No-Cook Chili Bean Salad

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published June 16, 2025

  • Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(1,029)
Comments
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All the usual suspects found in a vegetarian bean chili appear in this salad — canned beans, tomato, bell pepper, red onion and spices — but there’s no cooking-with-heat required. The tomatoes are salted to tenderize and coax out their sweet, umami juices. Cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and dried oregano inject smoky earthiness and complexity. While black and pinto beans are used here, it is absolutely viable to use whatever beans you have on hand for this pantry-friendly recipe. Best of all, the salad can be dressed up with the usual chili toppings such as avocado, sour cream and cheese. Eat as is, or with tortillas or corn chips on the side. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 pound tomatoes, roughly chopped into 1-inch chunks

  • ½ small red onion, finely diced

  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

  • 1 bell pepper, roughly chopped

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • ½ to 1 jalapeño, chopped

  • Handful chopped cilantro leaves

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed

  • 1 lime, quartered 

  • Any combination of corn chips, tortillas, sour cream, avocado and cheese (such as Cheddar, crumbled feta or queso blanco), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

50 grams carbs; 385 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 17 grams fiber; 943 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Leave to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to crush them roughly, extracting juice and softening them.

  2. Step 2

    To the tomatoes, add both types of beans, the bell pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano, jalapeño, cilantro and ¼ cup olive oil; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper and more olive oil, if you like.

  3. Step 3

    Divide the salad among four serving bowls. Serve with lime wedges on the side, and top with desired toppings.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,029 user ratings
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Comments

bj

No jalapeno around? Add a little salsa for the heat. Also works if you don't have enough tomatoes. Need to feed more people? Add another can of beans, preferably a third variety, such as cannellini, chickpeas or kidney beans.

Rachel

As a cowboy caviar fan, this actually tastes pretty different! Very delicious and would be fun to serve at a picnic. Used some last tortillas chip crumbles as a topping which added nice crunch.

Lynn

This was great. Made changes based on what I had. A can of petite diced tomatoes instead of fresh. Several charred shishito peppers diced, instead of jalapeno. 1/2 half a white onion, instead of red. Oops, totally forgot to add oil, and had no cilantro. My paprika wasn’t smoked (it quit smoking in the nineties). BUT…it was very tasty. I do love adaptable recipes that still taste wonderful.

Ava

Delicious and addictive! I mixed chopped avocado right into the salad so it got slightly creamy. This richness eliminated the need for olive oil and added an almost guacamole-like kiss. Who doesn’t want to be kissed by guacamole?!? And topping with the suggested tortilla chips?!? Hasta la vista!!! Ridiculously good.

Meghan

Hard to stop eating this, it's so good. Only modifications I made were that I used 4 heirloom tomatoes in mixed colors so you get more tomato (taste and visual appeal), and I used garlic paste (all hail the paste). Serve with homemade guac, tortilla chips, warm queso, pop open a Modelo, and want for nothing more (except seconds....and then thirds...).

Bucky

This was delicious. It's sort of a chunky gazpacho. The first night, we ate it as a side to our roast chicken. The second night we served it as a cold soup with all the fixins'.

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