No-Cook Chili Bean Salad

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published June 17, 2025

No-Cook Chili Bean Salad
Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(723)
Comments
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All the usual suspects found in a vegetarian bean chili appear in this salad — canned beans, tomato, bell pepper, red onion and spices — but there’s no cooking-with-heat required. The tomatoes are salted to tenderize and coax out their sweet, umami juices. Cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and dried oregano inject smoky earthiness and complexity. While black and pinto beans are used here, it is absolutely viable to use whatever beans you have on hand for this pantry-friendly recipe. Best of all, the salad can be dressed up with the usual chili toppings such as avocado, sour cream and cheese. Eat as is, or with tortillas or corn chips on the side. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1pound tomatoes, roughly chopped into 1-inch chunks
  • ½small red onion, finely diced
  • 1garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1(15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed
  • 1(15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed
  • 1bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ to 1jalapeño, chopped
  • Handful chopped cilantro leaves
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed
  • 1lime, quartered 
  • Any combination of corn chips, tortillas, sour cream, avocado and cheese (such as Cheddar, crumbled feta or queso blanco), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

385 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 943 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Leave to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to crush them roughly, extracting juice and softening them.

  2. Step 2

    To the tomatoes, add both types of beans, the bell pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano, jalapeño, cilantro and ¼ cup olive oil; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper and more olive oil, if you like.

  3. Step 3

    Divide the salad among four serving bowls. Serve with lime wedges on the side, and top with desired toppings.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
723 user ratings
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Comments

bj

No jalapeno around? Add a little salsa for the heat. Also works if you don't have enough tomatoes. Need to feed more people? Add another can of beans, preferably a third variety, such as cannellini, chickpeas or kidney beans.

Rachel

As a cowboy caviar fan, this actually tastes pretty different! Very delicious and would be fun to serve at a picnic. Used some last tortillas chip crumbles as a topping which added nice crunch.

Daisy

I would use dark red kidney beans instead of pinto beans. I would stir in three pressed garlic cloves, and I would add a cup of avocado cubes that have been lightly salted. Yum!! Good recipe.

Alison

Took a chance and made this for the first time yesterday on 90 degree day for a neighborhood potluck. I couldn't do a separate lime slice for each bowl, so I squeezed an entire lime on just before serving. Served it with chili and lime tortilla chips. Someone sought me out to ask for the recipe. There were leftovers, so I had it for lunch today, adding avocado chunks and another squeeze of lime, and crushing the tortilla chips on top. It was even better today, and just as crunchy. Superb!

Thomas

This was great! Made with black beans and kidney beans. Used 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar and a half tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Added 1 scallion. Also added the juice of half a lemon at the end. Forgot about adding wedges of lime. Topped with nacho chips, some shredded cheese, avocado, and yoghurt. My wife and I both loved it.

Margaret

This salad is delicious but really benefits from having something fatty (avocado or sour cream, even full-fat greek yogurt) to complement it. Using the full amount of olive oil helps, and then balance to taste with a little more acid and salt if needed.

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