Marinated Cilantro Lime Bean Salad
This marinated cilantro lime bean salad is tossed in a creamy herby miso garlic dressing and packed with fresh flavor. High in fiber, protein-rich, and perfect for meal prep.
Why You’ll Love This Marinated Bean Salad
- Simple ingredients. This salad uses pantry staples and easy to find fresh produce you likely already have on hand.
- Customizable. Swap in different beans, herbs, or levels of heat to suit your taste!
- Fiber packed. The mix of chickpeas, cannellini beans, and cucumber make this salad rich in gut-supporting fiber and satisfying plant-based protein.
- Meal prep-friendly. This salad gets better as it sits, making it perfect for prepping ahead for the week.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Jalapeño: You can leave out the pickled jalapeños entirely. For the dressing, just swap for a 2 inch piece of a small zucchini to help make it creamy.
- Onion: I used red, but shallots or white onion are great options.
- Beans: A combination of cannellini beans and chickpeas are used here, but any combination of white bean, butter bean, black beans, or pinto beans work too.
- Cilantro: Swap for some parsley or dill, or basil and chives can work beautifully.
- Vinegar: White wine vinegar is my go to, but white balsamic or apple cider vinegar are good alternatives.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are ideal. They get cooked until golden and help add more depth to the dressing without it getting overpowered.
- Miso: Yellow or white miso is preferred for some umami. Alternatively, feel free to use half a bouillon cube.
- Cucumber: Persian or English cucumbers are ideal. Thinly sliced snap peas work well too!
- Lime: Fresh is best!
How to Make It Step by Step
Pickled Jalapeños: In a small bowl, whisk vinegar, sugar, and salt until dissolved. Add sliced jalapeños and cilantro. Toss to coat and set aside.
Marinate the Onion: In a large bowl, mix red onion with the zest and juice of 1 lime and a generous pinch of salt. Massage to soften and set aside.
Smash the Cucumbers: Halve cucumbers lengthwise, place cut-side down, and smack them with the flat side of a knife to crack. Slice into 1-inch pieces on a diagonal.
Salt the Cucumbers: Toss cracked cucumber pieces with salt. Let sit 10 minutes to draw out moisture, then squeeze out and discard excess water.
Make the Dressing: In a small saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low. Add garlic cloves and stir until golden (2-3 minutes). Transfer garlic and oil to a blender with jalapeño, zest and juice of the second lime, vinegar, agave, miso, 1/3 cup cilantro, and salt. Blend until smooth.
Assemble: To the bowl with onion, add drained cucumbers, beans, and remaining cilantro. Pour dressing over and toss to combine.
Serve: Mash avocados with a pinch of salt. Spread onto tostadas, top with bean salad, and garnish with pickled jalapeños.
Expert Tips
- Smack your cucumbers. Cucumbers hold a lot of moisture. Smacking them until they crack and then salting them helps remove excess water. This prevents the salad from getting too watery or diluting the flavors in the dressing.
- Mellow out your onion. If you don’t like the sharpness of onion, slice them then place them in a bowl of cold water. This will draw out that astringency.
- Change up the herbs. For my cilantro haters, this can still work with other herbs! Try it with a combo of parsley and dill. Basil and chives can also work here too!
- To make the tostadas. Preheat the oven to 400F. Place your corn tortillas on a baking tray and spray or brush both sides with oil. Bake the tortillas in the oven for 8 minutes, flipping the tortillas half way. Allow the tortillas to cool on the tray until fully crispy then lightly sprinkle the tops with salt. Alternatively, buy store bought tostadas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the bean salad and pickled jalapeños in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Since we are using this much garlic, cooking will help to mellow its sharpness. If you prefer raw garlic, use only 1-2 cloves and grate them into the dressing.
Yes. Swap the garlic-infused oil with tahini or avocado for a creamy, oil-free alternative. I would also recommend just using 1-2 cloves of grated raw garlic instead of cooking the garlic.
Yes! Try it in wraps, over rice or quinoa, or mixed into greens for a satisfying salad option.
Make It Balanced
This marinated bean salad delivers fiber, plant protein, and healthy fats. Pair with whole grain tostadas or a grain base for added complex carbs, or serve with leafy greens for a lighter option.
More Bean Recipes You’ll Love
- Creamy Chipotle Bean Salad
- Grilled Veggie Bean Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing
- Marinated Sun-Dried Tomato Bean Salad
- Southwest Chickpea Black Bean Salad
- Ginger Shallot Chopped Bean Salad
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Marinated Cilantro Lime Bean Salad
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This marinated cilantro lime bean salad is tossed in a creamy herby miso garlic dressing and packed with fresh flavor. High in fiber, protein-rich, and perfect for meal prep.
Ingredients
Quick Pickled Jalapeños
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp organic sugar
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (remove membranes and seeds for less spice)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced
Bean Salad
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
- 1 English cucumber
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 jalapeño, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp agave syrup
- 1 tsp yellow miso paste
- 2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1, 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Kosher salt
Serving Suggestions
- 2 avocados
- 6 tostadas*
Instructions
- To a small bowl add the vinegar, sugar, and salt then whisk together until everything is fully dissolved. Add the jalapeños and cilantro, then toss to fully coat and submerge. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl add the red onion, the zest and juice of 1 lime and a generous pinch of salt. Use your hands to massage the onions until they start to soften then set aside.
- Halve the cucumbers lengthwise, then lay cut side down on a cutting board. Place the flat of your blade on top of the cucumber and use your other hand to smack the cucumber down its length to crack them. Roughly cut them on a bias into 1 inch pieces.
- Transfer the cucumbers to a bowl and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Toss to coat, then set to the side for at least 10 minutes to draw out excess water. Afterwards, you can squeeze extra water out using your hands then discard the excess liquid.
- While you wait on the cucumbers, make the dressing. Heat the olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic cloves and stir occasionally until golden, about 2-3 minutes.
- To a blender cup, add the garlic and oil mixture along with the remaining jalapeño, zest and juice of the second lime, white wine vinegar, agave, miso paste, 1/3 cup cilantro, and a pinch of salt. Blend on high until smooth.
- To the bowl with onions, add the beans, drained cucumber, and remaining 1/3 cup cilantro then pour the dressing over top and toss to combine.
- When ready to serve, mash the avocados in a bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Spread onto each tostada, top with a generous spoonful of bean salad, and garnish with a few slices of the pickled jalapeño then enjoy.
Notes
Smack your cucumbers. Cucumbers hold a lot of moisture. Smacking them until they crack and then salting them helps remove excess water. This prevents the salad from getting too watery or diluting the flavors in the dressing.
Mellow out your onion. If you don’t like the sharpness of onion, slice them then place them in a bowl of cold water. This will draw out that astringency.
Change up the herbs. For my cilantro haters, this can still work with other herbs! Try it with a combo of parsley and dill. Basil and chives can also work here too!
To make the tostadas. Preheat the oven to 400F. Place your corn tortillas on a baking tray and spray or brush both sides with oil. Bake the tortillas in the oven for 8 minutes, flipping the tortillas half way. Allow the tortillas to cool on the tray until fully crispy then lightly sprinkle the tops with salt. Alternatively, buy store bought tostadas.
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