Sugar and Vinegar season this 4 bean salad for a just right sweet and tangy side dish. Using canned beans makes this about the easiest Summer side dish you can make. No cooking required, make ahead, picnic perfect side dish. Canned Beans never had it this good
My Aunt Lena’s Four Bean Salad was a Summer staple at our house. As a kid, growing up on a farm in the middle of Kansas, the Memorial Day weekend was a declaration of “let the summer games begin”.
And this 4 bean salad recipe always made an appearance on that weekend and was a regular all Summer long. It’s the easiest side dish ever.
Why You’re Going To Love This Recipe
- This 4 bean salad is healthy, light and delicious.
- Quick and easy, a perfect side dish for a pot luck dinner or backyard BBQ.
- Minimal kitchen time, no cooking involved.
- It’s a make ahead recipe.
- It travels well.
- It’s crazy popular.
- It’s perfect for any thing that comes off your grill.
- The combination of colors, textures and flavors are certain to make this one of your favorites.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Canned Beans: Kidney beans, Green beans, lima beans and wax beans.
- Cider Vinegar
- Sweet Onion
- For the bean salad dressing:
- Cider Vinegar
- Olive Oil
- Sugar
- Celery Seed
Ingredient Substitutions
- Lima Beans: The last time I made this I had a hard time finding Lima Beans. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) would be a good substitute here. You can also use black beans for this recipe.
- Oil: Use canola oil, vegetable oil or any neutral oil in place of olive oil.
- Bell Pepper: Use any color of bell pepper, but keep in mind the traditional way to make 4 bean salad is using green bell pepper. Green bell peppers are less ripe and have a stronger almost bitter flavor. Which compliments the sweet tangy dressing.
- Green Beans: Use either cut green beans or French style green beans.
- Onion: I like using a sweet onion or yellow onion for this recipe. You can also use red onion for a stronger onion flavor.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1: Make the bean salad dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the oil, celery seed, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Using a whisk, blend well. Set aside.
- Step 2: Empty the kidney beans into a colander and briefly rinse. Empty the rest of the canned beans into the colander and let them drain for a few minutes. Place the beans into a large bowl and add the finely chopped onion and celery. Add the dressing and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let the salad sit in the refrigerator overnight.
What Goes Good With This Cold Bean Salad?
This salad can be served year round, but to me it’s a staple side dish for Summer fare. Here are some ideas:
- Grilled Sirloin Steak Kabobs
- San Juan Grilled Flank Steak
- Jalapeno Steak Sauce Burger
- Best Grilled Chicken
FAQ’s
How long will this four bean salad last? Stored in an air-tight container this salad will last 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator.
You don’t have to, but the flavors will marry and the beans will become more flavorful. If you need this salad in a hurry, you can serve it right away or let it sit just a couple of hours.
Recipe for 4 Bean Salad
I hope you give this recipe a try. It’s always a hit at our house and a great side dish for anything that comes off your grill.
Recommended Recipes
And if you’re looking for even more side dishes for picnic style gatherings, don’t miss this line-up of Summer cook-out sides. I’m positive you’ll find something you love.
And check out my Side Dish Category, you’ll find more recipes, including the most popular side dish recipe on my site for Broccoli Cheez Whiz Rice Casserole.
Four Bean Salad
Ingredients
- Dressing:
- 1/3 cup olive oil or neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil
- 1 tsp celery seed
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup cider vinegar
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- For The Bean Salad
- 15 1/2 ounce kidney beans canned, drained and rinsed
- 15 1/2 ounce green beans canned, drained, cut green beans or French style.
- 15 1/2 ounce wax beans canned, drained
- 15 1/2 ounce lima beans canned,drained
- 1 cup sweet onion diced, about 1 medium onion
- 1 cup green bell pepper diced, about 1 medium bell pepper
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the oil, celery seed, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Using a whisk, blend well. Set aside.
- Place the canned kidney beans in a colander. Rinse briefly. Add the rest of the canned beans and let them drain for a few minutes.
- In a large bowl combine all the beans, the onion and the green pepper. Pour the dresing over the bean mixture and gently stir until blended. Let sit overnight for best flavor.
Notes
- Lima Beans: The last time I made this I had a hard time finding Lima Beans. Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) would be a good substitute here. You can also use black beans for this recipe.
- Bell Pepper: Use any color of bell pepper, but keep in mind the traditional way to make 4 bean salad is using green bell pepper. Green bell peppers are less ripe and have a stronger almost bitter flavor. Which compliments the sweet tangy dressing.
