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This Avocado & Black Bean Salad is a fresh, flavorful mix of avocados, tomato, onion, black beans, cilantro, all tossed in a zesty lime blend. Serve this easy salad as a light appetizer with chips or pair it with your favorite protein.
If you like yummy summer salads that are more than just lettuce and packed with vibrant flavor, check out my Grilled Corn Salad as well as my Red Cabbage Salad and my Roasted Veggie Pasta Salad!
This avocado & black bean salad is the result of several handfuls of random veggies leftover in my fridge. I always seem to have leftover tomato and onion laying around and HATE letting it go to waste. So, one day I threw together all of the random leftovers I could find, and the result was this super simple salad. I love it so much!
It’s loaded with tons of flavor and wonderful fresh ingredients! It is the perfect choice for lunch, a side dish, or even an appetizer! As an added plus, it’s easy to make and mixes up fast for an easy crowd pleaser!
I love eating filling salads like this in the summer but honestly, this is delicious YEAR ROUND! We also really love this grilled corn salad!
Ingredients you’ll need
This avocado & black bean salad recipe is simple, yet so tasty! You only need a handful of ingredients to throw it together and it only takes about 10 minutes! See the recipe card below for a list of exact ingredient measurements.
- For the zesty dressing: A combination of lime zest, fresh lime juice, cumin, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper flavors the salad with freshness. You could also use lemon juice in this recipe instead.
- Ripe avocado: Adds major creaminess! Use more or less avocado, depending on your preference.
- Tomato: Juicy bursts of sweet tomato flavor are fabulous with the black beans and avocado. I love cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes in this recipe.
- Onion: Sweet onion or red onion both work well in this recipe. Or use shallot for a milder taste. Green onion also works well!
- Black beans: Canned black beans are convenient and make this salad more filling. They’re packed with fiber, potassium and plant-based protein. You could use other beans such as chickpeas or kidney beans.
- Fresh Cilantro: Adds freshness and color. If you’re not a fan, simply leave it out.
Substitutions and variations
This salad is really easy to customize with your favorite ingredients! Here are some suggestions:
- Add corn: When we have sweet corn on hand, I love to toss some of that in for a quintessentially summer salad. It adds a hint of sweetness that’s a great balance for some of the more savory ingredients. Even canned corn would work well. Red bell peppers are also delicious in this!
- Make it spicy: If you’d like to add some heat, mix a dash of cayenne pepper or even sriracha to the dressing. You could also stir a minced jalapeño into the salad.
- Cheese: Sometimes I like to add in crumbled feta cheese or cotija cheese for a creamy, salty, cheesy addition.
- Add protein: if you want to make this a complete meal, you could add additional protein to it such as my grilled tofu, some grilled chicken or shrimp, or whatever sounds good! You could even add black-eyed peas to make this a kind of cowboy caviar!
How to make this black bean avocado salad
This dish could not be easier to whip up, and in just 10 minutes it’s ready-to-go!
STEP 1 – Make the cilantro lime dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and zest, cumin, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
STEP 2 – Toss the salad together: In a large bowl, combine the avocado, tomato, onion, black beans, and cilantro. Pour the dressing on top and toss to combine.
Helpful tips
- Ripe avocados are a must for adding creamy texture and great flavor. When it’s ripe, it should feel lightly soft but it will not feel “mushy” to the touch.
- Chop all the ingredients roughly the same size. You want to cut the veggies into smaller pieces so everything distributes better with the beans.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving. You might need extra salt and black pepper depending on the veggies and dressing. Add more to bring out all of the delicious flavors.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, be sure to rinse and drain the beans thoroughly before adding them to the salad. Canned beans are packed in a solution of water, salt, and starch. You want to rinse that solution off because it can make the beans a bit slimy and it also interferes with the ability of the beans to absorb the flavors of the other ingredients.
Canned black beans can be enjoyed cold, at room temperature or warm. I like to serve this salad at room temperature or chilled.
Lightly squeeze the avocado, and if it’s ripe it will have a slight give, but not feel mushy. Also, if it still has the stem intact, you can remove it and if you notice that it’s easy to remove and green underneath, it’s ready.
Serving suggestions
- This is delicious served as a side salad paired with grilled meats in the summer or with a Mexican dinner.
- Enjoy as an appetizer with homemade tortilla chips as a dip.
- Jazz up your salads and use this as a salad booster, spooned over chopped romaine lettuce.
- Serve as a filling for vegan burritos, tofu tacos or these sheet pan quesadillas.
Storage tips
You can make this up to 2 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. However, add the avocado just before serving. Once the avocado is added, this salad is freshest within about 24 hours.
More salad recipes to try
If you try my Avocado and Black Bean Salad recipe or any other recipe on Food with Feeling, don’t forget to leave a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let others know how much you loved it. Happy cooking! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I would love to hear about your experience making it. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling!
Avocado & Black Bean Salad
Ingredients
- Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
- zest of 1/2 a lime, about 1 teaspoon
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 avocados, diced
- 1 large tomato, diced
- ¾ cup sweet onion, finely diced
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup cilantro
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and zest, cumin, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine the avocado, tomato, onion, black beans, and cilantro. Pour the dressing on top and toss to combine. Enjoy immediately or save for later!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Wow Brita! All the flavors mingle together and come out making you want more of that taste. Thanks and it’s so easy to make and healthy too. Yummy! Family favorite for the picky eaters even.
This is absolutely delicious and has officially become a staple of mine!! I left out the cumin because I didn’t want that depth of flavor and it came out so bright and fresh. Thank you for sharing!