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Texas caviar, or cowboy caviar to some, is one of my favorite recipes from back when I lived in Texas. It’s an easy 10-minute appetizer made with 3 types of beans, corn, red onion, cherry tomatoes, jalapeรฑos, and cilantro, all smothered in the most amazing vinaigrette dressing. You’ll definitely want this at your next cookout or potluck – everyone will love it as a salad or dip with tortilla chips, or as a salad alongside any grilled protein!
A Note from Cheryl
- You can serve the Texas caviar right away, but it’s honestly even better if you chill it in the fridge for a couple of hours first. The flavors will be much more pronounced!
How to Make This Recipe
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Make the Dressing
Whisk all 5 dressing ingredients together vigorously until they’re fully combined into a smooth mixture.
Make the Caviar Dip
Dump all of your Texas caviar ingredients into a big mixing bowl and mix them all together, making sure there’s a good distribution. You don’t want to get halfway through your caviar just to realize all the jalapeรฑos and garlic were on the bottom of the dish instead of peppered throughout!
Once all the ingredients are mixed up, pour the dressing into the bowl and stir everything together again. The goal is to get all of the ingredients coated in dressing.
Cheryl’s Tip: Depending on the size of your bowl, you may want to stir after you add each ingredient. It can be a little easier to get everything distributed well that way!
Chill… or Don’t
I highly recommend popping the cowboy caviar dip into the fridge for a couple of hours, if you have the time. As it chills, all of the ingredients in the salad and the dressing really meld and mingle together, becoming way more intense.
No worries if you don’t have time, though! You can totally serve the caviar immediately – and it’ll still be super delicious!
Key Ingredients in Cowboy Caviar
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Beans – To lower the sodium content in the Texas caviar, use low-sodium canned veggies, or cook your own from dry. Use roughly 3 cups of cooked beans to replace each type of canned beans in the recipe.
Black-Eyed Peas – These are a MUST for Texas caviar. If you don’t want to use canned black-eyed peas (or if you have trouble finding them), you can cook your own from dry. The Instant Pot is my favorite way to cook them because it’s fast, easy, and you don’t have to soak them first. Check out my post on The Best EVER Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas for all the details!
Corn – I used white corn here, but you could use yellow corn instead. They taste the same! Frozen or fresh corn will work here. If you use frozen, just be sure it’s completely thawed first!
Jalapeรฑos – If you love the heat from jalapeรฑos, you can absolutely use more than the recipe calls for. You could also swap these out with a hotter pepper if you’re brave, but be careful not to overdo it! You don’t want to overshadow the other flavors in the cowboy caviar.
Red Wine Vinegar – Made from red wine, this vinegar gives the Texas caviar a sharp, tangy flavor that’s irresistible. You could also try a white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or balsamic vinegar.
What I Love About This Recipe
- I mentioned that ranch style beans are one of my most-missed foods from when I lived in Texas? This is another. Texas caviar (also known as cowboy caviar) is a super easy, super flavorful side or appetizer that’s perfect for parties, tailgating, and potlucks. Serve it with grilled chicken, fish, or burgers, or just a big basket of tortilla chips.
- There’s no cooking involved, and even the chill time is optional. You could have it ready to eat in just 15 minutes!
- This recipe actually makes A LOT of Texas caviar, so if you’re not serving a big group, you might want to cut it in half. It’s super easy to do! Just cut the quantities for each ingredient in half, and for the olive oil and red wine vinegar, use 3 tablespoons each.
Recipe Variations
- Give It a Kick: A touch of lime juice in the dressing adds a great little burst of citrusy flavor. You could also add a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce!
- Easy Dressing Alternative: If you’re in a rush or just don’t want to mix up your own dressing, try a bottle of Italian dressing instead. Your Texas caviar won’t be quite as sweet, but it’ll be tasty!
- Make it Vegan: Use maple syrup, vegan white sugar, or granular Swerve in place of the honey.
- Make it Added-Sugar Free: Use granular Swerve in place of the honey or white sugar.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Texas Caviar (Cowboy Caviar) Recipe
Equipment
- large mixing bowl with lid, or plastic wrap to cover (optional)
- Silicone spatula or large wooden spoon
- small mixing bowl
- whisk
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- โ cup red wine vinegar
- โ cup olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or white sugar or granular Swerve
- ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt more or less to taste
For the Texas Caviar
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans drained, rinsed
- 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans drained, rinsed
- 2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas drained, rinsed
- 2 15-ounce cans white corn kernels drained, rinsed
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh jalapeรฑos approximately 2 medium peppers; stems removed, seeds removed; optional
- 1 ยฝ cups quartered cherry tomatoes approximately 1 pint
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic approximately 3 large cloves
- ยฝ cup finely chopped red bell pepper approximately 1 medium bell pepper; stem removed, seeds removed
- 1 cup finely chopped red onion approximately 1 small onion
- ยผ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
For the Dressing
- Add โ cup red wine vinegar, โ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon honey, ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder, and 2 teaspoons salt to small mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together vigorously until fully combined. Set aside.
For the Texas Caviar
- Add 2 15-ounce cans black beans, 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, 2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas, 2 15-ounce cans white corn kernels, 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh jalapeรฑos, 1 ยฝ cups quartered cherry tomatoes, 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, ยฝ cup finely chopped red bell pepper, 1 cup finely chopped red onion, and ยผ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro to large mixing bowl.
- Toss or gently stir ingredients together until all ingredients are thoroughly distributed.
- Pour prepared dressing over bean mixture. Gently toss or stir ingredients again until bean mixture is fully coated in dressing.
- Optional: Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Chill Texas caviar 2 hours or until ready to serve.
- Serve Texas caviar with tortilla chips or alongside protein of choice.
- If halving the recipe, use 3 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container up to 3 days.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Just make sure they’re all fully cooked first. I recommend cooking each type of bean separately since the times may vary. You’ll need roughly 3 cups of each cooked bean, which means cooking 1 cup of each dry bean.
As long as it’s completely cooked, you definitely can!
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Excellent Recipe! I’m so happy I found 40 Aprons! This recipe was easy to follow, great how to instruction as well as extra tips. It was delicious and made a big hit with guests. Thank You!!
We’re so happy you found us, too, Bonita! I’m so happy you and your guests enjoyed this recipe so much!
Hi! I’ve just found your site and haven’t made this recipe yet. Can Texas Caviar be frozen and still retain it’s flavors?
Hi, Bonita! Yes, you can freeze it no problem! Just mix everything together and freeze it in an airtight container. I’d recommend making the dressing fresh or freezing it in a container on its own rather than mixing it in with the other ingredients. That way there’s not as much liquid in with the “caviar” as it defrosts. When you’re ready to serve it, let everything defrost in the fridge at least overnight, then give it a good stir and serve!
Thank you Megan! I’ll post again after I’ve made this.