- Onion: I like using a sweet onion or yellow onion for this recipe. You can also use red onion for a stronger onion flavor.
Nutrition
4 Bean Salad Recipe ….It’s What’s for Summer Food.
More Summer Sides For A Perfect Cook-Out
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This recipe was first published June 2011, and updated March, 2022 with step by step instructions.
We always have a pantry full of beans and this is a favorite way to use them. They are perfect for a party because they are good even at room temp.
Bean salads are terrific. Really healthy, of course, but also have so much flavor. This one sure does! Good stuff — thanks.
What a GREAT story. It reminds me of visiting my grandparents’ farm in NC each summer. Hilarious about the new fangled grill.
I liked this type of bean salad as a kid but have never made it as an adult which is ridiculous since it would be a great side for BBQ dishes.
And that salad is soooo easy…all those canned beans. Can you believe we didn’t learn how to use that darn grill??
Love hearing about your childhood!!! We will have to talk about it over wine next time we see together, Love you sister, Kristie
Are together!!!!!
I’ll talk over anything if there’s wine involved. 🙂 Love you too.
My wife’s parents make this! I don’t like wax beans, but I love kidneys.
It’s a pretty standard recipe that most people should have some sort of version of. Thanks for stopping by Rufus.
Lea Ann, thanks for sharing your childhood memories. One of my best friend’s dad in Germany was a farmer and I remember their long work days in the summer. She had to help a lot, too. I also wish my kids could get together with family more often, but here everybody lives so far away. Growing up my family always got together on Sundays at my grandma’s house. There was always lots of homemade food and cousins to play with.
What wonderful family memories you have. We have always been such a small family and I’ve often lamented the fact that we didn’t have big family gatherings like yours. How lucky you are! The bean recipe sounds fantastic. It’s one of my mom’s favorite salads. I’ll send this along to her. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
This salad reminds me of the ones I used to sample at potlucks when I first got here; delicious dressing!
Thanks Joumana, it’s a simple one.
I enjoyed your story Lea Ann. Are you named for your aunt?
Sundays must have been really special at your house. We loved Ed Sullivan & Gunsmoke too. I was sad to hear James Arness died this week.
Sam
I don’t think I’m named for Aunt Lena…I’ll have to ask for sure. I agree, his death is a loss for our generation. He was such a presence in our childhood.
I love your story. My grandparents had a “retirement” farm and we were lucky enough to visit them often. My grandfather let us name his cattle and scale perch from his tank. I have great memories of trucking lunch out to him and his helpers. I also remember lots of fried chicken and watermelon as lunch was the big meal of the day for them. Your salad looks so good. Great photo.
Thanks Karen, I was a little surprised with the photo, it was rushed. 🙂 Oh yes, every single one of our cattle had names.
Great photo Lea Ann…I’m so hungry and now dying for all of the above! We didn’t live on a farm but we always had a big garden…it was part of my daily chores to work in it; I hated it sometimes but now wish I had one with all of those veggies. Loved your story…things I’m finding out about you…more, more!!
I agree Barb, my mom had a huge vegetable garden on our homestead acreage. I miss it so.
What a great story! It is amazing how much simpler life was before digital, isn’t it? Though I didn’t live on a farm, I remember the same sorts of food and activities. I also remember a bean salad recipe similar to this – my dad LOVED it. Hadn’t thought of that in a long time – thanks for the nice memory! ( and I noticed that cool bowl – another one you’ll have to hide from me.)
I love those bowls. Called rice bowls because the pattern in the bowl is actually made by pressing rice into the material, and when removed they create areas in the bowl that let light through. Wish I could find more.
Oh yes, I remember Summers on the farm. I especially remember wheat harvest when dinner (or “supper” as we called it)wasn’t until 9 at night. It was hard work, but very exciting.
My mom just scolded me for the millionth time yesterday that it’s “supper” not dinner. 🙂 Harvest was exciting. I was always afraid to drive those big old klunker trucks to the elevator, but would love to ride along. And of course loved to ride on the combines.
Nice story and it sounds very familiar except for the farming part. Bev is a giant fan of bean salad and I’m sure she’ll want to try this.
That’s the simplest of bean salad recipes Larry, she probably has 10 better than that. Nonetheless, it’s a tasty one. Remember those hand crank ice cream makers that you packed with rock salt? I do believe I like my little electric one better. 🙂