White Bean Salad

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One of my favorite lunches is this super quick white bean salad. It’s packed with flavor, fluffy beans, and drizzled in a tangy lemon garlic dressing.

It’s a no-frills meal. Bold, simple, and nutritious.

Top view of a glass salad bowl full of white bean salad with sliced red onion and chopped parsley.

I’m all about easy filling lunches that can be whipped up in no time. Especially when they are satisfying, healthy, and a huge hit with the entire family. 

And this quick and easy white bean salad meets all of those!

I make it all the time like my bread and beans and beans on toast, and it’s perfect for those days when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

First, we start with either canned or cooked white beans, one of my favorite inexpensive, versatile, protein-packed ingredients.

Then we add sliced red onion, chopped parsley for a nice pop of flavor and color, and we bring everything together with an oil-lemon-garlic dressing sweetened up with a little honey. And you’re done.

See? Embarrassingly easy!

But it’s surprisingly good, satisfying and nutritious.

A vegan and economical white bean salad that can be made with ingredients you likely already have on hand and great to get your daily healthy dose of protein.

Next time you need a quick and easy meal, this is the recipe for you!

List of the ingredients

  • White beans
  • Red onion
  • Fresh parsley
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Honey or Maple syrup
  • Garlic
  • Lemon
  • Salt & pepper
The ingredients to make this white bean salad are arranged over a white background.

How to make white bean salad

(Note: this is simply a quick explanation, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)

  • Place all the dressing ingredients in a glass jar with a lid and shake.
  • Chop the parsley.
Top view of the lemon dressing ingredients and a wooden board with fresh chopped parsley.
  • Place your rinsed and drained beans in a salad bowl.
  • Add the dressing, parsley and toss until well combined and coated.
  • Serve with croutons, some easy bread, focaccia or crispy breadsticks. Done!
Top view of a salad spoon full of white bean salad over the salad bowl.

Recipe notes

White bean salad ingredients

White beans: use beans that are large and firm enough to hold up to the stirring and don’t get mushy. Either butter beans or cannellini beans are great. I used canned for convenience, but feel free to soak and cook your beans if you have time.

Red onion: make sure your red onion is fresh and firm. Green onions work just fine if you prefer an other option.

Parsley: plenty of fresh herbs here, but if you don’t have fresh parsley on hand, use about 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.

Dressing: the tangy dressing is made with fruity extra virgin olive oil, punchy garlic for flavour, fresh lemon juice and a touch of maple syrup (if you keep it vegan) or honey for sweetness. Plus salt and pepper, of course.

Add-ins are welcome!

There so many ways to customize this easy white bean salad. Feel free to get creative and use what ingredients you love most. For example:

  • Fresh veggies: cherry tomatoes, fresh bell pepper, cucumber, radishes.
  • Grilled veggies: peppers, eggplant, zucchini… all great!
  • Jarred ingredients: Hello olives, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes!
  • Carbs: cooked brown rice, quinoa, croutons to make a full balanced meal.
  • Cheese: crumbled feta, goat cheese, baby mozzarella balls would also be delicious in this salad.
Close-up of a glass salad bowl full of white bean salad with parsley and red onion with ciabatta bread in the background.

What to serve with this bean salad

This is the kind of protein-packed salad that is great served after a quick pasta dish such as lemon garlic pasta or a pesto pasta.  But It would also be a great side dish for cream cheese pizza, mozzarella pizza, or a broccoli soup.

More bean recipes?

Of course! If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, then you know my love for beans. I’ve recently published this collection of bean recipes and recipes with cannellini beans you don’t want to miss! Below a few of our favs…

Lastly, if you make this white bean salad, let me know. Leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you guys and get your feedback!

And for more recipe updates, subscribe my newsletter and follow me on InstagramPinterest and Facebook. And of course, if you make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me. : )

White bean salad

One of my favorite lunches is this super quick white bean salad. It's packed with flavor, fluffy beans, and drizzled in a tangy lemon garlic dressing. It's a no-frills meal, nutritious, bold and simple.
Recipe yields 4 servings (approximately 1 cup each).
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword: white bean salad
Servings: 4
Calories: 216kcal
Author: Katia

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
  • 1 large garlic clove, or to your taste
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • teaspoon black pepper

White bean salad

  • 2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, rinsed and drained*
  • ¼ – ⅓ red onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or 1 tsp dried oregano)

Instructions

  • Make the dressing: place the dressing ingredients in a glass jar with lid and shake vigorously until well combined and emulsified.
  • Assemble the salad: add the beans, the sliced onion (use a bit more if you like), and the herbs to a large salad bowl. Shake again the dressing, pour it over and toss until well combined and coated. Taste and make sure you're happy with the seasoning (add more salt or pepper if you wish).
  • Serve: if time allows, chill the salad in the refrigerator for an hour before serving to allow the beans to marinate and the flavor to mingle. Serve with crusty bread or place it in airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Notes

Beans: drain and rinse the beans under cold water before tossing with the other salad ingredients. Sometimes the liquid in the can is salty and its starch can make the salad looks murky.
 
Storage: this white bean salad is great to make ahead, however, when it sits in the fridge the garlic flavor gets more pungent and I prefer to consume it within 2 days. And it’s not freezable, just in case you ask. : )
 
Nutrition facts: the nutrition values are for one serving, and they are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 601mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 169IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 4mg

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