Cowboy Caviar

This tasty, easy Cowboy Caviar Recipe is a black bean salad with black-eyed peas, fresh corn, sweet red onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, and jalapenos, all in a slightly spicy sweet lime vinaigrette. The flavors come together so well, and it tastes amazing on tacos, quesadillas, and omelets.

Did you know that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring you prosperity and good luck?  As a matter of fact, you should eat 365 of them.  One for each day of the New Year. That being said, this bean salad is the perfect anytime snack for picnics, potlucks, reunions, and barbecues. Make a big batch because everyone loves it!

What is Cowboy Caviar?

It is a Southern twist on caviar without the expensive price tag and the fish eggs.  This Texas caviar is a fun mixture of black beans, black-eyed peas, fresh corn, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, bell peppers, and cilantro, all in a fresh lime vinaigrette. Enjoy this bean salsa as a side dish, or dip to scoop with corn chips or tortilla chips.  Use it like salsa and spoon over tacos, burritos, enchiladas, grilled chicken or fish, and omelets.  Serve as a healthy side salad.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

Recipe Ingredients

• Olive oil: extra virgin
• Limes: for juice
• Seasonings and Spices: chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground cayenne, red pepper flakes, cilantro, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
• Black beans: canned
• Black-eyed peas: canned
• Vegetables: corn, red onion, cherry or grape tomatoes, jalapeno, and bell pepper.

How To Make Cowboy Caviar

Start by whisking the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground cayenne, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Then, in a large bowl, combine the black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, bell pepper, and cilantro. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the veggies and toss to coat.  Store covered in the fridge until 30 minutes before serving, then remove it to take the chill off. Toss again right before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Use any colored bell pepper, or use a variety of peppers for color.
• Chop the vegetables fairly fine so a little bit of everything ends up in every bite
• Drain and rinse the beans to remove all the added sodium.
• If the season permits use fresh corn.
• In a hurry?  Skip the dressing and add 1/2 cup of zesty Italian salad dressing.
• Feel free to add finely diced avocado. However, if you are preparing this in advance, add the avocado right before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Cowboy Caviar Recipe

Tasty Cowboy Caviar is made with beans, black-eyed peas, and fresh vegetables, all in a spicy lime vinaigrette.  Serve as a dip, or spoon over grilled fish, grilled chicken, omelets, tacos, burritos, and enchiladas.

4.97 from 29 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Southern

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 93kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

Lime Vinaigrette

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice juice of 1 lime
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cowboy Caviar

• 1 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 15 ounce can black eyed peas drained and rinsed
• 1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels
• ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes quartered
• 1 jalapeño minced
• 1 bell pepper finely diced I used ½ red and ½ orange
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground cayenne, and red pepper flakes.
• In a large bowl, combine the black bean, black-eyed peas, corn, red onion, tomatoes, jalapeno, bell pepper, and cilantro.
• Drizzle the vinaigrette over the caviar and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Store covered in the fridge until 30 minutes before serving.  Toss again right before serving.

Notes

• Use any colored bell pepper, or use a variety of peppers for color.
• Chop the vegetables fairly fine so a little bit of everything ends up in a chip full or a spoonful.  
• Drain and rinse the beans to remove all the added sodium.
• If the season permits, use fresh corn cut right off the cob. 
• Mix up to 1 day in advance but hold the chopped cilantro until about an hour before.
• In a hurry?  Skip the dressing and add 1/2 cup of zesty Italian salad dressing.
• Feel free to add finely diced avocado. However, if you are preparing this in advance, add the avocado right before serving.
• Feel free to substitute pinto beans for the black beans.
• Store leftovers for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 401IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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