Cowboy caviar is a quick and easy appetizer that everyone will love, and it is perfect for summer since there is no cooking involved. 😎👏🏻
My mom used to always make a version of this when we were growing up. It was always popular at tailgates, barbecues and pot lucks. Everyone raves about it, and it is super simple to make!
My mom’s version involved store-bought Italian dressing. This is where I took a left turn with my recipe, friends.🤓 I made my own dressing. But I pinkie promise it is suuuuper simple. 💁🏼♀️
How to Make Cowboy Caviar
Fist I drain and rinse the peas and the beans, drain the corn and the tomatoes, and place everything in a medium to large mixing bowl.
As for the dressing, I have done it three ways: (1) mixed in its own separate bowl then poured over top, (2) sprinkled over the top with all the other ingredients, then stirred together and (3) mixed together in the large bowl first, then dump everything else on top and stir to combine. For this batch I used method 1, whisking everything together in a separate bowl with a fork and pouring it over top.
My dressing is a combination of avocado oil, lime juice, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. And that’s it! If you prefer, you can totally substitute my dressing with 1/2 cup of store bought Italian. That is how my mom always made it, and it is good too.
After pouring the dressing on top, I stir well to mix everything up.
Also, I like to add cilantro to my cowboy caviar. But I KNOW there are strong opinions about cilantro out there. 😳 If you follow me on Instagram Story, you’ll remember I polled the audience recently.
Y’all!!!! That poll got the MOST votes out of any poll I have ever done. Y’all are clearly passionate about your cilantro preferences. 😂🤣
I just want to set your mind at ease if you are a cilantro hater. 😆 You can totally leave this out if you prefer. 👍🏻
Side note – you should totally follow along on Instagram, especially stories. I give the most inside scoop over there, plus many peeks behind the scenes.👀 I LOVE Instagram because it is so interactive and fun.
I admit that I use it to amuse myself at times. 😉 Since I work alone in my house, Instagram Stories gets all of my would-be cubicle conversations. You know, all the random stuff you talk about with your coworkers.
Anyway, I digress. Back to the cowboy caviar recipe!
What goes with cowboy caviar?
So what do you serve with cowboy caviar? My number one will always be tortilla chips. Forever and ever, amen. 😍🙏🏻
But here are a few other ways we have enjoyed it:
- Stirred into cooked quinoa and chilled to make an easy quinoa salad 🙌🏻
- Spooned on top of grilled chicken
- On top of grilled fish
- With fajitas
- With any tacos
- On baked sweet potatoes
- With nachos
- On quesadillas
- On tostadas
- In wraps
- Served by itself as a side, like a bean salad
Basically you cannot go wrong putting cowboy caviar on all the Mexican or Tex Mex food, y’all. Knock yourself out!
How long with it keep?
It will easily last a week in the refrigerator. I may have even kept a batch closer to two weeks, although that is slightly riskier.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze it for up to a couple months in an airtight container. When you are ready to eat it, just place it in the fridge for a couple days to thaw. Give it a good stir prior to eating/ serving.
Cowboy Caviar Recipe
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Cowboy Caviar (Texas Caviar)
Cowboy caviar is a quick and easy appetizer that everyone will love, and it is perfect for summer since there is no cooking involved.
Ingredients
- 1 can black eyed peas 15 ounce, drained and rinsed
- 1 can black beans 15 ounce, drained and rinsed
- 1 can sweet corn or shoepeg corn 15 ounce, drained
- 1 can tomatoes with green chiles 10 ounce, drained - I used Rotele
- 1 jar mild or medium salsa 16 ounce - I used Sprouts mild organic salsa
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Dressing*
- 1/3 cup avocado oil (olive oil works too)
- juice of 1 lime (equals about 1.5 Tablespoons)
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper to taste (I used 1/4 salt, 1/8 pepper, FYI.)
Instructions
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Mix up the dressing and whisk to combine with a whisk or fork. You can do this in the same big bowl and then add the other stuff on top.
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Add the rest of the ingredients to a medium to large mixing bowl, and stir well to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste preference.
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Refrigerate leftovers for 1 week, possibly up to 2 weeks.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
*You may substitute the dressing with 1/2 cup of store-bought Italian dressing
This makes a BIG batch - approximately 9 cups (36 quarter cup servings). But you'll eat more than one serving, trust me. 😉
Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.
Refrigerate for 1 week. It may last as long as 2 weeks.
Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container. To thaw, place in fridge for a couple days, and give it a good stir prior to eating/ serving.
We mostly serve/ eat this with tortilla chips, but here are a few other ways we have enjoyed it:
- Stirred into cooked quinoa and chilled to make an easy quinoa salad 🙌🏻
- Spooned on top of grilled chicken
- On top of grilled fish
- With fajitas
- With any tacos
- On baked sweet potatoes
- With nachos
- On quesadillas
- On tostadas
- In wraps
- Served by itself as a side, like a bean salad
Note: This post originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy June 20,2018.
Christy says
We’ve been eating this for a long time! I like how you made you own spice mix rather than using a packet. Good job!