Three Bean Salad

The Classic Three Bean Salad with green beans, garbanzo beans and kidney beans tossed with a sweet and sour dressing made with sugar, vinegar and celery seed is the perfect summer side dish.

This salad is the perfect make ahead summer side, we also love serving it along side KFC Coleslaw, Honey Bacon Baked Beans and Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad.

Classic Three Bean Salad Recipe

Three bean salad was one of the first side dishes I made with my kids in the kitchen. I steamed the green beans and they drained and rinsed (and smushed some) of the kidney beans and the garbanzo beans. The dressing was made and whisked with almost only half of it spilling out of the bowl.

The great thing about the dressing is that it is more or less a marinade. The beans need time to soak up the sweet and sour dressing before serving, so this isn’t a dish I would toss together and serve right away, it won’t have the old fashioned three bean salad flavors you’re looking for.

I make this three bean salad with fresh green beans even though canned are easier. It’s the crunch and freshness of the green beans that makes it so popular when served. I just trim and cut them before microwaving them for a few minutes. My favorite way to steam quickly is just to add the vegetables to a glass bowl and cover with a wet paper towel. The paper towel creates steam inside the bowl and prevents the vegetables from drying out.

What kind of beans go into bean salad?

Three Bean Salad: Garbanzo, Kidney and Green Beans
Four Bean Salad: Garbanzo, Kidney, Wax and Green Beans
Five Bean Salad: Garbanzo, Kidney, Lima, Wax and Green Beans
Six Bean Salad: Garbanzo, Kidney, Black Eyed Peas, Cranberry, Lima, Wax and Green Beans

5 from 2 votes

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Classic Three Bean Salad Recipe

The Classic Three Bean Salad with green beans, garbanzo beans and kidney beans tossed with a sweet and sour dressing made with sugar, vinegar and celery seed is the perfect summer side dish.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Three Bean Salad

Prep Time 12 minutes

Cook Time 3 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 148 kcal

Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans trimmed and cut
• 1/2 red onion sliced thinly
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Add the green beans to a large glass bowl with a tablespoon of water and cover with a wet paper towel.

2. Microwave for 3 minutes then let cool while cutting the onions.

3. Add everything else but the parsley to the bowl and stir together.

4. Refrigerate for at least 8-12 hours before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Classic Three Bean Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 148 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 200mg9%

Potassium 173mg5%

Carbohydrates 15g5%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 522IU10%

Vitamin C 10mg12%

Calcium 35mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.