Name: Taco Dense Bean Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 can black beans; 1 can whole kernel corn; 1/2 a red bell pepper; 1 cucumber; 2 tsp taco seasoning

black beans, corn, cucumbers, bell peppers, in a taco sauce, taco dense bean salad recipe in a bowl on a neutral surface

Need an easy salad recipe that’s ready in less than 10 minutes? This Southwest Dense Bean Salad is the perfect plant based meal when you’re already hungry. Tiktok viral dense bean salads have been flooding my social media feeds and with good reason- they’re delicious and packed with fiber! And this one only requires 7 ingredients!

dense bean taco salad with black beans, corn, cucumbers, bell peppers, in a taco sauce,

Key Ingredients in Dense Bean Salad

Black Beans- I like to get canned black beans that are reduced sodium.

Corn- Canned whole kernal corn that’s low sodium or no salt added are my go-to for taco salad.

Cucumber- I like to keep a bag of mini cucumbers on hand throughout the week, so I usually toss two or three in this southwest salad.

Red Bell Pepper- I like to use red bell peppers for this taco salad, but green, yellow, or orange all work fine.

Taco Seasoning- To keep things simple I use store-bought taco seasoning, whichever brand is on sale.

Lemon Juice- I recommend fresh lemon or lime juice for this dense bean salad. The stuff in the jar doesn’t taste as good, but can work in a pinch.

cucumbers, red bell peppers, black beans, corn, in a taco sauce, taco dense bean salad recipe in a bowl on a neutral surface

How To Make Dense Bean Salad Taco Style

Making Taco Dense Bean Salad couldn’t be easier. Just dice up the cucumbers and pepper then toss all the ingredients in bowl and mix until well combined.

How to Store Taco Dense Bean Salad

Store this vegan dense bean salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

Tips for Making Dense Bean Salad

Rinse the beans: rinsing the black beans will give you the best texture in your salad (we don’t want any of that bean goo in the salad! lol)

Amp up the nutrition: you can make this salad even more nutritious by adding in cilantro, an extra can of beans like pinto beans or chickpeas, or leafy lettuce.

Adjust seasonings: be sure to taste your dense bean salad to see if you want to add more taco seasoning or additional salt.

What to Eat with Taco Dense Bean Salad

I love to have this southwest dense bean salad for lunch as-is, but it’s also amazing served with tortilla chips and Homemade Spicy Salsa and a non-alcoholic frozen Mango Margarita on the side.