Cowboy Caviar
Updated May 31, 2025
Cowboy caviar recipe made with two types of beans, frozen corn, bell pepper, jalapeño, and red onion. All the veggies get tossed in a lime dressing.
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My Cowboy Caviar recipe is so good!
I make cowboy caviar whenever I need something quick to throw together for a party or cookout. It’s part dip, part salad, part salsa. I just chop everything, toss it in a large bowl and then mix in the lime dressing. I love that I can scoop it with chips, use it on top of tacos, or just eat it straight from the bowl with a fork (which I do often).
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Cowboy Caviar Ingredients
- Black Beans & Black-Eyed Peas: Use canned, just rinse and drain them well.
- Corn: I use frozen sweet corn, thawed. Fresh works too if you have it, but I usually keep it simple.
- Bell Peppers: I go with one red and one orange as they are sweeter, but any combo works.
- Jalapeño: Take the seeds out if you don’t want it too spicy. Leave some in if you do.
- Avocados: Add right before serving so they don’t get mushy.
- Red Onion & Cilantro: Chop them small so they mix in well without overpowering.
- Dressing: Olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I just shake it all up in a jar and pour it over everything.
How to Make Cowboy Caviar
Cowboy Caviar Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can black eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn thawed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 1 jalapeño seeded and diced
- 2 avocados diced
- ½ red onion diced
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- Tortilla chips for serving
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 limes juiced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the black beans, black eyed peas, sweet corn, red peppers, orange peppers, jalapeño peppers, avocados, red onions and cilantro in a large bowl.
- In a small jar, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, honey, cumin and garlic powder until well combined.
- When ready to serve, drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients and toss well to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with tortilla chips.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
If you try this Cowboy Caviar recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe.
Recipe Variations
- Use Italian dressing instead of the homemade vinaigrette. If you’re in a time crunch, you can use a store-bought bottle of Italian dressing.
- Test out different beans. Kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and pinto beans are all delicious in this recipe.
- Add diced fruit. Mango, pineapple, and watermelon all make great additions to cowboy caviar.
- Try different vegetables. Cucumber, zucchini, and yellow squash are all tasty options.
- Make it vegan. By leaving the honey out from the dressing or using a plant-based alternative, this cowboy caviar recipe turns vegan.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the veggies into uniform pieces. You want to keep the pieces small enough so that they can be easily scooped up with a chip, but not so small that they turn to mush when mixed with the other ingredients.
- Use fresh lime juice. The taste is incomparable to bottled lime juice. If you must use bottled, start with less and add more to taste.
- Taste as you go. This recipe is very forgiving, so don’t be afraid to adjust the ingredients to suit your taste. Add more lime juice if you want it tangier, or more honey if you like it sweeter.
- Make ahead of time. This recipe actually gets better as it sits, so feel free to make it a day or two in advance. Just leave out the avocado and keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Serving Ideas
FAQs
Store any leftover dip in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days without the avocados, or two days with.
According to Wikipedia, the dish was created in the 1940s by Helen Corbitt, a well-known Texas chef. She originally named it “Cowboy Caviar” because she thought it resembled the Beluga caviar that was all the rage at the time.
Not a thing! The two terms are used interchangeably. Since it originates in Texas, some prefer to call it Texas Caviar, instead of cowboy caviar.
If you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to leave it out or substitute it with another fresh herb like parsley or basil.
Comments
The moment I tasted this salad, I fell in love. I know this is my to-go recipe now. Highly recommended. SoooOoo Goood. I tried 4/5 recipes of her and they all turned out amazing.
Thank you Yumna for your hard work ❤
Aw – thank you so much, Saira, for the kind words, it means a lot!!
This was truly…SO GOOOOD!!
Thank you!
🤩🤩🤩🤩
😋💛