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!
Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes seeds removed, diced
- 2 avocados diced
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 (15 ounce) can canned black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can canned black eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 1½ 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
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.
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ExceLente
Thank you!
Have not tried it but looks great for the game tomorrow evening
Can this be made the day before? I was hoping I could mix everything, except the avocado the day before & then just add the avocado a few hours before serving. thanks for your time
Yes, without the avocado this should be just fine overnight!
I made this for a party and it was INHALED by everyone! The flavors were spot on, and the longer it sat in the fridge prior to serving, the better everything tasted. Totally saving this one to make again and again.
So glad everyone loved this Beth!
Do I use extra virgin olive oil or regular olive oil?
I use regular olive oil in this recipe, but either should work.
I made this and topped off some scrambled eggs with it. It was fantastic! Definitely recommending this in the future!
Sounds delicious Katherine, so glad you loved it!
Looks good! The link you gave for the chopper you used didn’t work. Do you have an updated link? Thanks!
If you check the post for my favorite chopper, this will give you the current link. Thank you for letting me know!
How big is one serving for the nutrition information you provided? Thanks.
This recipe serves 12 and you should get about 3 cups. Each serving would be approximately ¼ cup.
You have so many nice recipes,,,,thank you
This is one of my all time favorite recipes, especially in the summertime here in Texas! To switch it up and make it a meal in itself, I’ll add in some diced chicken and a little pasta! Yummy!
Great idea Traci!
I am on Dialysis and this looks like the perfect protein side dish for me. I will be headed to the store later. My mouth is watering. It looks delish.
Enjoy Kitty!
Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of red wine vinegar?
You sure can! The flavor will change slightly depending on which vinegar you use, but it’ll taste great!
Made this and love it! Only thing I did differently was roast the tomato, onion and bell pepper so that it wasn’t as acidic/strong. The vinaigrette is amazing and totally am going to use this on my salads too! 5 stars across the board!
So glad you loved it Brittany! The vinaigrette would go great on salads too!
What could you use other than the black eyed peas as I do not like them?
You could use chick peas, any other type of beans you like, or simply add more black beans. Enjoy, Raechel!
Please specify serving size. You say 335 calories ??:
Sorry about that, this recipe has been updated and makes 12 servings.
Now I’m very picky. Hate vinegar lol. Made this to the recipe and I am now addicted. It is fantastic. We mixed it into our taco salad and put some aside for tomorrow for late night munching. <3 my new go to.
So glad to hear you love the Cowboy Caviar Alexandria!
I made this for a scrapbook workshop. It was devoured! I added an extra Roma tomato, an extra avocado and I added sliced black olives. we also added it to some homemade burritos … so good!
thanks for the recipe. :)
You’re welcome Donna! Glad it was such a hit!
Do you think you could substitute a can of Rotel for the tomatoes and jalepeno’s?
I haven’t tried it but I think that would work. Let us know if you try the Rotel Marilyn!
We have a slight variation on this recipe. Instead of the dressing, we use a small bottle of Pace Picante Dauce, and heat you desire. My kids grew up eating this gir a hot day snack, and they still love it as middle aged adults.
That sounds delicious too Lonna!
I have had this in the past from a friend of mine. It’s was amazing, I could not stop eating it. The recipe she used called for Shoepeg Corn. Not sure what difference is so I thought I’d mention it. Making it tonight for sure.
Enjoy Tim!