Home » Recipes » Vegetarian » The Ultimate Cowboy Caviar Recipe {Best Dressing!}
By Taylor Stinson | 1 Comment | Posted: | Updated:
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This Cowboy Caviar is a great vegetarian lunch that packs a big protein punch. It's got veggies, beans, and the best tangy dressing!
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Ingredients and substitutions
Dressing
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado oil or canola oil.
- Lime juice – if you don’t have any freshly squeezed lime juice, bottled lime juice will also work.
- Red wine vinegar – white wine vinegar would be the best substitute here.
- Dijon mustard – you can try using stone-ground mustard, although the flavour will be slightly different.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best. Jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Chili powder – use a combination of paprika, cumin and cayenne instead.
- Cumin – coriander is the best substitute for cumin.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Fresh cilantro – leave this out altogether if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
Salad
- Black beans – black beans are the traditional choice, but pinto beans or kidney beans could also be used.
- Black-eyed peas – swap out for another kind of beans like Southern Pink Lady beans, pinto beans or lima beans.
- Hothouse tomato – use any other kind of tomato you might have on hand.
- Frozen corn – canned corn or fresh corn would also work here.
- Jalapeño – poblano peppers would also be good or you can double up on the bell peppers if you’re not a fan of spice.
- Green onions – try using chives or leave these out altogether.
- Bell pepper – use any colour bell pepper of your choosing.
- Red onion – white onion or yellow onion would also work but will have a milder flavour.
- Avocado – you could also try using some guacamole instead.
- Tortilla chips – your favourite store-bought brand or homemade would both be good!
How to make cowboy caviar
Step 1: Prep your ingredients.
Step 2: Make the dressing.
Mix ingredients under the dressing heading together in a large bowl.
Step 3: Toss with the salad ingredients.
Add in remaining ingredients, tossing gently to combine.
Step 4: Let it sit and then serve!
Let sit at least 2 hours for the flavours to develop, then serve and enjoy! This recipe can be made up to 2 days in advance if bringing to a party.
How to serve cowboy caviar
There are a few different ways you can serve this delicious cowboy caviar dressing:
- As a salsa with tortilla chips to dip for a delicious snack or appetizer
- Make it a whole meat by adding more protein like bacon or chicken breast
- Add it on top of burrito bowls, nachos, tacos, quesadilla or even marinated steak
- Mix it into your favourite cooked pasta noodles
- Serve it as a side dish with tortilla soup or enchiladas
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called cowboy caviar?
Cowboy caviar, also known as Texas caviar, was createdin the 1940sby a New Yorker called Helen Corbitt, when she served it at a New Year’s Eve party at a fancy country club in Houston. It was given the name cowboy caviar as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the famous expensive appetizer of fish eggs. While the black-eyed peas might slightly resemble caviar, there actually isn’t any caviar (or seafood) in this recipe.
Can you use another kind of dressing?
This black bean salad is made using a flavourful homemade vinaigrette, but you try out different salad dressings of your choice like Italian dressing. You could also try adding some hot sauce or avocado crema to the dressing for even more flavour.
How do you add more protein?
This cowboy caviar dressing actually contains quite a bit of plant-based protein thanks to the black beans or black-eyed peas, but if you want to add some more protein, feel free to stir in some cooked bacon or turkey bacon, chicken breast or steak.
What else can you add to it?
This dish is a great way to clear out your fridge! Feel free to add in more ingredients like diced avocado, sweet corn, kidney beans, poblano peppers, black olives and more. You can even stir in some cheese like feta cheese or Oaxaca cheese.
Can you make cowboy caviar ahead of time?
This cowboy caviar recipe can be made up to 4 days in advance. The longer it sits in the fridge, the better it will taste as the flavors will have more time to blend, which makes it a great option for potlucks or parties. You could also make the dressing a couple weeks in advance – just store it in a mason jar in the fridge.
Storing and reheating
Cowboy caviar will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge – in fact, it’ll likely get better with time as it continues to soak in all the flavours! Store it in airtight glass containers then serve it with fresh tortilla chips. Since it’s meant to be served cold or at room temperature, you don’t need to worry about reheating it. You can also make the dressing for cowboy caviar a couple weeks in advance for easy prep.
Can you freeze cowboy caviar?
I wouldn’t recommend it. A lot of components of this recipe, like the tomato, bell pepper, avocado and cowboy caviar dressing, wouldn’t hold up well after freezing. It only takes about 30 minutes of prep time, so I’d recommend just making a fresh batch when you’re in the mood for some cowboy caviar.
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Meal Prep Tools
- Grab someglass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this cowboy caviar into leftovers.
- I like thissalad dressing shakerto make homemade dressings and marinades easier.
- **Get my full list of tools here**
The Ultimate Cowboy Caviar Recipe {Best Dressing!}
This Cowboy Caviar is a great vegetarian lunch that packs a big protein punch. It's full of veggies and beans, with the best tangy dressing!
4.50 from 4 votes
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 522kcal
Author: Taylor Stinson
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Resting time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice the juice from 1 lime
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salad
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 can black-eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 1 hothouse tomato diced
- 3 cups frozen corn defrosted
- 1 jalapeno deseeded and minced, leave out if you don't like spice
- 4 green onions sliced
- 1 bell pepper diced, any colour
- 1 small red onion diced
- 1 avocado diced
- Tortilla chips to serve
Instructions
Mix ingredients under the dressing heading together in a large bowl, then add in remaining ingredients, tossing gently to combine.
Let sit at least 2 hours for the flavours to develop, then serve and enjoy! This recipe can be made up to 2 days in advance if bringing to a party.
Notes
NOTE: The serving sizes are meal-sized servings. If serving as an appetizer with tortilla chips, this recipe serves 8 people. Chips are not included in the nutritional info.
If you’re not a fan of spice, swap out the jalapeno for extra bell peppers instead or use half the jalapenos.
Let this dish rest for at least 2 hours so it has plenty of time to soak in the flavours.
Store any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Serve your cowboy caviar with tortilla chips, on its own for a low-carb option or as a topping for your tacos!
Nutrition
Calories: 522kcal (26%)Carbohydrates: 66g (22%)Protein: 20g (40%)Fat: 23g (35%)Saturated Fat: 3g (19%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gSodium: 621mg (27%)Potassium: 1240mg (35%)Fiber: 22g (92%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 1598IU (32%)Vitamin C: 62mg (75%)Calcium: 88mg (9%)Iron: 6mg (33%)
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Created by Taylor Stinson
Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!
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Ellen B says
This is super tasty, fresh, and healthy. Love the sweet/saltiness. Just beware that it does make a lot (almost filled my 2.3L container) so you may want to half the recipe!Reply
