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American

Three-bean salad

Vegetarian

Green beans, kidney beans and chickpeas marinated in a sweet-and-sour cider vinegar dressing with red onion and celery — a make-ahead potluck favourite.

Three-bean salad is an American salad from United States, ready in about 4 hours 20 minutes and made with green beans, kidney beans (canned) and chickpeas. It serves 6 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
5 min
Rest
4 h
Total
4 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Beginner
Calories
232

Ingredients

6 servings

For the dressing

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Blanch the green beans (opens in a new tab) in well-salted boiling water until just tender but still bright, then drain and plunge into iced water. Drain well.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the vinegar, sugar (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) until the sugar dissolves, then whisk in the oil.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Combine the green beans (opens in a new tab), kidney beans (opens in a new tab), chickpeas (opens in a new tab), onion and celery (opens in a new tab) in a bowl or jar, pour over the dressing and toss.

    • 3 min

  4. Step 4

    Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight), stirring once or twice. Toss with parsley (opens in a new tab) and serve with a slotted spoon (opens in a new tab).

About this dish

Origin
United States · Commonly attributedA staple of American picnics and church suppers from the mid-20th century, built on canned beans.Also popular in CanadaMore food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Side dishes
Cooking method
Blanched, Marinated / cured
Taste
sweet & sour, tangy, earthy, fresh
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Carb-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly · Portable / lunchbox · Meal-prep friendly
Cook more with
Green beans · Kidney beans (canned) · Chickpeas · Red onion · Celery · Apple cider vinegar
Techniques
Boiling · Blanching · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains: Celeryfrom celery

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

232 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 168 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 12%
  • Carbohydrate 48%
  • Fat 41%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy232 kcal138 kcal
Protein6.9 g4.1 g
Carbohydrate28.3 g16.9 g
Net carbohydrate22.2 g13.2 g
Sugars11.7 g7 g
Added sugars6.7 g4 g
Fibre6.1 g3.6 g
Fat10.8 g6.5 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat0 g0 g
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium589 mg351 mg
Salt equivalent1.5 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
290 mg
Calcium
63 mg
Iron
1.5 mg
Magnesium
35 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
6 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: parsley.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Because this is a marinade rather than a coating, the oil-to-vinegar ratio is closer to 1:1 than a leafy-salad vinaigrette.

Common mistakes

  • Overcooking the green beans — they keep softening in the acidic dressing.

Serve with

  • Alongside barbecued chicken, burgers or sandwiches.

Storage

  • Keeps 4 days covered in the fridge and improves on day two.

Variations

  • Wax bean version: Use yellow wax beans for half the green beans, as in many older American recipes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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