No-Cook Chili Bean Salad

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Published June 16, 2025

  • Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Kaitlin Wayne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(1,119)
Comments
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All the usual suspects found in a vegetarian bean chili appear in this salad — canned beans, tomato, bell pepper, red onion and spices — but there’s no cooking-with-heat required. The tomatoes are salted to tenderize and coax out their sweet, umami juices. Cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and dried oregano inject smoky earthiness and complexity. While black and pinto beans are used here, it is absolutely viable to use whatever beans you have on hand for this pantry-friendly recipe. Best of all, the salad can be dressed up with the usual chili toppings such as avocado, sour cream and cheese. Eat as is, or with tortillas or corn chips on the side. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 pound tomatoes, roughly chopped into 1-inch chunks

  • ½ small red onion, finely diced

  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

  • 1 bell pepper, roughly chopped

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • ½ to 1 jalapeño, chopped

  • Handful chopped cilantro leaves

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more as needed

  • 1 lime, quartered 

  • Any combination of corn chips, tortillas, sour cream, avocado and cheese (such as Cheddar, crumbled feta or queso blanco), for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

50 grams carbs; 385 calories; 10 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 15 grams fat; 17 grams fiber; 943 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl and toss to combine. Leave to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. Using your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to crush them roughly, extracting juice and softening them.

  2. Step 2

    To the tomatoes, add both types of beans, the bell pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano, jalapeño, cilantro and ¼ cup olive oil; toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper and more olive oil, if you like.

  3. Step 3

    Divide the salad among four serving bowls. Serve with lime wedges on the side, and top with desired toppings.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,119 user ratings
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Comments

bj

No jalapeno around? Add a little salsa for the heat. Also works if you don't have enough tomatoes. Need to feed more people? Add another can of beans, preferably a third variety, such as cannellini, chickpeas or kidney beans.

Rachel

As a cowboy caviar fan, this actually tastes pretty different! Very delicious and would be fun to serve at a picnic. Used some last tortillas chip crumbles as a topping which added nice crunch.

Lynn

This was great. Made changes based on what I had. A can of petite diced tomatoes instead of fresh. Several charred shishito peppers diced, instead of jalapeno. 1/2 half a white onion, instead of red. Oops, totally forgot to add oil, and had no cilantro. My paprika wasn’t smoked (it quit smoking in the nineties). BUT…it was very tasty. I do love adaptable recipes that still taste wonderful.

Erika

This has become my heat wave go to in a very short amount of time (my house is not air conditioned and I'm fine with that, but after a couple of days over 30c/86f the house heats up in a way that even having the stove on for 10 minutes is no fun). Also great for potlucks, as it can be made vegan and gluten free!

Anna o

@Erika the same here! I’m trying this tonight as it’s so hot in my house

Ann H

This is more of a question: do you think this would make a good vegetarian protein option for a taco bar? Or is it too much liquid? Sounds better than just opening some cans of black beans.

Kate

Easy and tasty. We had it as a side with burgers, but it can be meal in and of itself. The jalapeno I used was too mild -- I would def. use some hot sauce or salsa.

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