Healthy Cowboy Caviar

This healthy Cowboy Caviar is a colorful, fresh, low-carb snack or summer picnic dip! 

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Back in June 2016 the America's Cup World Series came to Chicago, where I lived until 2018. It was the first time ever an America's Cup race has been held in freshwater. I'm really into sailing, so I could not have been more excited, and even if you are not that into sailing, it was still a pretty amazing event!!

Whenever we would head out on the boat, we always take loads of snacks, and of course wine & cocktails along! This Healthy Cowboy Caviar is a summer staple when it comes to snacks.  

Recipe Highlights

• It's easy to transport so it's great for summer picnics and BBQs!
• This is a really tasty, healthy dip and it's super easy to make.
• It also has the added benefit of being naturally vegan and gluten-free!

There are tons of different ways to make Cowboy Caviar - and a lot of them involve bottled salad dressing.  While I'm not gonna tell you I never eat it, I'm not a huge fan of bottled dressing as it tends to have a lot of sugar and other not really healthy things in it. 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 healthy without too much sugar or oil. I also like to be able to control the seasonings and adjust them to my tastes!!

Recipe Ingredients

• Beans: You'll need a can of black beans and a can of black-eyed peas
• 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 the corn. 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, and only add them to the potion in the serving bowl. You don't want them to get all brown and squishy in the leftover dip.  Then just add more when you are refilling the bowl or eating the leftovers!!
• 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 this is a slightly heavier dip.
• Spices: dried basil, dried oregano, garlic salt, chili powder, ground 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.

You're basically going to chop some veggies, add the beans and make a quick vinaigrette. Then you just toss everything together in a large mixing bowl, chill for about 15 minutes to let the flavors meld, and it's ready to serve. Easy!

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

More appetizer recipes

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

• Edamame Avocado Hummus. By combining edamame and avocado you get a nice, creamy dip that's a unique take on traditional hummus.
• Proscuitto Melon Skewers. This appetizer combines some classic flavors in the easy to serve and form of a skewer.

Healthy Cowboy Caviar

Author: Kathryn | Urban Foodie Kitchen

This healthy Cowboy Caviar is a colorful, fresh, low-carb snack or summer picnic dip!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Chilling Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Appetizers

Cuisine American

Servings 6 cups

Ingredients

  

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For the dip:

• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes, about 2 tomatoes
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper, about 1 pepper
• ½ cup diced red onion
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• ½ an avocado, diced

For the viniagrette:

• 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

• In a large mixing bowl combine the beans, black-eyed peas, tomato, corn, pepper, onion and cilantro.  Mix well.
• In a small bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic salt, oregano, basil, chili powder and pepper.  Whisk until blended.  Slowly add the olive oil, whisking to combine.  Pour the dressing over the dip and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to let the flavors meld together.
• Serve with tortilla chips or your favorite chips.

Notes

If using avocado wait to add it until just before serving.

Keywords : healthy appetizers

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This post was originally published in June 2016. It was updated in September 2022 with some new information. No changes were made to the original recipe.