Four Bean Summer Salad

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Four Bean Summer Salad: green beans, wax beans, kidney beans & chickpeas tossed in a sweet-sour vinaigrette- an easy potluck or make-ahead side.

When temperatures soar, vinaigrette dressings are best. They are not only refreshing, but they are also safe to serve when there is no refrigeration available.

Four bean salad in a green glass bowl and mustard jar in the background.

Red onion adds savory goodness to this summer staple, making it the right dish for grilling, barbecuing, and smokin' hot weather!

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Why This is The Best Four Bean Summer Salad!
Ingredients for a Four Bean Summer Salad
Step-by-Step Instructions
My Top Tips
Substitutions & Variations
Recipe FAQs for Four Bean Salad
Other Recipes You Will Love
More Delicious Salad Recipes
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Why This is The Best Four Bean Summer Salad!

This is an update of my Mom's "Vegetable Bean Salad" which has less sugar and a hint of the tangy flavor of Dijon mustard. Plus, it is another great make-ahead dish that gets better if it is made the day before serving. Nutritious and colorful beans never tasted so good!

Because vinaigrette dressings can easily stand the heat, vinaigrette salads are the absolute best for hot summer days and picnics far away from home. They contain no mayonnaise that might spoil on hot days… and are refreshing and light when the temperatures soar.

My Mom used to make her three bean salad only in the summer and it was a staple for when we would have the occasional picnic with friends. Unfortunately, I have no idea where she got this recipe… or when.

My earliest remembrance of it goes back to about the summer of 1964, when Mom made it for an outing to Blue Rock Springs with neighbors. I wrote it down in 1975, copying it from her handwritten recipe book. But, as always, I have tweaked it to make it my own.

My mom's handwritten bean salad recipe in a 3-ring recipe binder from the 1960s.

The original recipe called for 3 types of beans: green, wax, and red kidney. It contained more sugar and no prepared mustard. My Mom's recipe also called for beans in a #303 can. This is an American can size, and recipes written by mid-century home cooks often noted the 303 can. Before 1980, this can generally held about "2 cups" or 16 oz of product.

Today, the cans are slightly smaller and only contain 15 ½ ounces of food, but the ½ oz slight change in size doesn't affect the proportions of the recipe.

You can probably guess why I reduced the sugar. Although I loved the original recipe, I felt it was a bit too sweet.

As for the mustard? I add it not for flavor, but for its wonderful property of emulsifying oil with vinegar. You can make this salad without it, but adding it helps keep the oil from separating from the vinegar.

There isn't a lot of fuss about making this colorful bean salad as most of the ingredients are pantry items. Chopping the onion is the only step that might take a little time.

So, let's cook!

Ingredients for a Four Bean Summer Salad

The ingredients, from top left to bottom: apple cider vinegar, sugar, cooking oil, black pepper, Dijon mustard, salt, green beans, red onion, wax beans, garbanzo beans, and kidney beans.

Here's what you need for the Vinaigrette Salad Dressing:

Apple Cider Vinegar - Apple cider vinegar was always the vinegar we had on hand. It tastes a little sweeter than other vinegars.
White Granulated Sugar - This is a sweet and sour vinaigrette and you need sugar to make it sweet.
Salt - Salt will magnify the sweet and sour flavors of the dressing.
Cooking Oil - I prefer a completely neutral flavored oil for this salad and generally use safflower or canola oil.
Dijon Mustard - Mustard is an emulsifier in the salad dressing and Dijon has a nice spicy kick.
Freshly Ground Black Pepper - Freshly ground black pepper adds heat and flowery notes.

And for the Salad:

You will need one 14 to 16-ounce can of each of the following beans:

Cut Green Beans
Cut Wax Beans or Yellow Beans
Red Kidney Beans
Garbanzo Beans

Plus these Aromatics:

Red Onion - Red onion is sweet and savory and a perfect choice in salads.
Green Bell Pepper - Optional. If you like the vegetal flavor of green bell pepper, it is an excellent addition to this salad.

Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Process Photo 1 - Whisking the salad dressing ingredients in a small saucepan.

Make the Dressing. In a small saucepan mix together vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and cool.

Add the oil, Dijon mustard, and black pepper to the vinegar and sugar solution and whisk vigorously to combine.

Process Photo 2 - The green beans, wax beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and chopped red onion in a large mixing bowl.

Make the Salad. Drain the liquid from the beans, place them in a colander, and rinse them well with cold water. Place the beans in a large bowl and add the finely chopped onion.

If desired also add finely chopped green bell pepper.

Process Photo 3 - Pouring the salad dressing over the beans and chopped red onion.

Dress the Salad. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

The four beans, red onion, and salad dressing are mixed together in a large bowl.

My Top Tips

♡ This salad is at its very best when it's made the day before and allowed to marinate overnight.

Substitutions & Variations

Substitute Fresh Beans. This recipe can also be made with fresh green and yellow beans. Use ½ pound of each. Snap ends and cut beans into 1" pieces. Gently steam until beans are barely tender and shock in ice water. Drain well before using.
Substitute White Vinegar. Instead of apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar.