Easy Bean Salad Dip

This easy bean salad dip is a colorful and tasty dish to make for your next summer party. Full of colorful veggies, black beans and chip peas and tossed in a combination of ranch and Italian dressing. You can eat it with tortilla chips for a dip or as a healthy summer salad.

You might also like this Mexican black bean salad recipe.

Summer is almost here and to me that means parties and picnics. There are birthday parties, graduation parties, pool parties, summer picnics and a few holidays as well.

It’s always good to have a few easy, tasty dishes that you can bring along and this easy bean salad dip is such a dish for me. I usually have all the ingredients on hand and can whip this up in 10 minutes.

I first tasted this when my friend Lisa brought it to a party and I just loved it. There is something about the crunchy sweet peppers and corn that go so nicely with the starchy beans and the tangy, creamy dressing really ties this vegetarian bean dip together.

Bean salad ingredients I used.

This bean dish is basically a mixture of beans and vegetables but there are extra ingredients that add to the flavor.

So I used the following: black beans, chick peas, corn, sweet bell peppers, green onion, olives, a jalapeno, ranch dressing & Italian dressing, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and cilantro. 

Of course you can use fresh parsley instead of cilantro if you are not a fan. And you can eliminate the jalapeno or cayenne if you can take the heat. But I suggest you keep it in because it doesn’t add much heat.

Is it a dip or a salad? How do you serve this dish?

When I first had this dish, my friend Lisa served it with tortilla chips and it was more of a colorful bean dip. However sometimes I like to eat this as a salad too. 

It makes a very healthy and filling lunch or even a healthy side salad for a bbq.

And while this looks very much like my  Mexican black bean recipe it tastes different. I really only eat that dish as a salad where as you can eat this dish as both an appetizer and a salad.

Let’s make this easy bean salad dip!

1. Pour the canned beans into a colander and rinse them.
2. Add them to a big bowl along with the bell and jalapeno peppers, corn, olives and green onions.
3. In a separate bowl mix the ranch and Italian dressing with the garlic powder, cayenne pepper and black pepper. 
4. Pour the dressing and mix well with all of the ingredients.
5. Sprinkle the cilantro or parsley over top. 
6. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

A good recipe for leftover corn!

If you have leftover corn on the cob this summer, this bean dip is a good way to use it. If not you don’t have to run out and buy fresh corn. You can use frozen or even canned. 

Recipe Tips & Notes

• While I used black beans and chickpeas, there are many types of beans you could use. You could also try pinto beans, cannellini beans or kidney beans.
• This is a good way to use leftover corn on the cob. However you can use frozen or canned. If using frozen, first cook and then let it cool before mixing it in.
• I prefer cilantro in this recipe but you can use fresh parsley if you want instead.
• You might also like this Greek green bean salad or this pretty strawberry mint bean salad.

So that was a quick and easy one for you today. However I think it will be really helpful for those summer parties coming up.

It’s always nice to bring something colorful, healthy and most of all tasty. And it helps that it will only take a few minutes to put together. Enjoy!