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Sometimes known as Texas caviar, cowboy caviar is a refreshing dip made with a combination of beans and fresh vegetables tossed with a tangy vinaigrette dressing. Serve this easy recipe with your favorite tortilla chips, load it onto tacos, or even enjoy it as a salad at your next cookout!
I love a hearty appetizer that can pull double duty. Like this cowboy caviar—it serves just as well as an easy dip as it does as a side dish.
It’s a huge hit at any potluck I take it to, but I love it just as much for lunch with some leftover grilled chicken.
Loaded with black beans and fresh ingredients, this easy cowboy caviar recipe is perfect for summer.
What is cowboy caviar?
Cowboy caviar is a simple dip, similar to mango and black bean salsa, that is made with beans, fresh vegetables, and a tangy dressing. It’s delicious served with tortilla chips but can also be eaten as a bean salad. My family also enjoys it as a topping for shrimp tacos or grilled flank steak tacos!
Cowboy caviar also goes by the name Texas caviar. It was invented in the 1940s by Helen Corbitt, the culinary director at the Dallas Neiman Marcus store. No one really knows why it’s called “caviar,” but the name stuck!
Some purists believe that it must contain black-eyed peas, tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro, and Italian dressing to truly be Texas caviar. But there are tons of variations on the classic recipe now—it’s an easy recipe to make your own with your favorite ingredients!
This is my family’s favorite version of the recipe, and the one that I’ll be taking to potlucks all summer long.
Jamie’s testing notes
- This is a great recipe for using up what you have in your fridge and pantry. Even though black beans and black-eyed peas are the classic base for Cowboy caviar, you can use any combination of beans and veggies you like. Just make sure you balance the beans with some crunch from the fresh vegetables!
- Make this cowboy caviar at least 3 hours ahead of time for the best flavor. The spices in the dressing need time to meld with the other ingredients. Trust me, your patience will be rewarded.
- If you’re using avocado, wait to add it until just before serving. This is partly to keep the avocado fresh and green and partly to keep it from breaking down in the salad while it chills.
Ingredients and substitutions
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
For the base of the salad, you will need:
- Canned beans: I love the classic combo of black beans with black-eyed peas, but other beans that work well include pinto beans and even chickpeas. Make sure to drain and rinse all of the beans before adding them to the salad.
- Diced bell peppers: Red and yellow bell peppers are my favorite, but you could use green and/or orange bell pepper instead.
- Diced jalapeño: For a milder cowboy caviar, remove the ribs and seeds. For a spicier salsa, leave them in.
- Frozen corn: If you are making this during the summer and happen to have fresh sweet corn available, you can use fresh corn instead. Canned corn will also work.
- Diced red onion: To tame the “bite” from the raw onion, you can soak the onion in very cold water for 10-20 minutes. Drain, rinse, and add to the salad.
- Fresh cilantro: This considered a must for a classic Cowboy caviar, but you can reduce the amount or omit it if you are sensitive to the flavor of cilantro.
- Fresh tomato: This is optional. Feel free to omit if you aren’t a fan of tomato.
- Diced avocado: Another optional, but highly recommended, ingredient. If you use it, make sure you don’t add it until it’s time to serve.
For the dressing, I like to use a scaled-down version of my chipotle vinaigrette recipe. It’s tangy from red wine vinegar and lime juice, has a smoky heat from chipotles in adobo, and just the slightest hint of sweetness from a bit of honey.
Recipe Tip
If you have any leftover dressing, it makes a fantastic marinade for flank steak or chicken.
How to make this easy cowboy caviar
This cowboy caviar recipe really is as easy as chop, dump, and stir.
Toss all of the ingredients except for the avocado in a large bowl. Set this aside while you make the dressing.
I prefer to make the vinaigrette in a blender or using an immersion stick blender. This helps the dressing emulsify better, but you could make it by hand if needed. Just keep in mind that it will separate more easily.
Only add about half of the dressing to the beans and veggies at first so you don’t over-dress it. After the dip chills for a few hours, you can add more if you’d like.
Storage
This cowboy caviar will stay good in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Just keep in mind that as it sits, some of the veggies may loose some of their crunch. The flavors will still be great, it just may not be as crisp and crunchy after a few days.
Cowboy Caviar
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas drained and rinsed
- 1 large red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 large yellow bell pepper seeded and diced
- 2 fresh jalapeños seeded and diced
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels thawed and drained
- ½ cup finely diced red onion
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 cup fresh seeded and diced tomato optional
- 2 fresh avocados diced and added just before serving, optional
For the dressing
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 heaping tablespoons honey
- 1 fresh lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 2 chipotles in adobo plus 2 teaspoons sauce from the can
- 1 cup avocado or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the beans, peppers, corn, onion, cilantro and tomatoes.2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, 1 large red bell pepper, 1 large yellow bell pepper, 2 fresh jalapeños, 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels, ½ cup finely diced red onion, ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, 1 cup fresh seeded and diced tomato
- In a blender, add the red wine vinegar, honey, lime juice, salt, and the chipotles and sauce and blend until combined. With the blender running on low speed, slowly stream in the oil until the dressing is emulsified and thickened. Stir in the oregano and black pepper. Give the dressing a taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 heaping tablespoons honey, 1 fresh lime, 1 tablespoon fine sea salt, 2 chipotles in adobo plus 2 teaspoons sauce from the can, 1 cup avocado or vegetable oil, 1 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoons black pepper
- Pour half of the dressing over the beans and vegetables and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Just before serving, give the cowboy caviar a stir and add a little more dressing if desired. If using fresh avocado, you can stir it in just before serving. Any remaining dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days; it also makes a great marinade.2 fresh avocados
- Serve with tortilla chips or as a delicious topping for tacos.
Notes
Ingredients & variations
- You can really use any combination of beans and vegetables that you enjoy; this is just what I typically use, but it honestly varies slightly each time I make this recipe.
- If your store sells chipotle adobo sauce (just the sauce without the peppers), you can use 2-3 tablespoons of that in place of the chipotle peppers and sauce.
- For a spicier dressing, use more chipotles and/or adobo sauce.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that some of the vegetables, especially the tomatoes or avocado, may start to soften or oxidize with time, so this is best served within the first day it is made for the best texture.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
