Black Bean and Pepper Salad

This tasty Black Bean and Pepper Salad has more peppers than beans for a more carb-conscious black bean salad! And this salad has a tasty dressing with lime and Chipotle to kick up the flavors.

PIN the black bean salad to try it later!

I know Black Bean and Pepper Salad isn’t going to be a hit for some of my readers, so I’m going to send you to check out 20 Keto Salads for Summer Dinners if you want salad ideas that are super low in carbs. But for people who eat beans in moderation, this salad is absolutely delicious!

And even if you skip the cilantro (or replace it with thinly-sliced green onion) this will still be amazing. And black beans are a great pantry ingredient for everyone who enjoys beans.

I love the colors in this black bean salad too. For best flavor, mix the dressing and let the beans marinate for a while (or at least while you chop the other ingredients) but even if you’re in a rush and forget to marinate the beans, it will still taste pretty great!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• canned black beans
• red bell peppers
• yellow bell pepper
• green onion
• cilantro, (optional)
• zest of one lime (optional, but recommended)
• fresh-squeezed lime juice, you could use fresh-frozen lime juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• ground Chipotle chile pepper (affiliate link) (see notes)
• chili powder
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• Onion Powder (affiliate link)
• Vege-Sal (affiliate link) or salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste

How did I make a more carb-conscious black bean salad?

I was inspired to update the photos and make a more carb-conscious version of this salad when I found those really huge red and yellow bell peppers (that led to the idea for Grilled Sausage and Peppers on Kabobs). And using more peppers and fewer beans makes this a lower-carb version of the salad, with about 19 net carbs per serving!

What makes this Black Bean and Pepper Salad so flavorful?

It’s the flavorful dressing with lime zest, fresh-squeezed lime juice, olive oil, ground chipotle chiles, chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, Vege-Sal (or salt), and fresh ground black pepper that makes this salad to delicious!

What if you’re not a cilantro fan?

If you don’t enjoy the flavor of cilantro, just use thinly-sliced green onion in this black bean salad!

How to make Black Bean and Pepper Salad:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. These are the amazing peppers that were on sale for $.88 each at my store. If you have really large peppers I’d just use one red pepper and one yellow pepper. If your peppers are just average size, I’d use two red peppers and one yellow pepper.
2. Drain the black beans into a colander placed in the sink, then rinse with cold water until no more foam appears and let beans drain.
3. If you have a fresh lime, some lime zest added to the dressing really brightens the flavor.
4. After you mix all the dressing ingredients, marinate the drained beans in part of the dressing mixture if you have time.
5. Chop the red bell peppers and yellow bell peppers into pieces about the same size as the beans.
6. Thinly slice green onions and ch0p cilantro (if using). I used Rick Bayless’ cilantro chopping method where you keep the bunch of cilantro together and thinly slice the leaves up to where the stems start.
7. Mix the marinated beans and peppers together. Gently mix in the rest of the dressing.
8. Mix the green onion and chopped cilantro into the bean and pepper mixture. Then season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve.

More Delicious Salads with Black Beans:

• Shrimp and Black Bean Salad
• Black Bean Salad with Jicama
• Black Bean Salad with Black-Eyed Peas

Continue to Content

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Yield: 4 servings

Black Bean and Pepper Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Black Bean and Pepper Salad (with cilantro and lime) is a colorful salad that's perfect for a meatless side dish.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• one 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed well and drained
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped (see notes)
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped (see notes)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)

Dressing Ingredients:

• zest of one lime (optional, but recommended)
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground Chipotle pepper (see notes)
• 1/2 tsp. mild chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• Vege-sal or salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put black beans in a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.
2. Let beans drain until beans are no longer wet. (If you’re rushed for time, you could blot them dry with paper towels.)
3. Mix dressing ingredients.
4. Put beans and dressing into a plastic bowl with a snap-on lid, put lid on, and turn bowl over a few times until the beans are well coated with the dressing.
5. Let the beans marinate in the dressing for an hour or so if you have time, or at least while you chop the other ingredients.
6. Chop peppers into pieces about 1/2 inch square. (I was aiming for the beans and peppers to be approximately the same size.)
7. Slice green onion.
8. Wash cilantro and dry well, then chop coarsely. I used a salad spinner (affiliate link).
9. Mix the marinated beans and peppers together. Gently mix in the rest of the dressing.
10. Mix the green onion and chopped cilantro into the bean and pepper mixture. Then season with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve.
11. This will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator, although it’s best when the cilantro is still crisp. However, I taste-tested it on my friend Robin when it had been in the refrigerator overnight and she gave it a very enthusiastic thumbs up.

Notes

Use any combination of colored peppers for this salad. If you find really large peppers I would use one large red pepper and one large yellow pepper. You could use a small amount of hot sauce to replace the ground Chipotle pepper.

This recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from a blog that no longer exists.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 203Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 572mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 10gSugar 4gProtein 8g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Everything in this Mexican-inspired Black Bean Salad is a perfect low-glycemic ingredient, making this a great recipe for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. (Remember that dried beans are limited to 1/3 to 1/2 cup serving for phase one.) If you want a salad that’s lower in carbs, use less beans and more other ingredients, but salads with beans are probably not suitable for strict low-carb eating plans.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salads to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for This Recipe
This Black Bean Salad recipe was first posted in 2014. The recipe was updated with better photos and a more carb-conscious twist in 2021, and it was last updated with more information in 2024.

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