Cowboy Caviar is one recipe everyone raves about!

A fresh, simple dip that can be thrown together in under 15 minutes!

This Cowboy Caviar makes a great side dish for any picnic, potluck, or party, and is a great way to use up your summer produce!

Cowboy Caviar in a glass bowl with tortilla chips

I tried cowboy caviar for the first time at a potluck last summer and was instantly obsessed

I didn’t expect it from this unassuming, summery dip that at first glance I confused with chunky salsa or pico de gallo, but one bite and I knew that I was hooked for life.

The saltiness of the chips combined with the freshness of the tomatoes, the crispness of the pepper, the subtle heat of the jalapeno, the faint hint of lime and garlic…. It was heaven.

A replication of the highest order was necessary, and since that first fateful bite last year, I have perfected my own recipe for cowboy caviar and I am so excited to share it with you today.

Ingredients for cowboy caviar in a glass bowl

I made this cowboy caviar for my family last weekend for Easter, and after baking both my signature carrot cake and coffee cake for brunch, I wanted something a little less sweet, and definitely something that wouldn’t require turning on the oven.

This cowboy caviar is easy to make, just a matter of chopping your veggies and tossing everything together.

If you ask me, the trick to the best possible cowboy caviar is to dice the ingredients that need dicing (the tomatoes, onion, pepper, etc — not the beans!) very small, the smaller the better.  Try to keep your tomato and avocado pieces petite rather than big and chunky (about bean-sized works great!).  An easy way to do this is with my favorite chopper, including for the tomatoes!

To easily cut my avocado, I like to slice it in half and then score it into small pieces using my knife, then just scoop everything out into the bowl with a large spoon!

cowboy caviar in a bowl

Everyone who tried this cowboy caviar loved it and the bowl was scraped clean in record time.

P.S. As you can see in the pictures, I love serving these with tortilla chips, but cowboy caviar also tastes amazing eaten straight by the spoon!

Cowboy Caviar in a glass bowl with tortilla chips
4.99 from 970 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Cowboy Caviar

A fresh, simple dip that can be thrown together in under 15 minutes! This Cowboy Caviar makes a great side dish for any picnic, potluck, or party, and is a great way to use up your summer produce!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Author Samantha

Ingredients  

  • 3 Roma tomatoes seeds removed, diced
  • 2 ripe avocados diced
  • cup red onion diced
  • 15 oz black beans rinsed and drained
  • 15 oz black eyed peas rinsed and drained
  • 1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn thawed (I just usually toss it in the salad frozen unless I plan on eating it immediately, it thaws quite quickly)
  • 1 bell pepper diced (I used half a green and half a red, but color doesn’t matter)
  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed, diced into very small pieces
  • cup Cilantro finely chopped

DRESSING

  • cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice fresh preferred
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Tortilla chips for serving

Instructions 

  • Combine tomatoes, avocado, onion, black beans, black eyed peas, corn, pepper, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss/stir well so that ingredients are well-combined.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  • Pour dressing over other ingredients and stir/toss very well.
  • Keep refrigerated. If not serving immediately, be sure to toss/stir well before serving.

Notes

Calories do not include tortilla chips.
4.99 from 970 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 214 | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 248mg | Potassium: 490mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 585IU | Vitamin C: 22.9mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 2.1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American

More Recipes You Will Love:

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

White bowl full of buffalo chicken pasta salad

Old Fashioned Bean Salad

Old Fashioned Bean Salad in a white bowl with a title

Garden Fresh Bruschetta

Garden Fresh Bruschetta on top of bread on a white plate

Categories:

, ,

Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!

Follow us on Pinterest

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

latest & greatest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Absolutely delicious. Great for parties, or my favorite way is to use it as dressing on tossed salads! On top of a grilled chicken salad is divine!!5 stars

  2. This recipe is SO good!!!!! I made it for my sisters birthday and served it with tortilla chips. It was such a hit, lots of our guests even had it by the spoon full. I enjoy also making this dish for my lunches by topping in on some quinoa.5 stars

  3. My family loved this recipe! I made it New Year’s Eve as a side and I served it with tortilla chips. This is definitely a keeper!5 stars

  4. 5 STAR Love this and so easy to make. I used black beans and pinto beans but keep everything else the same. The whole family loves.5 stars

  5. I’ve made this more times than I’d like to admit. There have been nights when cowboy caviar is our only dish for dinner. So so so good!5 stars

  6. Just made it it! Tried it before refrigerating, it was delicious! Great addition to tacos tonight. Love your recipes.5 stars