Easy Pinto Bean Salad with Corn

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Pinto beans, chopped banana peppers, and chili powder in bowls. Plus avocado, red onion, lime, garlic head, cilantro bunch, grape tomatoes in a colander, and two corn on the cobs on white marble.

Ingredients for making Easy Pinto Bean Salad.

Banana peppers (or yellow wax peppers) are medium-sized chili peppers with a mild, tangy, and slightly sweet taste. They start off pale green, then turn pale yellow, and ultimately red. Pickled banana peppers are convenient for adding more flavor to a dish, but you can use chopped fresh bell peppers instead as needed.
Pinto beans are a common type of kidney bean. They are creamy, nutty, and earthy in taste. Feel free to substitute with black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, or a mixture of varieties.
Tajin seasoning adds a fresh, citrusy, and mildly spicy flavor. Made from a mixture of salt, dehydrated lime, and a combination of granulated chiles de árbol, guajillo and pasilla, it also pairs well with fruit. This unique seasoning brings the dish together deliciously. However, it is an optional ingredient.

See recipe card for quantities.

🫑 Substitutions

Pinto beans - you can use black beans, kidney beans, red beans, chickpeas, or a mixture of varieties instead

Banana peppers - substitute with pickled pepperoncinis, or chopped fresh bell pepper as needed

Tajin seasoning- omit as needed

Cilantro - use fresh parsley instead or omit

📖 Instructions

Lemony olive oil dressing for High-Protein Vegan Lentil Salad Jars in a glass bowl with a whisk. Chopped cucumber and bell pepper in white bowls, garlic head, lemon, and bunch parsley.

Step 1. Make the 4-ingredient dressing. Add the extra-virgin olive oil, lime juice, and chili powder to a small bowl. Press or grate the garlic into the bowl. Whisk well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pinto beans, halved grape tomatoes, corn kernels, chopped banana peppers, avocado, red onion, and cilantro all mixed in a white bowl with salad servers.

Step 2. For salad jars: Add one-half of the dressing, corn, beans, banana peppers, red onion, jalapeño, tomatoes, and cilantro to 2 (32-ounce) mason jars. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Shake before serving. For salad bowl: Place the ingredients into a large bowl. Toss with the dressing.

For serving: Easy Pinto Bean Salad with corn is great on it's own, or as a dip. You can also add cooked quinoa, farro, or rice for a more substantial meal.

Pinto beans, halved grape tomatoes, corn kernels, chopped banana peppers, avocado, red onion, and cilantro all mixed in a white bowl with a tortilla chip.

This salad tastes amazing with tortilla chips.

💡 Expert Tips

Mix the dressing just before adding it to the salad or jar so that all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Feel free to adjust the seasonings as desired.

Add the ingredients to the jar in the order specified in the recipe for best results. Pour in the dressing first, so the other ingredients do not get mushy.

The dressing will stick to the bottom after some time. Give the jar a good shake before serving and use a spoon to scoop out any remaining dressing. You can also keep the dressing on the side.

Serving size: One (32-ounce) mason jar serves 1 person.

Storage: Refrigerate Easy Pinto Bean Salad with Corn in mason jars, lid-side up, for up to 4 days. Or if you skip the jars, refrigerate any leftover mixed bean salad for 2 to 3 days.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Can I use a different size jar?

To fit this salad into jars in equal amounts without leftovers, the combined jar capacity must equal 64 ounces. For example, you can use four (16-ounce) jars instead.

How can I add more plant-based protein to this bean salad?

Serve it with a protein-rich 'grain,' such as farro or quinoa. Use quinoa for gluten-free.
Add hemp hearts or pumpkins seeds. These seeds have about 12 grams and 10 grams of protein per one-quarter cup, respectively.

What is Tajin?

Tajín seasoning is made from dehydrated lime, salt, and a combination of granulated chiles de árbol, guajillo and pasilla. It's tangy, salty and only barely spicy. It has a bright citrusy taste with a subtle chili flavor. It's a great condiment for both sweet and savory foods.

📖 Recipe