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5 Bean Salad Recipe

A 5-bean salad is one of the easiest side dishes you can make. In fact, it’s basically something you assemble and stir, like you would a 3-bean salad.

Fork of five bean salad

It’s also colorful, flavorful, and packed with nutrition. In addition to the beans that provide protein and fiber, it has vitamins and minerals from celery and mushrooms.

This is a great side dish to go with my mock Swiss steak or beef hash. I also like to serve it with chicken salad sandwiches. My daughter makes some wonderful grilled lemon chicken strips that this salad goes with.

Perfect Potluck Dish

One of the dishes I like to bring to potlucks is this 5-bean salad. It looks amazing on the salad table, but you can also put it with the vegetables. This versatile potluck dish is always popular because it’s delicious.

5 Bean Salad Side

Next time you need a side, think about making this super easy five bean salad. It’s delicious with any meat or even burgers. Not only does it taste good but it also fills you up and satisfies any hearty appetite.

Easiest Side Dish Ever

If you can use a can opener and cut celery, you can make a five bean salad. And if you manage to find self-opening cans, you don’t even need a can opener.

Basically, all you have to do is dump everything into a big bowl and stir. Then you refrigerate it until time to eat.

What You Need for a 5 Bean Salad

You can use whatever beans you want, but I have my favorites. I used red kidney beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), cannellini beans, black beans, and green beans.

I also added a can of mushrooms and cut celery. If you don’t care for mushrooms, either leave them out or substitute olives. The celery adds crunch and texture.

Use whatever salad dressing you prefer and have on hand. Sometimes I use sweet Vidalia dressing, but most of the time I prefer Italian or Greek dressing.

Another ingredient I add is ground cayenne pepper because I enjoy having some zing in my food. It’s a delicious kick that my husband and I both enjoy.

However, if I were serving this to larger groups, especially if there are children, I would leave it out.

Container of ground cayenne pepper

How to Make a Five Bean Salad

Drain all of the cans of beans and rinse them. Then pour them into a large bowl.

Five types of beans for a salad

Cut the celery into small, bite-size pieces and add that to the beans. Drain the can of mushroom stems and pieces and pour them in.

Mushroom pieces and chopped celery added to the five bean salad

Finally, add the salad dressing.

Sweet Vidalia dressing on the five bean salad

Benefits of Beans

Beans have quite a few health benefits. These beans are loaded with protein, vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and trace minerals.

They fill you up and satisfy your appetite, so they work well for many different diets.

Packed with nutrients and flavor, the five bean salad is the perfect side dish.

They are also known to help lower cholesterol, fight type-2 diabetes, and promote heart health. According to Medical News Today, eating beans helps prevent fatty liver and certain types of cancer. The American Heart Association also recommends adding beans to your diet.

More Recipes

When you’re planning a buffet or going to a potluck, check out these 12 best side dishes. All of them are easy to make, and they’re also delicious!

If you enjoyed this recipe, check out the Back to My Southern Roots food blog.

Yield: 8 servings

Five Bean Salad Recipe

Mixture of 5 beans, mushrooms, and celery
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 can of red kidney beans
  • 1 can of garbanzo beans
  • 1 can of cannellini beans
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1 can of green beans
  • 1 can of mushroom stems and pieces (optional)
  • 1 cup of chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup of Italian salad dressing
  • Salt, pepper, and ground cayenne to taste

Instructions

  1. Open the cans of beans and drain all of them. Pour them into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Drain the mushrooms and add them to the beans. Add the chopped celery.
  3. Pour the salad dressing into the bean and celery mixture. 
  4. If you want salt, pepper, or ground cayenne, add that now. Mix well and serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 211Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 0mgSodium 385mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 7gSugar 5gProtein 9g

The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.

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