This light and fresh Butter Bean Salad makes a protein packed side dish or a filling lunch that it perfect for Spring time. Creamy butter beans are the star of the show here, but we have mixed in lots of greens to make it a vibrant and flavour packed salad.
We are HUGE fans of butter beans, and this is one of our favourite butter bean recipes. Butter beans are a great budget friendly protein option, and there are so much you can do with them.
Butter beans in salad works so well, as it makes it more filling and gives this natural creaminess.
This butter bean salad recipe was created by just using up whatever we had, which is how we come up with our best recipes. Because of that, it means that it's so easy to adapt and the best thing is - it's ready in less than 5 minutes.
If you are looking for more butter bean recipes to try, then why not try our easy Turkey Salad with Beans, our super quick Italian Bean Salad, creamy Butter Bean Houmous, comforting Butter Bean Soup or our Mediterranean inspired Rice Salad?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Butter beans - We used a can of butter beans, as they are a cupboard staple for us. You could cook dried beans if you prefer, but this would take much longer. You could also swap butter beans for cannellini beans, chickpeas, black beans or lentils in this recipe.
- Tomatoes - We used cherry tomatoes, but for extra tomato flavour you could add some chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
- Herbs - This adds so much extra flavour. We used mint and parsley.
- Salt and pepper - Generously season.
- Oil - Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil. A good glug of oil is what makes the dressing for this bean salad.
- Spices - An easy way to add lots of flavour. We used cumin and paprika, which adds a nice smokiness.
- Feta cheese - This adds a nice creaminess. You could use goats cheese instead.
- Greens - We used rocket (arugula) and watercress. If you wanted some crunch, then you could use some lettuce greens like little gem or romaine, but they don't have the same vibrant green colour.
- Lemon -Juice and zest adds a lovely freshness.
Variations
Seasoning - We added some cumin and paprika, but you could use a seasoning blend like Za'atar or ras-el-hanout.
Greens - Any salad greens will work in this butter bean salad. We used rocket and watercress, as they have a really strong peppery flavour.
But if you wanted something milder, then spinach works well. You could also use kale, but this is tougher when raw.
Salad - The great thing about a butterbean salad is that it is so easy to adapt. Whatever your favourite salad ingredients are, chances are they will work well here too.
Other things we like to add include avocado, olives, bell peppers, celery, radish, carrot or corn.
Cheese - Although feta adds lots of creaminess, you could add shaved Parmesan instead, which has a nice strong flavour.
How to Make Butter Bean Salad - Step by Step
Simply add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and toss to mix well.
Serving Suggestions
This bean salad makes either a great side dish served with some protein like grilled chicken or fish or as a light lunch - we love it as both.
When we want more of a filling meal, we serve this butter bean salad with either Air Fried Salmon, Chicken Skewers or Slow Cooked Chicken Breasts. Add some cooked tofu to keep it vegetarian or add some chopped boiled egg into it.
We also love mixing some of our Pickled Red Onions through this salad, as they give a real flavour boost and some extra colour too.
You could also serve with some crusty bread, and load big spoonfuls of this salad on top.
Storage
Store: We love making this butter bean salad recipe part of our weekly meal prep, and it goes well on our Picky Plates.
If you store it in an air tight container, it will store well in the fridge for up to 3 days. But, it does only take 5 minutes to make, so it's easy to make from scratch.
Freeze: We wouldn't recommend freezing this, because the greens don't defrost well and it would go a bit slimy.
Extra Tips
- Why not finish the salad off with sprinkling some seeds or crushed nuts on top? Not only does it add some extra protein, but it adds a nice crunch and texture balance.
- Why not stuff all of this into a pita bread for a really delicious and filling lunch?
- If you have any leftover butter beans, then they are delicious added to soups and pasta dishes.
- Make sure you rinse your beans before using, as it takes off the extra sodium they are stored in.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, there is no need to cook the butter beans first if you are using a can. They are already cooked and you just need to drain and rinse them.
I would recommend only mixing everything together right before you want to eat it, as the greens will get soggy if mixed too far in advance. Although, the flavours do get stronger once everything has been marinated for a little while.
More Salad Recipes
If you’ve tried this butter bean salad recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Butter Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 240 g (1.25 cups) Butter beans - canned; drained weight
- 0.5 Cucumber - diced
- 10 Cherry tomatoes - halved
- 2 Garlic cloves - crushed
- 5 g (1.5 tablespoon) Fresh parsley - finely chopped
- 20 g (1 cups) Rocket (arugula)
- 20 g (0.66 cups) Watercress
- 1 pinch Sea salt
- 1 pinch Ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil - extra virgin
- 5 leaves Fresh mint
- 30 g (0.25 cups) Feta - crumbled
- 0.5 Lemon - juice and zest only
Instructions
- Simply add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix well.
- Serve with extra feta and mint (optional)
Recipe Tips
- Why not finish the salad off with sprinkling some seeds or crushed nuts on top? Not only does it add some extra protein, but it adds a nice crunch and texture balance.
- Why not stuff all of this into a pita bread for a really delicious and filling lunch?
- If you have any leftover butter beans, then they are delicious added to soups and pasta dishes.
- Make sure you rinse your beans before using, as it takes off the extra sodium they are stored in.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Kate Cassar says
what a scrumptious salad! Had ours with lamb chops and Jersey Royals. So tasty and healthy. My 10 year old wasn't keen on the salad but he doesn't enjoy most salads tbh...however the teen enjoyed it and so did husband. I will definitely be making this again a few times over the warmer months! Thank you!