Looking for the perfect dish for your next summer gathering? Try this easy Cowboy Caviar recipe. It’s a nutritious bean salad that has black beans, black-eyed peas, and fresh veggies, all topped with a zesty lime dressing. Enjoy it on a chip for a crunch. It only takes 15 minutes to make. And it actually tastes better the next day, so it’s a great choice to prepare early.

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ToggleWhy I Love This Recipe
Summertime gets busy with picnics, BBQ cookouts, backyard pool parties and potlucks. It might be tempting to grab a quick deli salad from the store, but it’s easy to pass on that temptation when you have delicious crowd-pleasing recipes to share, like a healthy broccoli salad, fresh peach salad, or homemade green bean salad.
This easy cowboy caviar recipe is no exception. Packed with fiber, protein, and nutritious veggies, this delicious and versatile dish can be served as a dip, salad, wrap, or topping.
The flavors intensify over time, making it ideal for preparing ahead. It stores well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, so whip up a double batch to make sure you have leftovers!
What Is Cowboy Caviar?
Cowboy Caviar is also known as “Texas Caviar” due to its origins in Texas. Even though it’s called caviar, it’s really a healthy dish made from beans. This beloved Texan dish has shaped their food culture and is now famous all over the United States.

Variations and Serving Suggestions
The traditional recipe, which consists of beans, veggies, and a zesty dressing, is flexible and can be customized to suit your personal preference.
For a spicier version, add some jalapeño or red pepper flakes. To make it milder and creamier, dice a ripe avocado right before serving and mix it in. Don’t have all the ingredients on hand? No problem! The ingredient list below offers several substitution suggestions.
Not only are the ingredients customizable, but there are several serving options for this easy cowboy caviar recipe:
- Tortilla Chips – Dipping tortilla chips in cowboy caviar is a time-honored way to eat it. The combination of beans, veggies, and dressing with the chips tastes amazing. It’s a fun mix of crunchy and savory that people love.
- As a Topping – Cowboy caviar is more than just a dip; it’s also a great topper. Put it on baked potatoes, chicken enchiladas, or grilled meats like chicken. Or, try it in tacos or burrito bowls. The mix’s colors and flavors will make any meal more appealing.
- Flour Tortillas – Make a fast, tasty meal by adding cowboy caviar to wraps, quesadillas or burritos paired with your protein of choice (like slow cooker BBQ Pulled Pork). This makes for a quick and easy grab-and-go lunch.

The Homestead Kitchen
This easy cowboy caviar recipe was featured in issue No.26 of the Homestead Kitchen magazine. This is the magazine we wish we had when we first started homesteading!
I wanted to make healthy, delicious meals from scratch that my family loved, but Better Homes & Gardens didn’t really prepare me for the overwhelming abundance of the seasonal, homesteading life.
What do you do with all those eggs? Those bushels of green beans? That 25-lb bag of wheat berries? Or all that basil?
We started publishing the Homestead Kitchen magazine to give homesteaders an affordable, inspiring read chock-full of the BEST recipes, DIY projects, and tips to make homesteading doable and FUN. Now, the Homestead Kitchen magazine is available in print!
So subscribe today and start enjoying this magazine in the palm of your hand.

Supplies Needed
- Mixing Bowls – You will need one large bowl to mix and serve the salad, and one smaller bowl to mix the dressing.
- Whisk – A wire whisk works best to emulsify the dressing ingredients.
- Mixing Spoon – A wooden spoon or silicone spatula works best to gently mix the salad without bruising it.

Ingredients Needed
For the Salad:
- 3 Small Fresh Tomatoes – Seed and dice tomatoes into bite-size pieces.
- 1⁄3 Cup Diced Red Onion – If you don’t have red onion, you can substitute white onion or shallots.
- 2 Cups Cooked Black Beans – Cook your black beans fresh or use canned black beans. If you don’t have black beans, you can substitute pinto beans.
- 2 Cups Cooked Black-Eyed Peas – If you don’t have black-eyed peas on hand, cowpeas or Southern pink lady peas can be substituted.
- 1 1⁄2 Cups Fresh Sweet Corn – Canned, frozen or freeze-dried sweet corn can be used.
- 1 Bell Pepper, Diced – You can use any color of bell pepper. A mixture adds a nice color to the salad.
- 1 Jalapeno Pepper, Seeded and Minced – For a spicier version, use cayenne or habanero peppers, or increase the number of jalapenos.
- 1⁄3 Cup Finely Chopped Cilantro – Learn how easy it is to grow cilantro here!

For the Dressing:
- 1⁄2 Cup Olive Oil – If you don’t have olive oil on hand, use another mild-tasting oil such as avocado oil or sunflower oil.
- 2 Tbsp Lime Juice – Lemon juice can also be used.
- 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar – This apple scrap vinegar tastes great in salad dressings or red wine vinegar can also be used.
- 1 tsp Sugar – Evaporated cane juice, granulated sugar, raw honey, or maple syrup all work well for this recipe.
- 1 tsp Paprika – If you don’t have paprika on hand, ancho powder can also be used.
- 1⁄2 tsp Salt – I prefer a good quality salt without any additives, like Redmond’s Real Salt. (Using that link for Redmond Salt will automatically give you 15% off your order!)
- 1⁄2 tsp Pepper – Freshly ground pepper is best.
- 1⁄4 tsp Garlic Powder – Learn how to grow garlic here and how to make garlic salt here.

How to Make Cowboy Caviar
- In a large bowl, add tomatoes, red onion, black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, peppers, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and spices. Taste and adjust as desired.
- Top the salad with the prepared dressing and stir gently to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
- Cowboy Caviar will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. Then snap a photo and tag us on social media @homesteadingfamily so we can see!

Other Posts You May Enjoy
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- Creamy Corn Pudding: A Southern Comfort Classic
- Homemade Vinaigrette That Doesn’t Separate
- Healthy Broccoli Salad
- Green Bean Salad
- Harvest Pear Salad

Cowboy Caviar
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls one large and one small
- Whisk
- Mixing Spoon
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 3 small tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1/3 red onion diced
- 2 cups black beans cooked
- 2 cups black-eyed peas cooked
- 1.5 cups fresh sweet corn
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
- 1/3 cup cilantro chopped
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add tomatoes, red onion, black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, peppers, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, juice, vinegar, sugar, and spices. Taste and adjust as desired.
- Top the salad with the prepared dressing and stir gently to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Cowboy Caviar will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Tortilla Chips – Dipping tortilla chips in cowboy caviar is a time-honored way to eat it. The combination of beans, veggies, and dressing with the chips tastes amazing. It’s a fun mix of crunchy and savory that people love.
- As a Topping – Cowboy caviar is more than just a dip; it’s also a great topper. Put it on baked potatoes or grilled meats like chicken. Or, try it in tacos or burrito bowls. The mix’s colors and flavors will make any meal more appealing.
- Flour Tortillas – Make a fast, tasty meal by adding cowboy caviar to wraps, quesadillas or burritos paired with your protein of choice. This makes for a quick and easy grab-and-go lunch.