This healthy Red Kidney Bean Salad is a great salad to begin your day with, but can also be enjoyed at any time. It is an easy, vegan, gluten-free old fashioned salad that never goes out of fashion BTW.
Here are some of my other Favourite Salads – Kachumber Salad, Sprouts Salad, Broccoli Apple Salad, Kakdi Chi Koshimbir, and Summer Fruit Salad.
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About This Recipe
Kidney Bean Salad is an old fashioned salad made using boiled kidney beans as the star ingredient. Kidney beans resemble kidneys, and must not be confused with adzuki beans.
Here, Kidney beans are boiled and mixed with vegetables such as tomato, onion, and green chilies. This salad is then mixed with a simple and zesty dressing that makes it super delicious.
This is a simple salad that gets ready in minutes. The only thing that takes time is boiling the kidney beans, which can be done even a day before. Just add in all the ingredients in a bowl, give it a mix and it is ready.
This dish is perfect for workout days or even busy weeknight dinners. As kidney beans are high in protein, they keep you filled for longer.
It is important to pre-soak and boils the beans to ensure their nutrients are used to the maximum. Do not over boil the beans otherwise they can become mushy.
This Salad is:
- Vegan
- Gluten-Free
- High in Protein
- Easy to make
- Customisable
- Inexpensive
- Healthy
Ingredients
Kidney Beans – To make this old fashioned salad you will need red kidney beans. You can either use the dry beans and soak them in water for a few hours and then boil them until they are soft or you can also use a can.
Make sure to drain the can and rinse the beans well before using them in the salad.
Vegetables – I have added onion, tomato, and green chili in this salad but you can also add bell peppers, carrot, cucumber, avocado, olives, etc to it.
You can even add some lettuce, spinach or spring onions in it.
Dressing – For the dressing, I have kept it simple and used olive oil and lemon juice but you can also try using balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar.
I use different types of oils to make dressing. Sometimes it’s EVOO and other times it is grape seed oil or even black seed oil. You too can experiment with different oil to make this salad.
Nuts – Add peanuts or any roasted and chopped nuts for the crunch. You can also use Almonds and Cashews.
Step By Step Recipe
Wash the kidney beans and soak in enough water for 6-8 hours.
Drain the water and add the beans in a pressure cooker.
Add a tsp of salt along with 3 cups of water and pressure cook till beans are softened. I generally cook them for one whistle on high heat, then simmer the heat to low and cook for 6-8 minutes. You can use your Instant Pot to cook the beans.
Drain the water and reserve it to use later to make curries or kneading dough.
Add boiled kidney beans in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
This Salad has a low glycemic index and also high in protein, which keeps you full for longer and also energized. It is also high in fiber, which helps in easy digestion and cuts down on bad cholesterol, which helps in weight loss.
Yes, you can go for white beans, black beans, or even garbanzo beans to make this salad. Follow the same process, just substitute kidney beans with your choice of bean.
Storing Suggestions
I will recommend you to make this Kidney Bean Salad fresh, as this Salad has raw onions in it which won’t taste good when stored. You can boil the beans instead and store for about 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
Just add the veggies and dressing, mix it whenever you are ready to serve it.
Serving Suggestions
This salad is wholesome and filling on its own, so you can have it for a light meal or can serve it as a side dish with your everyday meals.
I sometimes also like to serve it for my weekday diner with a bowl of hot Soup.
You can also pack it in your Office Snack Box, to munch in whenever the hunger strikes.
This salad is also great to serve as a side dish with your everyday meals.
Variations
You can add Italian Dressing in this Kidney Bean Salad for a taste variation.
You can make many variations of this old fashioned salad recipe by adding quinoa, pasta, chickpea, avocado, corn, cucumber, broccoli, etc to it.
Try adding other beans like black beans, chickpea etc to this salad.
To make it even higher in protein, add some feta cheese to it. You can also add boiled or grilled shredded chicken to it.
Make it Indian style by adding lemon juice, cumin powder, red chili powder, and chaat masala to it.
Pro Tips By Neha
If you are making this salad for a big crowd, boil the kidney beans and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. But always use freshly chopped vegetables, for a refreshing and tasty salad.
Always use high quality ingredients to make this refreshing salad.
You can add more vegetables as per your choice to make it more nutritious, filling, and wholesome.
Nuts add in a nice crunchy texture and gives the salad a bite, therefore do not miss it.
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Recipe Card
Kidney Bean Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Rajma/ Kidney beans
- 1 cup Onion (Chopped)
- 1 cup Tomato (Chopped)
- 2 tsp Green chilli (Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Fresh coriander (Chopped)
- 3 tsp Lemon juice
- 2 tsp Olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 tbsp Roasted peanuts (Crushed)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Wash the kidney beans and soak in enough water for 6-8 hours.
- Drain the water and add the beans in a pressure cooker.
- Add a tsp of salt along with 3 cups of water and pressure cook till beans are softened.
- Drain the water and reserve it to use later to make curries or kneading dough.
- Add boiled kidney beans in a bowl.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top.
