Not sure what "cowboy caviar" is? You're in the right place! It's a delicious, colorful, and tangy bean and vegetable dip with a vinegar-based dressing. It's SO easy to make, you just have to open some cans of beans and corn, chop up a few veggies, and make a simple vinaigrette. After trying it for the very first time, I knew I had to make my own version!

So, thanks to many recipe trials, I created the easiest, most flavorful sweet and tangy bean, corn, and veggie dip (with a fraction of the added sugar of other recipes!). This party dip is simple, full-of-flavor, satisfying, and a total crowd-pleaser! Scoop with homemade tortilla chips, serve as a topping, or eat with a spoon as a hearty bean salad. Once you give it a try, you won't want to eat anything else!

Sweet and Tangy Bean, Corn, and Veggie Dip in a serving bowl with tortilla chips around it.

If you're like me, making dishes that are delicious, but also full of nutrients is a priority. This bean, corn, and veggie dip is loaded with three kinds of beans (black, pinto, and great northern), corn, red and green bell peppers, celery, and red onion. It is a great mix of canned and fresh ingredients that's perfect as a quick appetizer!

The beans, corn, and crunchy veggies are brought together with a perfectly balanced apple cider vinaigrette. With just ½ cup of sugar, the vinaigrette is the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Compared to other similar recipes I found on the internet, that's about half the added sugar than what they call for, but with the same sweet and tangy bite!

When I was first testing this recipe, I wasn't sure if raw garlic and raw onions would be too much (I personally don’t like strong raw onion flavor in dips or chicken salads). But by simmering the dressing, then pouring it over the veggies, you essentially pickle the veggies, onion, and garlic, making them much more mild tasting.

And because this bean and corn dip is meant to be eaten either chilled or at room temperature, I recommend making it slightly in advance. As it chills in the fridge, the dressing marinates the beans and veggies, developing more flavor and bringing it down in temperature, making it perfect for serving!

It's an extremely hardy dip, so no need to worry about it getting soggy either! It will be okay in the fridge for a couple days, but if you are making it more than a few days ahead of time, just store the dressing separately in the fridge until at least 2 hours before you plan to serve. For another great dip using corn, you can also serve this Mexican Street Corn Salsa to help round out your Super Bowl, game day, summer BBQ, or holiday appetizer spread.

Ingredients

Instructions

Rinsed beans and corn mixed together in a mixing bowl.

Step 1: Make sure to properly drain and rinse all beans and corn in a colander. Shake off any excess water, then dump into a large mixing bowl.

Veggies added to the beans and corn in the mixing bowl.

Step 2: Add all diced veggies into the bowl with the beans and corn. Stir to combine.

⭐️ Quick tip for rinsing beans! When I worked in a catering kitchen many years ago, I was advised by the head chef to rinse canned beans until I "no longer see any bubbles forming on top."

I still stand by this today and always thoroughly rinse my beans until the foamy bubbles disappear. Rinsing beans makes them far less slimy and way more palatable, especially in a bean-forward dip like this cowboy caviar.

Dressing for cowboy caviar in a saucepan.

Step 3: In a small saucepan, add vinegar, oil, water, sugar, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. Bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is fully dissolved. Then, remove from heat.

Dressing added to the bowl with the beans, corn, and veggies.

Step 4: Pour hot vinegar mix into the bowl with the beans and veggies. Stir until combined.

Step 5: Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but it’s best to let it sit and marinate overnight!
Step 6: Before serving, mix again to redistribute the dressing. You can drain any excess liquid or serve as is with your favorite corn tortilla chips for dipping!

A hand using a tortilla chip to scoop up this homemade cowboy caviar.

My Top Tips!

⭐️ This bean dip is meant to be eaten at room temp or chilled, not warm from the vinaigrette. Cooking the vinaigrette just helps to dissolve the sugar and soften the garlic, but make sure to chill the dip before serving.

⭐️ Cowboy caviar's flavors become more pronounced with some marinating time in the fridge. I recommend making it ahead of time so it can chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

⭐️ This recipe makes a fairly large amount (perfect for a crowd and sharing with others). However, if you want to halve the recipe, you can just use 1 can beans of choice, 1 can of corn, and the same amount of veggies. You can either halve the dressing or just make the same amount and have a little more remaining in the bowl.

A tortilla chip scooping bean, corn, and veggie dip, showing the apple cider dressing in the bowl.

Looking for more dip recipes? Try these:

Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!

Want more recipes like this delivered right to your inbox? Be sure to subscribe above and never miss a thing!

Ingredients

Instructions

My Top Tips!