This Mediterranean-inspired Dense Bean Salad tosses chickpeas and white beans with crisp veggies, fresh herbs, and a simple balsamic vinaigrette. It’s protein-packed, perfect for meal prep, and genuinely tastes better after sitting in the fridge!
Looking for more vegan salads you can make for meal prep? Try my Lentil Salad, this easy White Bean Salad, and my popular Vegan Egg Salad!
Ever since that first dense bean salad recipe video popped up on my feed, I knew I needed to try making my own. I’m definitely not new to making bean salads—this Chickpea Salad and this Black Bean Salad with Avocado are two of my go-to’s for summer potlucks—but now that the recipes are going viral on TikTok, I’ve realized that they can be so. much. more. than just a side dish.
And so my vegan Dense Bean Salad recipe was born! This Mediterranean-style salad uses a whopping 3 cans of white beans (chickpeas and cannellini beans), a rainbow of fresh vegetables and herbs, and a simple yet punchy balsamic vinaigrette.
A no-cook, protein-heavy salad that doesn’t get soggy and actually tastes even better after a few days in the fridge… It almost sounds too good to be true, but trust me, it’s very real and will change how you prep your lunches!
Why you’ll love this Mediterranean dense bean salad
- Meal prep goals – It’s why dense bean salad recipes went viral on TikTok—they don’t go soggy and actually taste even better after marinating in the fridge!
- Protein- and fiber-packed – Two types of beans and a ton of fresh vegetables make this salad filling, satisfying, and nourishing.
- Fresh, bright, and flexible! This salad makes me crave summer! It’s vibrant, and I can make it with whatever extra veggies I happen to have on hand.
How to make a dense bean salad
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Add the drained and rinsed beans to a large bowl along with the finely chopped vegetables and herbs.
In a small jar, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano, red chili flakes, salt, and black pepper. Shake until well combined.
Pour the dressing over the bean salad and stir everything together.
A faster way to chop vegetables
The hardest part about this recipe is chopping all of those vegetables by hand. If you want to speed things up a bit, you could dice the onion, the seeded bell pepper, and the cucumber in a food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade. Pulse 2 to 3 times or until they’re diced into smaller pieces.
Divide the salad between serving bowls and top with diced avocado. Serve and enjoy!
Wait to add the avocado
I always add avocado to a dense bean salad right before I eat it. I don’t add it to the bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients because it will turn brown in the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions
You can use any type of bean in a dense bean salad! Red kidney beans, navy beans, great northern beans, lima beans, butter beans, pinto beans, and black beans can all be used here. Heck, you can even throw in some lentils if you want!
So. Much. If you’re sticking with the Mediterranean vibe, I’d recommend mixing in some sliced olives, fresh mint, even more bell peppers (any color goes!), chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and/or shredded carrots. Crumble some of this homemade Vegan Feta Cheese or my Marinated Tofu Feta over top if you’re looking for an avocado substitute.
Here are even more add-in ideas: shredded cabbage, corn kernels, diced jalapeños, sunflower seeds, cooked brown/green lentils, fresh dill, chopped nuts, dried fruit, and fresh cilantro.
Sure. Any zesty salad dressing, like a lemon vinaigrette, Italian dressing, or a vegan-friendly Greek dressing, would be a great swap. My Lemon Maple Tahini Dressing would also be good here if you’d like the salad to be a little creamier.
It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to portion it into smaller containers for easy, grab-and-go lunches!
Dense Bean Salad (Mediterranean-Style)
Ingredients
- (2) 15- ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 15- ounce can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 english cucumber
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 small-medium bunch fresh parsley
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup quality balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 large avocados
Instructions
- Add your drained and rinsed chickpeas and cannellini beans to a large bowl.
- Finely chop the red onion and add it to the bowl. Seed and chop the red bell pepper and add to the bowl. Chop the cucumber into small bite-size pieces, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the parsley, and add them to the bowl.
- In a small jar with a lid (or small bowl with a whisk), add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano, red chili flakes, salt, and black pepper. Shake (or whisk) until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and stir everything together. Add some diced avocado to a serving right before eating, otherwise it will get a bit brown in the refrigerator.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You may portion it into smaller containers for meal prep, making lunch easy this week!
Notes
- Wait to add the diced avocado until right before eating the salad, otherwise it will turn brown in the refrigerator.
