This Butter Bean Salad is full of vibrant flavour and colour. It is simple enough to play a supporting role as a side dish, but so flavoursome and nutritious that it can also stand alone as a light, meat-free meal. The creamy butter beans are perfectly complemented by crunchy, colourful vegetables and you will find it a breeze to put together; just combine the ingredients and toss them together in a simple vinaigrette. It’s as easy as that.
Why you'll love this recipe:
The Butter Bean Salad is perfect when you want a dish that can be made quickly and easily and is both nourishing and delicious.
It is naturally gluten-free, nut-free and vegan, making it suitable for many people with specific dietary requirements.
You will love this Butter Bean Salad because:
- It is made from simple ingredients, all of which are readily available or you may already have on hand.
- The smooth, creamy texture of the butter beans makes them a great base for this healthy salad. They happily absorb and complement the flavours of the accompanying ingredients.
- The Butter Bean Salad does double duty. It is ideal as a side dish to meat, fish or poultry, as well as being perfect served as a light, meat-free meal.
- You can easily customise this salad to suit your personal taste or adapt to what you have on hand.
- If you have a crowd to feed, you can easily double or triple the recipe as required.
- The fresh flavours and crisp texture of the vegetables make this healthy salad very appealing.
- It is perfect for busy nights when you just want to grill some meat, poultry or fish but don’t have the energy for a complicated side dish.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Butter beans – for convenience, we use tinned beans, which are readily available and inexpensive. Their soft, creamy texture makes them ideal for this dish. They are a great base for a dish that you'll be adding lots of flavour to, like our Butter Bean Stew or Mash.
Brown/yellow onion – this is an all-purpose onion, that adds great flavour to the dish. If you wish, you could use a red onion.
Celery ribs – adds great texture and subtle flavour.
Carrot – for additional flavour and texture.
Red pepper/capsicum – adds a great pop of colour, along with a sweet-tasting crunch.
Parsley – for bright flavour, we use the flat leaf, continental/Italian variety. It adds colour and freshness and helps to balance the flavours of the dish.
Garlic - one of my favourite flavour boosters. Add a small fresh garlic clove to the salad dressing, and not powder or jarred garlic.
Extra virgin olive oil - I prefer to use Extra Virgin Olive Oil for its flavour and its health-benefiting antioxidants and heart-healthy fats. Use the best olive oil that you have.
Apple cider vinegar – this is the acidic element in the salad dressing
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste.
How to Make Butter Bean Salad:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Prepare the Salad:
Drain and rinse the butter beans, and place them into a large bowl.
Finely chop the other ingredients and add to the bowl.
2 – Prepare the Dressing:
Finely mince or chop a clove of garlic and add to a small dish. Add the olive oil and vinegar and stir to combine.
Drizzle over the salad ingredients, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
Tips for success and FAQs:
One of my best tips is to always have several cans of beans of different varieties in your pantry. This will mean that you are minutes away from an easy dish, such as this Butter Bean Salad, an appetiser such as Cannellini Bean or Red Kidney Bean Dip, or my Chickpea Patties for an easy, flavoursome main course.
Yes, you can make it a day ahead of time. If making it in advance, I recommend that you don’t add the chopped parsley as the leaves will darken in the fridge. For a fresh appearance, add the parsley just before serving and stir well to combine.
You can store the Butter Bean Salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, you certainly can. For instance, cannellini, navy or great northern beans or chickpeas would also work well.
Absolutely! You’ll just need to factor in additional time to soak and cook your beans.
Variations and substitutions:
You can easily adapt this recipe to suit what you have on hand.
For instance, any of the following would be a good addition:
- halved cherry tomatoes
- pitted Kalamata olives
- crumbled feta cheese
- sliced radishes
- fresh basil or mint
- pinenuts or chopped almonds
Serving suggestions:
Serve the Butter Bean Salad as a light, meat-free meal with some crusty bread.
Alternatively, enjoy it as a side dish with meat, fish or poultry such as our Crispy Stovetop Chicken Thighs.
It is ideal to take it on a picnic or to a potluck - it is a salad that travels well.
This quick and easy Butter Bean Salad is certain to become a regular addition to your menu planning, and to make life easier, it is one which can easily be customised to use the ingredients that you have on hand.
Alex xx
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Butter Bean Salad
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 2 cans butter beans (800 g/28 oz) – drained and rinsed See Note 1
- 1 large carrot - peeled and finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery - finely chopped
- 1 medium brown/yellow onion - finely chopped
- 1 small red capsicum/bell pepper - finely chopped
- ½ cup parsley - finely chopped - I use leaves and stems
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar See Note 2
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste See Note 3
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the butter beans and add to a large bowl.
- Finely chop the carrot, celery, onion, capsicum/pepper and parsley, and add to the beans.
- Mince a clove of garlic and add to a small dish. Add the olive oil and vinegar and stir to combine.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad, season wtih salt and pepper and stir until everything is well combined.
Notes
- Butter beans: I use canned, which I rinse and drain well. You can also use dried beans that you have soaked and cooked.
- Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons).
- Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking – we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour.
- Storage: the Butter Bean Salad can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
This post was originally published in September 2020. It has been updated with new photos and more information. The recipe has been altered slightly.
Leigh says
Another delicious and easy to put together recipe. The only thing I’d change is I’d swap out the brown onion for a red one next time 🙂
Alexandra Cook says
Hi Leigh!
Thank you 🙂 I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Red onion sounds like the perfect swap. Thanks so much, Alex
Heidy Linn says
Your White Bean Salsa was a huge hit at our office the other day. I made a huge batch and divided it into small containers with bags of chips. I had about five people as me for the recipe. I texted them you recipe link! You were one famous blogger at our office gathering! I am so glad I made this recipe and brought it in.
Have a great day!
Heidy
Alexandra says
Hi Heidy!
I am thrilled to hear this 🙂 I am really pleased that it was such a popular recipe!!
Your comment has made my day 🙂 Kind regards, Alex