Cowboy Caviar is one recipe everyone raves about!
A fresh, simple dip that can be thrown together in under 15 minutes!
This Cowboy Caviar makes a great side dish for any picnic, potluck, or party, and is a great way to use up your summer produce!
I tried cowboy caviar for the first time at a potluck last summer and was instantly obsessed
I didn’t expect it from this unassuming, summery dip that at first glance I confused with chunky salsa or pico de gallo, but one bite and I knew that I was hooked for life.
The saltiness of the chips combined with the freshness of the tomatoes, the crispness of the pepper, the subtle heat of the jalapeno, the faint hint of lime and garlic…. It was heaven.
A replication of the highest order was necessary, and since that first fateful bite last year, I have perfected my own recipe for cowboy caviar and I am so excited to share it with you today.
I made this cowboy caviar for my family last weekend for Easter, and after baking both my signature carrot cake and coffee cake for brunch, I wanted something a little less sweet, and definitely something that wouldn’t require turning on the oven.
This cowboy caviar is easy to make, just a matter of chopping your veggies and tossing everything together.
If you ask me, the trick to the best possible cowboy caviar is to dice the ingredients that need dicing (the tomatoes, onion, pepper, etc — not the beans!) very small, the smaller the better. Try to keep your tomato and avocado pieces petite rather than big and chunky (about bean-sized works great!). An easy way to do this is with my favorite chopper, including for the tomatoes!
To easily cut my avocado, I like to slice it in half and then score it into small pieces using my knife, then just scoop everything out into the bowl with a large spoon!
Everyone who tried this cowboy caviar loved it and the bowl was scraped clean in record time.
P.S. As you can see in the pictures, I love serving these with tortilla chips, but cowboy caviar also tastes amazing eaten straight by the spoon!
Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes seeds removed, diced
- 2 ripe avocados diced
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- 15 oz black beans rinsed and drained
- 15 oz black eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn thawed (I just usually toss it in the salad frozen unless I plan on eating it immediately, it thaws quite quickly)
- 1 bell pepper diced (I used half a green and half a red, but color doesn’t matter)
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed, diced into very small pieces
- ⅓ cup Cilantro finely chopped
DRESSING
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh preferred
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes, avocado, onion, black beans, black eyed peas, corn, pepper, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss/stir well so that ingredients are well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Pour dressing over other ingredients and stir/toss very well.
- Keep refrigerated. If not serving immediately, be sure to toss/stir well before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
More Recipes You Will Love:
I don’t see a serving size indicated. Can you advise how much a serving would be?
Hi Gracie, for this recipe that would be approximately 1/2 – 2/3 of a cup. Enjoy!
Great and easy recipe. I added Cumin to taste to give it more flavor. Delicious.
Fabulous! I made it exactly as shown. My husband and I gorged ourselves. So delicious and fresh!
This is a fantastic recipe. I made for a potluck (cowboy themed) so it was perfect. For the most part I stuck to the recipe but mad a few tweaks but using both red onion and green onions. I also added a healthy dash of Worcestershire as I found other recipes that featured this as an additional ingredient. Pretty easy to make just time consuming with lots of chopping but worth it for sure. I will definitely make this dish again.
I just made the candy bacon I’m going to try cowboy caviare soon as I get All the ingredients and there’s more I send this to my family and friends too
It’s soo ooo good! I just don’t add cilantro and add twice the sauce
Outstanding!!
Delicious! Used the canned corn (summer fresh kind). Took it to a bbq and poof – gone in no time!
This recipe was wonderful. I substituted cannellini beans for black eyed peas and added 2 jalapeños. You can also just use canned sweet corn. I also love the taste of cherry tomatoes instead of Roma tomatoes. I just diced those up and it was a hit! Thank you for the recipe!
This is my go-to party dish, and it gets rave reviews every time. I also make this as a vegan salad meal by adding salad green and rice or quinoa!!!
That’s a great tip Michele! I am so glad you enjoy this recipe!
Had this at a summer bbq and found this recipe to make it at home. It makes a lot but it’s so delicious that it gets eaten fast in my home. I like it for brunch with sunny side eggs on top. Love and will be making this often!
I made this and it’s really tasty! I added some chopped green onion as well. I like to put some on top of chopped romaine and take as a lunch salad.
Delicious
It was a big hit but not a lot eaten. I am wondering if it can be frozen or how long it keeps. With just two of us eating on it, it will be around for days and longer.
Delicious. Made it for my granddaughters last family meal as she heads to college. Everyone loved it. Thanks.
Delicious. Made it for my granddaughters last family meal as she heads to college. Everyone loved it. Added extra chicken to feed 7. Thanks.
Always a big hit! Makes a larger batch but it’s easy to half.
My hole family love this recipe. it’s just amazing how good it is.
I really recommend this recipe ❤️
Ma’am. That’s called ceviche.
We make ceviche with seafood, most often shrimp, scallops or shrimp!
lol no sir, it isn’t
I love this recipe and it’s a crowd pleaser each time. I did add a smidge more garlic and salt but it’s pretty perfect as written. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.