Cannellini Bean Salad with Mint

Cannellini Bean Salad with Mint is a wow salad to make with fresh mint if you’re lucky enough to have some in your garden!

Click here to PIN the Cannellini Bean Salad!

This Cannellini Bean Salad with Mint is a dish that immediately perked up my taste buds, and after I took one bite of this salad when a woman named Merritt brought it to my neighborhood block party, I quickly asked her for the recipe. It’s such a simple Cannellini Bean Salad where the beans are marinated in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, and finely chopped mint, but this may be my favorite mint recipe ever.

Merritt said she found the recipe in a cookbook called The Vegan Gourmet (affiliate link), and changed it just slightly over the years she’s been making it. For years I’ve loved mint as an addition to Tabbouleh, but this is another favorite mint salad!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• canned Cannellini beans, or see notes for using fresh-cooked beans
• olive oil
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• finely minced fresh mint leaves
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Want to cook your own Cannellini Beans?

Here are tips for How to Cook Dried Beans in the Slow Cooker or Instant Pot, and I think cooking batches of dried beans and freezing them is a great way to kick the canned bean habit. If you prefer to cook your own beans, you’ll need 3 1/2 cups cooked beans for this recipe.

Are you growing fresh mint?

If you haven’t tried growing your own herbs, mint is ridiculously easy to grow, and can tolerate most any type of abuse. However, be sure to plant it in a contained area or a pot, because it will overtake any other plants that are in the area. Check out my post on Cooking with Fresh Mint for lots more information and recipes using mint!

How to make this Cannellini Bean Salad with Mint:

(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)

1. Merritt made the salad with canned Cannellini beans, but of course if you have dried beans and time to soak and cook them it would be even better. If you use canned beans, rinse well until no more foam appears, then let drain well.
2. Very finely chopped mint is essential to the success of the dish. Chopping releases the oil in the mint leaves, which flavors the marinade.
3. Mix the finely chopped mint with the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and then mix in beans.
4. Merritt says letting the salad marinate at room temperature for several hours is very important.

More Salads with Cannellini Beans:

Cannellini Bean and Tuna Salad with Peperoncini ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
Mediterranean Shrimp Salad with Cannellini Beans ~ Foodie Crush
Tuna and White Bean Salad ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 6 servings

Cannellini Bean Salad with Mint

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Cannellini Bean Salad with Mint is a simple salad made with canned Cannellini Beans and fresh mint from the garden.

Ingredients

• two 15 oz. cans Cannellini beans, rinsed and well drained (see notes)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely minced fresh mint leaves
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Drain beans into colander and rinse well until no more foam appears, then let beans drain until they are fairly dry. (Sometimes I blot dry with paper towels if they don’t seem to be dry enough.)
2. While beans drain, finely chop mint with chef’s knife.
3. In a plastic bowl big enough to hold beans, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
4. Stir in mint, then add beans and gently stir until beans are coated.
5. Allow this to marinate at room temperature for several hours before serving.
6. The beans will keep in the fridge for several days, but let come to room temperature again and stir before serving leftovers.
7. I’ve been eating leftovers for lunch at school this week and can testify that they’re great.

Notes

If you prefer to cook your own beans use 3 1/2 cups freshly cooked beans. I'd use my fresh-frozen lemon juice for this recipe.

This recipe slightly adapted by Merritt from The Vegan Gourmet.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 107mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 9gSugar: 1gProtein: 14g

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:
This salad that’s made with low-glycemic beans would be great for any phase of the original South Beach Diet but be sure to limit serving size for Phase One. This is too high in carbs for a low-carb diet plan.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Salad Recipes for more ideas for summer salads! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You can also Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2008, and I’ve made it quite a few times since then. The recipe was updated with more information in 2021.

Share This: