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 avocados diced
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 15 ounces canned black beans 1 can, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounces canned black eyed peas 1 can, rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups frozen corn kernels thawed
- 1 bell pepper diced, any color
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed, finely diced
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Tortilla chips for serving
DRESSING
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
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
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Oh my goodness, not enough stars for this! I just made it today and I could eat the whole bowl. The only changes I had to make was to use sweet onion, no jalapeno and substituted red kidney beans for the black eyed peas. I also added the zest of two fresh limes. Hubby went crazy for it. Your recipes are amazing, sorry it has taken me so long to post a comment. Thank you so very much for all your recipes and work for us. Many hugs to you dearheart…..
That is so sweet of you! I am glad you enjoyed it so much.
I had a similar recipe but lost it. It had diced Monterey Jack cheese in it as well
Made this for Easter. It was a big hit everyone loved it. Simple to make.
Incredible! I make it all the time now! Making the dressing really makes the difference!
Great and I just made it taste perfect
my family loves this recipe!
what is the serving size for nutritional information? thank you
Hi Lori,
Each serving would be approximately ¼ cup. I hope that helps!
We enjoyed this very much. I added a little chili powder and cumin to the dressing. Outstanding.
Absolutely delicious. Great for parties, or my favorite way is to use it as dressing on tossed salads! On top of a grilled chicken salad is divine!!
This recipe is SO good!!!!! I made it for my sisters birthday and served it with tortilla chips. It was such a hit, lots of our guests even had it by the spoon full. I enjoy also making this dish for my lunches by topping in on some quinoa.
My family loved this recipe! I made it New Year’s Eve as a side and I served it with tortilla chips. This is definitely a keeper!
wonderful!! so easy to make and delicious but i added tofu shredded & Brown in a skillet.
Delicious and healthy~
5 STAR Love this and so easy to make. I used black beans and pinto beans but keep everything else the same. The whole family loves.
I’ve made this more times than I’d like to admit. There have been nights when cowboy caviar is our only dish for dinner. So so so good!
Delicious. I did change the beans a bit. We are not fans of black eyed peas.
Just made it it! Tried it before refrigerating, it was delicious! Great addition to tacos tonight. Love your recipes.
Love this recipe. It is my second time making it. How long does it last in the fridge?
It should last in the fridge for about a week.
Added celery and cucumber for extra crunch.
So refreshing. I’m going to be making this recipe often!