This punchy Caribbean three bean salad is quite literally full of beans! It's a medley of fresh onion, coriander and fresh chilli pepper. It makes a tasty vegetarian side dish that's ideal for bbqs too.

I love to cook all things Caribbean and as it's Caribbean Food Week and I've discovered the perfect easy side dish. It is this easy Caribbean mixed bean salad.
The beauty of a bean salad is that is more substantial than many salads. That means it can fill you up as well as still being very healthy. This salad is full of vitamins, fibre and of course vibrant flavours.
What ingredients are in this Caribbean bean salad?
To make this Caribbean mixed bean side dish you'll need:
- Beans - I use tinned beans as they are quick and easy to prepare. Of course, if you regularly cook dried beans from scratch then feel free to use whatever beans you fancy. I used a tin Dunn's River peas and beans which contained kidney beans, gungo peas and black eyed beans.
- Red pepper - Feel free to use any coloured pepper
- Red onion - I like to use red onion as it's a little milder than brown onions and great in salads. You could use a different kind of onion though and even spring onion.
- Tomato
- Coriander (cilantro) - Fresh herbs give this salad so much flavour.
- Lime - I like to use a fresh lime as I think the flavour is more vibrant but you could use bottled lime juice if you don't have fresh limes.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic - I like to use fresh crushed garlic but you could use garlic powder or even a garlic paste if you don't have any fresh garlic.
- Chilli pepper - Chillies vary enormously in how hot they are people vary in how much heat they can handle so feel free to add extra chillies, leave in or remove the seeds depending on who you are serving this to. When my kids were younger I used to just serve the chopped chillies on the side so whoever wanted them could add as many as they liked.

What to eat with this mixed bean salad
I served this Caribbean three bean salad as a side dish but I could easily have eaten the whole dish as a main meal. I served it alongside some slow roasted pork that which was marinated and coated in Grace Foods Jerk bbq sauce. It was simple but made a really tasty meal.
To be honest, this zesty side dish would be great with any kind of grilled meats, grilled halloumi or any barbecued food.
The inspiration for this Caribbean bean salad
The recipe for this Caribbean three bean salad is an adaptation of the recipe which was on the tin of mixed beans I used (Dunn's River Peas & Beans). It contains a mixture of red kidney beans, blackeye beans and gungo peas but you could use any tin of mixed beans if you don't have/can't find this brand. You could even make it with just one type of bean, it wouldn't be exactly the same but it would still taste as good.
More ways to adapt this simple bean salad
You could also adapt this salad by adding different veggies. Greated carrot, peas or sweetcorn would be delicious in it too. Instead of lime juice you would use lemon juice or vinegar. You could also add a dash of hot sauce as well as the chilli pepper!
Can you prepare this Caribbean salad in advance?
This salad works just as well if you prepare it the day before. In fact, the flavours have even more time to develop and it is just as deliciously vibrant.
If you like recipes that can be prepared in advance then do check out my Cook Once Eat Twice recipe collection. There are loads of easy meal planning recipe ideas. You might also like my collection of main meal salads.
More Caribbean Recipes
If you'd like to see what else I've been making for Caribbean Food Week then have a look at this Chicken and Callaloo curry. Some of the Caribbean recipes I've made in the past include Escovitch Trout and Ackee Stir Fry. I have a tin of ackee at home at the moment and am hoping to make ackee and saltfish soon. I won't manage it this week but hopefully it won't be too long in the pipeline. Whatever happens, I will definitely be making this Caribbean salad again!
Recipe

Caribbean Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 400 g Peas and Beans I used a tin Dunn's River, rinsed and drained (any can of mixed beans could be substituted
- ½ red pepper diced
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 tomato diced
- 15 g coriander chopped(cilantro)
For the dressing
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 1 chilli pepper finely sliced
Instructions
- Prepare all the salad vegetables and put them in a bowl with the beans.
- Mix up the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the beans.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make this Caribbean three bean salad. I love to get feedback from readers.
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Jacqueline Debono
This bean salad look beautiful. I love the colours and the sound of you dressing!
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased you like it Jacqueline! I think beans make a lovely hearty salad.
Camille
What type of peas and beans are used in this salad...the recipe just lists "peas and beans"...
Corina Blum
Hi Camille, you can use a tin of mixed beans. The mixed beans I used in the recipe were Dunn's river peas and beans which is a mixture of kidney beans, gungo peas and black eyed beans. You can use any mixed beans or even just one kind of bean such as kidney beans or black beans.
Corina
Jagruti Dhanecha
All the ingredients in this Caribbean salad are my favourite, what a healthy and delicious way to enjoy a salad. Flavourful and refreshing same time.
Corina Blum
Thanks Jagruti! I love light flavourful salads like this all year round.
Joanne
Super salad that's fresh and flavoursome. I'm leaving most in the fridge to eat with jerk chicken....yum!!!
Corina Blum
This salad would be just perfect with jerk chicken! I'm so pleased you hear you liked it.
Tristin Rieken
love love love love the flavors in this refreshing side dish! I eat it with everything - by itself, with chicken, with rice, over salads.. it's so good!
Corina Blum
Thanks so much Tristin! It is so versatile and it's great that it's so easy to make too isn't it!
Caroline
I love bean salads, they are so easy to put together. This is so bright and colorful and sounds tasty flavors too.
Corina Blum
Thanks Caroline! Easy salads are really convenient aren't they! I also think colourful food always make you feel better as well.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
This salad looks so fresh and tasty. I think it would be perfect as a work lunch too!
Corina Blum
Yes it would! It's so easy to pack up and because of the beans it's a fairly filling salad too!
flavoursofworld
Hmm so fresh 🙂 and delicious
Corina
Thank you.
hijackedbytwins
Oh wow this looks so good! I love colourful food, this is going to be a must try x #CookBlogShare
Corina
It's so easy too! Hope you like it.
Culinary Flavors
I loven salads especially during summer! This one is right up my alley!
Corina
I'm so glad you like it!
thehungrymum
so fresh and healthy! Look at those colours.
Corina
Thank you.
Sneaky Veg
This looks lovely. I also made a meal for Caribbean Food Week which my kids (unbelievably) ate and this bean salad would have been perfect on the side. Thanks for linking up to #cookblogshare this week.
Corina
My one year old actually loved the beans in this salad so I'm definitely going to be making it again. Bean salads are going to become quite popular around here now I think!
Kalee
This salad looks wonderful. I have a bazillion cans of beans in my pantry, so I'll be trying this soon! 🙂
Corina
Hope you like it!
Farrah (@fairyburger)
I love how festive + colorful this salad is! I've never actually tried making a bean salad yet (sigh), but I'm gonna have to add this to the list! <3
Corina
I know how you feel! I'm like that about so many recipes I see online. There's never enough time...
Strength and Sunshine
Fantastic! Caribbean flare is always a great go to!
Corina
Exactly!
fitfoodiemama
Yummy! I've never heard of Caribbean Three Bean Salad but it looks delish! Thanks so much for linking up! 🙂
Corina
You're welcome!