Texas caviar (also sometimes known as cowboy caviar or cowboy salsa) doesn't require an oven and can feed a crowd! Serve this as a dip or salsa at your next cookout.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own.
I just love easy recipes, don't you?
This one requires a little chopping, but you don't need to turn your oven on and it makes a mountain of food, meaning you can cook today and take tomorrow off.
This is one of my favorite recipes to prep before a busy week, especially if we have outdoor sports to attend. You can pack a cooler with Texas caviar, grab a bag of tortilla chips, and stay satisfied all day at the ball fields.
What is cowboy caviar?
Cowboy caviar is another name for Texas caviar. It is a mixture of beans, vegetables, and dressing that can be served as a salad or dip. It has a bright, fresh flavor and is loaded with nutrients.
Its name is a bit of tongue and cheek. Actual caviar is expensive roe, while cowboy caviar is an inexpensive mix of veggies and beans that would fit in on the farm. Unlike actual caviar, cowboy caviar is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free.
Ingredients
For the salad
- Canned Black-eyed peas
- Canned black beans
- Frozen corn
- Red bell pepper
- Green bell pepper
- Roma tomatoes
- Red onion
- Jalapeno
- Cilantro
- Avocados
For the dressing
- Olive oil
- Lime
- Red wine vinegar
- Honey
- Ground cumin
- Garlic
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to make Texas caviar
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients except the avocado and toss to combine.
- Add the avocado and dressing and gently fold until everything is coated in the dressing.
Top tips
Chop big or small
If you're serving this as a salad, I recommend dicing the veggies a little bigger. If you plan to serve it as a dip, try a smaller dice, closer to a mince. This will make it easier to pick up a little bit of everything on one chip.
Add the avocado to individual servings
If you're making this for a crowd, go ahead and mix the avocado in with everything else. The dressing will help keep it from turning brown too quickly.
However, if you plan to make this and eat leftovers for a few days, I recommend adding the avocado to individual servings. This will make it as fresh as possible and allow you to add as much as you prefer.
How to serve Texas caviar
- As a salad enjoyed on its own
- With tortilla chips as a dip
- As a topping for tacos or nachos (consider trying my mushroom walnut taco meat, sheet pan veggie tacos, campfire nachos, or healthy baked nachos)
- As a filling for tacos with my healthy guacamole or green avocado sauce
How to store
This recipe will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing it because the fresh vegetables would lose their crunch when thawing.
Tips for customizing Texas caviar
- Use more or less vegetables to taste, such as jalapenos, onion, or avocado
- Use store bought Italian dressing in place of the homemade dressing outlined here
- Swap any of the beans for all black beans or black eyed peas, or your favorite beans such as pinto, great northern, or navy beans
- Swap the frozen corn for canned corn or fresh steamed corn on the cob that has been cut off the cob.
FAQ
Yes, this recipe is naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Even if you're not a vegetable lover, you might be surprised how much you like this recipe. Sometimes mixing a bunch of different ingredients together creates something that tastes so much better than all those things on their own. Alcohol drinkers might compare it to enjoying a Long Island Iced Tea!
More dip recipes
- Taco Dip
- Easy Mango Avocado Salsa
- Avocado Chimichurri Chip Dip
- Spicy Honey Mustard Avocado Dip
- Whipped Feta Dip
- White Bean Dip
- Buffalo Dip
- Pico de Gallo with Avocado
- Basic Hummus
- Beetroot Hummus
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Texas Caviar
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 15 ounce cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn, defrosted
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 1 green bell pepper, diced small
- 2 roma tomatoes, seeds and ribs removed, diced small
- ½ cup red onion, diced small
- 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
- ⅓ cup cilantro, minced
- 2 avocados, diced
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients except the avocado and toss to combine.
- Add the avocado and dressing and gently fold until everything is coated in the dressing.
Notes
Tips for customizing Texas caviar
- Use more or less vegetables to taste, such as jalapenos, onion, or avocado
- Use store bought Italian dressing in place of the homemade dressing outlined here
- Swap any of the beans for all black beans or black eyed peas, or your favorite beans such as pinto, great northern, or navy beans
- Swap the frozen corn for canned corn or fresh steamed corn on the cob that has been cut off the cob.
Leave a Reply