cannellini beans, black beans, red kidney beans, and chickpeas or garbanzo beans.
Bell pepper: Any bell pepper will do. Gives more crunch, something fresh and a bit of colour.
Red onion: We love adding raw, diced red onion to our salads. A touch of potency to really mix up the flavours.
Garlic: Fresh and minced well to be infused into the vinaigrette.
Dijon mustard: Adding the sharp taste, pungent flavours into the perfect mix of olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Super easy and quick.
Green beans, black beans, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, bell pepper, red onion, and a tangy dressing made with apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and olive oil — a perfect balance of freshness and bite.
Variations and Substitutions
Type of beans: Although traditionally, the beans used in a 5 bean salad are as listed, there is no reason why you would have to stick to it.
You can also use butter beans, borlotti beans, yellow wax beans, pinto beans and Great Northern beans.
Other vegetables: Plenty of other vegetables you can add to this 5 bean salad to add an additional crunch, such as cucumber, celery and radish.
Add grains: Stir in quinoa or brown rice for a heartier, protein-packed version.
Make it Mediterranean: Add feta cheese, olives, and cherry tomatoes for a Greek-inspired twist.
Extra bite: For that extra pungency or spiciness, you can use Hot English mustard or horseradish in the salad dressing.
Less pungent allium: If red onions are too much for you, feel free to omit them. Or you can try a salad onion or some scallions for a less potent ingredient.
For creaminess: Avocado chunks or a spoonful of tahini dressing can turn this into a creamy bean salad bowl.
This 5 bean salad was so fresh and flavorful! I loved how quick it was to put together, and the dressing had the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. Such a great option for meal prep or picnics!
How to Make This Easy 5 Bean Salad
Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook green beans until al dente. Run under cold water, cut into 3 and set aside to dry.
Drain the canned beans and chickpeas, rinse briefly and set aside to dry.
Dice the bell pepper and red onion.
How to Make Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
Mince garlic.
Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
How to Assemble the Salad
In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the salad dressing.
Toss until well combined.
Serve.
Blanch green beans, drain canned beans, dice vegetables, whisk dressing, then toss everything together.
Chill before serving to let the flavours meld into a perfectly balanced mixed bean salad.
How to Make This Salad Perfectly [Expert Tips]
Rinsing canned beans: It is important to give the canned beans a good rinse before eating. Not only does it reduce the levels of sodium you would be consuming, but it also removes some of the residues it sometimes leaves behind.
Dry beans: After rinsing, it is imperative to dry them before tossing them all together. This ensures the 5 bean salad doesn’t get soggy.
Fresh green beans: Frozen or canned green beans just don’t do it. Get fresh green beans for this recipe.
Just give it a quick blanch, run under cold water to stop the cooking process and pat dry.
It will be nice and crunchy, a welcome difference to the starchy beans.
Balance acidity: A pinch of sugar rounds out the sharpness of vinegar and Dijon.
Use fresh vinegar: Apple cider vinegar gives the best tang, but you can sub with white wine vinegar for a lighter touch.
Let it rest: Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow flavours to blend — this makes the salad even tastier.
Season generously: Beans absorb flavour — taste and adjust salt and pepper before serving.
The longer this salad with beans sits, the better it gets — ideal for entertaining, picnics, or batch cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
This 5 bean salad can last in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure it is stored in an airtight container.
It is unnecessary to heat a 5 bean salad. If it has been in the fridge and you don’t like cold salads or cold food in general, just let it sit out until it reaches room temperature. However, you certainly can, if you prefer, give it a quick zap in the microwave. But don’t overheat it.
Absolutely. It can be consumed cold or at room temperature.
You can technically freeze a 5 bean salad; however, it doesn’t thaw well. The consistency of the beans would be compromised, but it is certainly edible. It is best to consume within 5 days of making the salad.
Yes. Replace olive oil with a splash of aquafaba (bean water) or omit entirely for a lighter version.
Yes, naturally vegan and gluten-free.
At The Sidesmith, we specialise in colourful, flavour-packed sides that bring balance to every meal. This 5 Bean Salad is a classic done right — a vibrant mix of fresh vegetables and tender beans tossed in a bright, tangy dressing. A go-to bean salad recipe that’s quick, wholesome, and always satisfying.
More Salad and Side Dish Recipes with Beans
![5 Bean Salad [Vegan] on a white marble plate](https://thesidesmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/5-bean-salad.jpg)
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5 Bean Salad [Vegan]
Ingredients
Salad
- 20 green beans
- 1 can cannellini beans, approx (200g)
- 1 can black beans, approx (200g)
- 1 can red kidney beans, approx (200g)
- 1 can chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, approx (200g)
- ½ yellow bell pepper
- ¼ red onion, diced
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Salad Dressing
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp caster sugar
Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.
Instructions
Salad
- Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook green beans until al dente. Run under cold water, cut into 3 and set aside to dry.
- Drain the canned beans and chickpeas, rinse briefly and set aside to dry.
- Dice the bell pepper and red onion.
Salad Dressing
- Mince garlic.
- Add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
Assembly
- In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the salad dressing.
- Toss until well combined.
- Serve.
Notes
- You can use a variety of beans for this salad. Particularly great if you have cans of beans sitting in the pantry which needs to be used up.
- Plenty of other vegetables you can add to this 5 bean salad to add additional crunch, such as cucumber, celery and radish.
- Use fresh green beans rather than frozen green beans to ensure freshness and to consume it al dente. Frozen green beans tend to defrost too softly.
- Ensure the canned beans are rinsed to remove any residue and brine for a fresher taste. And make sure they are nice and dry before tossing through; otherwise they will end up soggy.
Nutrition
*Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided is an estimate only and generated by an online calculator.
Hey there! We’re The Sidesmith!
Phenie
I tell the stories behind our recipes and capture the bits that make us human.
Sammy
I create delicious sides, often Asian-inspired. Easy for everyday meals or great for entertaining.
Amy
Love turning everyday salads and sides into fancy recipes jammed packed with flavour!
I love how simple yet packed with flavor this salad is. Making it again.
So good to hear! Sometimes we just ned simple without the fuss!
This 5-bean salad is delicious. I have made this simple yet protein-rich side dish.
This is easily the best 5 bean salad recipe you’ll ever make. It’s quick (15 minutes!), healthy, vegan, no fuss and fantastic for feeding a crowd or if you need easy meal prep ideas.
Definitely so good for meal prep. We’re all so time poor these days. Thanks for the comment!
So fresh and satisfying! Loved the crunch from the green beans and the tangy Dijon vinaigrette. This is the perfect for meal prep or potlucks.
Thanks for the feedback! So happy to hear you liked the recipe.
This 5 bean salad was so fresh and flavorful! I loved how quick it was to put together, and the dressing had the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. Such a great option for meal prep or picnics!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the recipe