Cowboy Caviar
My famous Cowboy Caviar is loaded with fresh, vibrant vegetables and protein-packed beans. This delicious recipe is the perfect healthy salad, salsa, or dip, and it’s also vegan and gluten-free. Check out our video tutorial at the bottom of the post!
Cowboy Caviar Recipe
There are few things in life that give me as much pleasure as plunging a tortilla chip into this cowboy caviar dip.
After all, it’s bursting with all of my favorite ingredients! From black beans, black-eyed peas, peppers, and sweet corn to fresh cilantro and creamy avocado. This stuff is what heaven tastes like.
I could probably eat all of the beans and vegetables on their own, but the sauce for this cowboy caviar is pretty special. It’s got a sweet and tangy kick thanks to red wine vinegar, fresh lime juice and a little touch of sugar. That bit of sweetness combined with all of those crispy vegetables and the cilantro sends this recipe over the top.
What is Cowboy Caviar?
Cowboy caviar is also sometimes referred to as Texas caviar or Texas black-bean salsa. Whatever you decide to call it, this delicious dip isn’t your average salsa recipe.
Here’s what you’ll need to make my cowboy caviar recipe and you can find the full instructions plus the ingredients for the dressing in the recipe card below.
- 3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 ripe avocados, diced
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced small
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, diced small
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Because you’re getting the protein and nutrition of the beans and all those vegetables, this is a super healthy snack. You can even cut back on the sugar if you want to increase the health benefits.
Oh, and don’t be fooled by imitators! Cowboy caviar with avocado is essential. I’ve seen some recipes that omit the avocado, but trust me, those creamy chunks of avocado really make the dish! I’m also pretty serious about sweet corn being included in my dip. Those sweet kernels of corn bursting in your mouth make every bite so tasty.
Oh, and if you’re a huge avocado fan, don’t miss my avocado basil pasta!
Of course, if you’re really not a fan of avocado, you can skip it. That’s really the beautiful thing about this recipe. You easily replace or omit ingredients based on your preferences and what you have on hand.
For instance, I’ve used different types of beans in the recipe before with great success. Once, when I didn’t have black-eyed peas on hand, I used chickpeas in my cowboy caviar recipe. My guests still absolutely adored it!
Ways to Enjoy Your Cowboy Caviar
I think we’ve established that I love having cowboy caviar as a dip, but, I have another fantastic way to eat it that I wanted to share with you.
I adore making burrito bowls for my family, and cowboy caviar is perfect for adding to those. You can turn this scrumptious dip into a complete meal by adding it to a bowl of rice or quinoa, chopped romaine lettuce, cheese and tortillas.
I’ve also simply enjoyed my cowboy caviar as a salad with some shredded rotisserie chicken breast to make it a complete meal!
I also love making this recipe because it stores wonderfully in the refrigerator for several days in an airtight container. Just pop some into a bowl for a quick snack or meal. It’s a great item to have in your weekly meal prepping arsenal!
Cowboy Caviar Tutorial Video
Check out our fun tutorial video below for a step-by-step guide to making this wholesome and tasty recipe!
More Delicious Recipes
Cowboy Caviar
Loaded with bright and nutritious vegetables and beans, this cowboy caviar recipe truly tastes like heaven!
Ingredients
- 3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 ripe avocados, diced
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red onion, diced small
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed, diced small
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
DRESSING
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, avocado, red onion, black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, and cilantro. Gently stir your ingredients to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together olive oil, fresh lime juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Pour the dressing over the other ingredients and gently stir to combine. Be sure everything is well-coated!
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips, or chill, making sure to toss the ingredients just before serving!
Notes
Calories do not include tortilla chips.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10Amount Per Serving: Calories: 335
I love all of the fresh ingredients in the Cowboy Caviar. It is so colorful and flavorful! Love it!
This is one of my favorite potluck dishes. So easy but also so delicious! Your version is awesome.
This recipe looks so good. I’m going to have to get all these ingredients so I can make it. I can’t wait to give it a try!
Being vegan I love this recipe and I need a new change from my usual dishes. I would love to dip tortilla chips in this great caviar or eat it plain.
I am loving all of the fresh ingredients in this Cowboy Caviar. It is so colorful as well. I need to make this soon.
I’ve made an almost identical dish a million times but I never have heard it called this. The name is definitely much more flashy! I’ll have to call it by this name next time I make it and see how my guests react!
Oh my gosh….this looks so fresh and delicious! What a fun recipe and a great appetizer!