Avocado Black Bean Salad is an easy, cold lunch or side dish for your next picnic or summer meal. Black beans, avocados, red peppers, and red onions are tossed in a fresh and bright lime vinaigrette.
This avocado black bean salad is an easy recipe to make for a quick summer lunch. And with just 15 minutes of prep, this cold salad is ready to serve.
It also makes a great side dish for taco Tuesday or your next barbecue. Use as a taco topping, stuff into pita bread or a tortilla, or enjoy on its own. The options are endless!
You'll love the homemade lime vinaigrette dressing - it's bright and fresh, with zesty lime flavor. Plus, it's made from scratch with just a handful of common ingredients.
Ingredients and substitutions
Black beans can be substituted with another bean you have on hand - kidney beans or black eyed peas would work well.
Red bell pepper can be substituted with another color of pepper you have on hand. For hotter flavor, add in a diced jalapeno as well.
Mixing your vinaigrette
A vinaigrette is one of the easiest salad dressings to make at home. Oil and vinegar are typically used to make a vinaigrette, but today we're swapping out the vinegar with freshly squeezed lime juice.
In addition, you'll zest your lime and whisk it into the vinaigrette for extra citrus flavor. Salt and cayenne pepper add flavor to your dressing - add extra cayenne pepper for a spicier dressing.
Make ahead directions
Make ahead directionsIf you're planning for a party, it can be helpful to make your side dishes ahead of time. This salad can be made several hours ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Want to prepare your salad the day before? I recommend leaving out the avocado and preparing the rest of your salad as directed. Store your salad covered in the refrigerator overnight. Before serving, slice and toss your avocado into the salad.
The vinaigrette will help to coat the avocado and keep it from browning. But, you'll notice that after day one, your avocado will begin to brown slightly.
Any dish using canned beans will keep for 3-4 days total in the refrigerator. After that, any leftovers should be discarded.
Avocado Black Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 30 ounces canned black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 avocados chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley chopped
- 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add beans, avocado, bell pepper, red onion and cilantro. Set aside.
- Zest your lime, then juice your lime. Add both to a small bowl along with your olive oil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Whisk to combine.
- Pour dressing over bean mixture and toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately, or cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- This recipe will make six side salad servings, or four larger lunch sized servings. Recipe can be stretched further when served as a taco topping.
- Recipe can be made several hours ahead of time - cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- If making the recipe a day ahead, omit avocado, then slice and add just before serving. Avocado will slowly brown over time.
- Salad will keep for 3-4 days when tightly sealed in the refrigerator. Avocado will slowly brown over this time, but is still edible.
- 1 lime = about 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 2 teaspoons of lime zest.
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