Cowboy Caviar

This Cowboy Caviar is a colorful, fresh snack or summer picnic dip that's naturally vegan and gluten-free. It's the perfect dish to make for your next backyard BBQ.

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Summer is the time for outdoor activities - whether it's a picnic in the park, a trip to the lake for some boating or paddle boarding, or just a fun afternoon in someone's backyard. And summer activities create the need for packable snacks.

Contents:

• What's so great about Cowboy Caviar?
• Ingredient Notes
• Making Cowboy Caviar
• Recommended Tools
• Serving Suggestions
• More appetizer recipes
• Cowboy Caviar

What's so great about Cowboy Caviar?

There are tons of different ways to make Cowboy Caviar - or Texas Caviar, as it's also called - and a lot of them involve bottled salad dressing. While I'm not gonna tell you I never use it, I'm not a huge fan of bottled dressing. So since it's easy to do, I typically make my own dressings. I did the same for this recipe as I wanted something light and without too much sugar or oil. This also lets you control the seasonings and adjust them to your tastes!!

You’re going to be obsessed with this flavorful dip! It's....

• It's easy to transport so it's a great addition to any party and also works well for summer picnics and BBQs!
• This is a really tasty dip and it's super easy to make. All you need to do is open a couple of cans of beans, chop a few veggies, and toss it all with a simple dressing.
• It also has the added benefit of being naturally vegan and gluten-free!
• It's a great make-ahead recipe that can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. This lets the flavors really meld so it almost gets better over time!!

This is the perfect recipe to add to your entertaining recipe collection. Read on to learn more about how to make this Cowboy Caviar, or jump straight to the recipe to get started!

Ingredient Notes

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

You only need a handful of simple ingredients for this recipe. You'll need:

• Beans: You'll need a can of black beans and a can of black-eyed peas. Both are key ingredients so I don't recommend substituting.
• Corn: I used frozen corn in this recipe. If you have a little time or happen to have your grill already fired up, I'd definitely recommend grilling some fresh corn on the cob. It gives the dip a great flavor - and you really can't beat grilled corn. If you're gonna grill it, you need 2-3 ears of corn. Just baste them with some olive oil and throw them on the grill for about 15-20 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes, let the corn cool a bit and cut the kernels off the cob and toss them in the dip.
• Peppers: You might have noticed that I used only red pepper in this recipe - that's really because it's my favorite and typically what I have on hand. If you prefer green or some other color, or you happen to have a couple of different types in your fridge, then, by all means, use a combo  - red, yellow, green or orange, whichever you like best!
• Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are best for this recipe as they are easy to chop and not too watery. You can also use grape tomatoes chopped into quarters.
• Red onion: You'll want to dice it as small as possible.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro produces the best flavor for this recipe.
• Avocado: Let's talk about the avocados for a minute. If you are going to add them, do it at the last minute, right before serving as you don't want them to get all brown and squishy in the leftover dip. 
• Chips: Tortilla chips are the best with this - any type will do. Lately, I've been serving this with these Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla chips - they are a little more substantial than my favorite Whole Foods tortilla chips, so they work well with this as it is a slightly heavier dip.
• Spices: dried basil, dried oregano, garlic salt, chili powder, ground black pepper
• Pantry staples: Olive oil, sugar, red wine vinegar

Making Cowboy Caviar

The best part of this recipe is that it's loaded with veggies! It's also a great make-ahead recipe and it only takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time to prepare.

Step 2 | Chop the veggies. Chop the tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion and cilantro.  

Step 3 | Make the dip.  Add the drained black beans and black-eyed peas to a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped veggies and the corn to the bowl. Pour the dressing over the dip and toss to coat.

Step 4 | Chill. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld together.  

This recipe makes quite a lot of dip - about 6 to 7 cups - so you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It makes a great pre-workout afternoon snack and it's so tasty that I promise it won't go to waste!

Serving Suggestions

This is the perfect party dip! If you are looking to add this to a summer party menu, I'd recommend serving it with Summer Tortellini Pesto Pasta Salad, these Instant Pot Pulled Pork Sliders, and a Mason Jar Strawberry Shortcake to finish!

More appetizer recipes

If you are looking for other great summer appetizer ideas check out these reader favorites:

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This post was originally published in June 2016. It was updated in July 2023 with some new information. No changes were made to the original recipe.