This Mediterranean Bean Salad is packed with protein-rich beans, crisp fresh vegetables, and a bright homemade dressing for the best dense bean salad. This salad is easy to make, full of fresh flavor, and is great for meal prep, lunch, or a healthy side dish.
If you love these flavors, you’ll also love this Mediterranean Pasta Salad or this Mediterranean Pizza.
I’m not one to always jump on the latest TikTok trend or viral video. But this Mediterranean Bean Salad has shown that sometimes, those viral recipes are the ones that you need to keep. The original viral version, known as the dense bean salad, first went crazy in 2024, and the fact that it is still popular shows that it is because it’s just a really good recipe.
There are lots of different versions out there, and this is a salad that is pretty hard to mess up, so I always just add in my favorites, or what I have on hand. But I love that I can make up a batch early in the week, and I’ve got a protein and fiber packed salad to snack on whenever I’m hungry.
Ingredients
For the Dressing: This is a simple vinaigrette, made from olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, honey, oregano, mustard, salt and pepper. You can sub in a neutral oil for the olive oil, if desired.
For the Salad: I use 2 kinds of beans, both chickpeas and cannellini beans. You can use any white bean, but these are my favorites. I also add bell peppers, cucumber, red onion, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, parsley, and dill. The great thing about this salad is that you can change things up easily – adding in other vegetables you like, or removing ingredients you don’t like.
How to Make Mediterranean Bean Salad
STEP 1: To make the dressing, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Place the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until everything has come together.
STEP 2: Add of the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over, and stir to combine. The salad can be served right away, or refrigerated until later.
Tips and Tricks
If you’d like your salad to be lightly dressed, only add half of the dressing, then taste and add more as needed.
This salad will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The feta will get a bit mushy, so you can keep that out and add some to each portion when serving, if desired.
You can store the salad in one large bowl or container, but I like to divide it up into individual servings so that they are easy to grab and go.
More Salad Recipes
Grilled Corn Salad
Pea Salad
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
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Mediterranean Bean Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Salad:
- 1 (15 to 16 oz) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 bell peppers diced (I like to use 2 different colors)
- 1/2 English cucumber diced
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup diced pepperoncini
Instructions
- In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine all of the dressing ingredients. Put the lid on and shake vigorously to combine.1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients. Pour the dressing over the top, then stir until everything is mixed and coated.1 (15 to 16 oz) can chickpeas, 1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, 2 bell peppers, 1/2 English cucumber, 1/2 cup diced red onion, 1/2 cup kalamata olives, 1/2 cup feta cheese, 1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley, 1/4 cup diced pepperoncini
- Serve right away, or refrigerate until needed.
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