Classic, old-fashioned 3-bean salad made with 3 types of canned beans and combined with red onion and celery seed and marinated in an oil, vinegar and sugar dressing.
It wouldn’t be Summer without a bowl of bean salad in my fridge! I love how easy it is to make, how well it keeps in the refrigerator, and how it always seems to be the perfect side for whatever is on that night’s grill. There are tons of versions out there. This one has been my go-to for many years.
Ingredients and substitutions
Canned green and yellow beans – Canned beans come in all sorts of sizes. It isn’t important what size you use. Somewhere in the 400ml/14oz range is great, give or take.
Canned red kidney beans – Any can in the 540ml/18oz range is fine, give or take. Be sure to rinse well.
Red onion – I recommend red onion for the best flavour. In a pinch a yellow cooking onion will also work here.
Celery seed -Not to be confused with celery salt, this is the seed only. If you only have celery salt, you can use it, but reduce the amount of additional salt you add to the salad.
Oil, white vinegar and sugar – For the dressing you will need a cooking oil, such as vegetable or canola, distilled white vinegar and white granulated sugar. If you like, you can experiment with different kinds of vinegar (or a combination of vinegars). Try a bit of white wine or red wine vinegar together with the regular white vinegar. Some people enjoy a bit of apple cider vinegar, as well.
How to make a classic, old-fashioned 3-bean salad
- Drain and rinse the 3 cans of beans (green beans, yellow wax beans and red kidney beans). Place them in a shallow dish.
- Add the chopped red onion and the celery seed to the beans.
- Pour the mixed dressing over the bean mixture. Stir well, then cover and refrigerate several hours before serving, stirring a couple of times while sitting in the refrigerator.
Recipe tips!
- I like to use a shallow dish for bean salad because a bowl doesn’t allow most of the beans to sit in the marinating dressing.
- This classic 3-bean salad used to have a lot more sugar in it (3/4 cup!). Over the years, I have reduced it by more than half. I find 1/3 cup of sugar to be the sweet spot but feel free to reduce the sugar further if you wish.
- Don’t overlook the salt! The right amount of salt balances all the flavours perfectly so be sure to taste and season as needed.
Making ahead and storing
This bean salad needs to be made ahead a bit, in order for the beans to marinate in the dressing. Allow 3-4 hours at least.
Bean salad will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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Get the Recipe: Classic 3-Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 18 oz (540 ml) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz (398 ml) can cut green beans, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz (398 ml) can cut yellow wax beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup red onion, sliced or diced
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon celery seed, (not celery salt)
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, or canola oil or other neutral-tasting coil
- 1/4-1/3 cup white granulated sugar, adjust to taste
- 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Tip! I like to use a shallow casserole dish to marinate my bean salad so that as much of the bean mixture is sitting in the marinade as possible. If using a bowl, be sure to stir the mixture a few times while it sits in the fridge, to distribute the beans in the marinade.
- Drain the canned beans and rinse well with cold water. Allow the water to drain off well (to avoid a watered-down marinade) and add to a shallow dish.
- Add the red onion and celery seed to the dish.
- In a small bowl, jar or measuring cup, combine the vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar and salt. Use a fork to whisk the ingredients together well, then pour over the beans mixture. Stir to combine well.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, stirring once or twice. Serve immediately or continue to refrigerate for up to 5 days. Stirring once in a while ensures that the beans are evenly marinated.
Notes
More Summer salad recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Thank you for this taste from my childhood!
This has the old fashioned taste from my childhood! Thank you for this recipe!
So glad to hear, Anne :) Thanks so much!
I know this is a five star recipe even without making it because its the same as my mom’s recipe that Iv been eating since I was a kid and then I made myself. But one ingredient is missing…. one fourth cup worcestershire sauce! You have to try it!
Well I’m game to try it, Beth :) Do you skip the added salt with the worcestershire? I’ll report back!
The one half teaspoon is enough for me. Sometimes I just add the salt to taste after I have all the ingredients combined. I like the suggestion for a flat ontainer. Im going to make the salad soon. Right now I have some pasta salad that needs to be eaten before I add more salad to the refridgerator. Also, I dont always use white vinegar. Apple cider vinegar tastes just as good.