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
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As much as I love Cowboy Caviar, I would disagree with adding the avocado unless it’s going to be consumed same day. I’d serve on sliced avocado and some diced cucumber.
Very good and fresh! Great recipe!
Delish !! Perfect for the summer
About how long can you keep this in the fridge and eat off it for??
Hi Arielle, it should last in the fridge for about a week.
Excellent this Coboy Caviar is delicious Love it ❤
I don’t use this recipe as a dip but as a salad. No tortilla chips needed. It’s one of my favorite salads for lunches I meal prep and bring to work. I get a bag of small avocados and dice one up for each salad and mix it into the rest just before eating. I split it up into 4 servings. So delicious!
I put feta cheese and use white corn instead if sweet corn. So good and I am not a bean person at all. SO YUMMY!!!
My favorite potluck appetizer recipe. Have made it dozens of times. Always a hit. I don’t like green peppers, I like to use orange and yellow. I follow the recipe as written.
This was delicious and so simple to make! Thanks!
Awesome stuff. my picky family loved it!! Thanks for sharing!! I doubled the jalapeno, and traded out black eyed peas for garbanzo beans. Perfect!
Can this recipe be canned? Are there any recipe modifications that would be needed?
Thanks!
Hi Kim, we have never tried canning this recipe and I don’t do much canning myself so I am not sure. Maybe another reader can help you out with that.
SOOOOO easy to make, and the neighbors loved it! If I’m in a real hurry, I get the pre-chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions from the produce section at the market. My go-to recipe when I want a healthy appetizer!
Great recipe. I used fresh from the garden beefsteak tomatoes. Had it with grilled BBQ drumsticks & tortilla chips for dinner. So cool & refreshing on a hot summer evening. Thank you
I’ve had different variations of this dish. Yours is hands down the best and I use it every time! Thanks for sharing!
I am now asked to make this at every family BBQ, etc. People beg me to take leftovers home with them. I eat it by the spoonful…you don’t always need chips! This stuff is delicious and addicting!
I used corn chip scoops, delicious!
Everything looks great
if you put this in jars in the fridge how long will it keep?
With the exception of the avocado, this should keep just fine for about 4 days in the fridge. Enjoy Kathy!
Absolutely delicious!!! Always think of this as a summer dish even though it’s great year round. I ran across your recipe and realized I had almost all the ingredients. Didn’t have lime but added a tablespoon of lemon instead. Similar acidic tone for my tastes.
Hi!
Quick question. How much is considered a serving?
Thank you!
For this recipe that would be approximately 1/2 – ⅔ of a cup.