Cowboy Caviar, or Texas Caviar, is a healthy, flavorful, and easy dip recipe. Full of diced veggies and a healthy serving of beans, its a can’t go wrong appetizer or side dish perfect for party crowds, big football games, or as a movie snack.
You don’t need a football Sunday or a big party to sit down and make up this delicious Cowboy Caviar.
Full of chunky vegetables, delicious sweet red onions and a balance of hearty beans, this recipe is no doubt perfect for a picnic, but also to sit and much while watching a movie in your own home.
Salsas and dips are delicious and fun to eat year round and with very little work, this recipe is truly a dump and enjoy version.
And while the dip itself is just a prep of cutting up the veggies, you can go one step further, add some meat, and really make Cowboy Caviar a savory Mexican Nacho night.
Texas Cowboy Caviar Tips
- Texas caviar is a hearty dip is easy to make and with lots of good flavors as well. Full of veggies, I also think it’s pretty healthy dip considering!
- I’d recommend refrigerating your dip first for spicy flavors to mingle.
Cowboy Caviar
Before you get started, you need to gather a few ingredients. Scroll to the bottom for full measurements and a printable recipe card that walks you through instructions as well as makes a great list for the store.
This dip makes about 6 cups.
- black beans, drained and rinsed
- pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- corn (frozen or canned, drained, is fine)
- tomato
- cilantro
- orange peppers
- red peppers
- yellow pepper
- red onions
- jalapeno
- chili powder
- cumin
- salt
- black pepper
- olive oil
- lime
- tortilla chips
Before starting this recipe: Prep your beans by opening, draining and rinsing. This keeps the moisture in the dip down, otherwise it has too much water. Corn also has an amazing amount of water, so go ahead and drain that and let it sit in the sink a few minutes for extra moisture while you prep the rest of your dip.
RELATED RECIPES: Mexican Ground Beef Casserole, Mexican Street Corn Salad with Feta, Cilantro Lime, Baked Chicken Taquitos, and Spicy Dorito Taco Salad.
Cowboy Caviar Recipe
The complete recipe is further below in the printable recipe card. Here’s a quick overview of how I made my dip.
Add the first 10 ingredients together in a large mixing bowl and mix them together.
Add the seasoning (chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper) and mix well.
Drizzle some olive oil and squeeze lime juice onto mixture (making a light tangy vinaigrette) and mix well to evenly coat.
Refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight to let flavors mingle and marinate for the boldest flavors.
Stir well before serving, adding an additional tablespoon of oil if necessary.
What to Serve with Cowboy Caviar
Serve it with anything that has a flat surface like
- homemade tortilla chips
- crunchy crostini’s
- pita bread
Add Avocado For Even More Flavor
While this cowboy caviar recipe above has no avocado, you can easily add chunks of it right before serving.
Because avocado can get brown and freak everyone out, its best left to the side till right before you put it out.
Where did Cowboy Caviar come from?
This is another famous recipe that Helen Corbitt created in the 1940s. She is the same one that made my favorite dip in the world “Neiman Marcus Dip.”
Is Cowboy Caviar a vegan recipe?
Yes, this recipe is completely vegan. It is full of whole foods like beans and fresh herbs.
What types of beans can you use?
My recipe uses black and pinto beans. But if you want, you can use any type of beans that you want. Try any of these too:
- Kidney
- Black-eyed peas
- Navy beans
What is a substitute for cilantro?
Cilantro either tastes super fresh and almost sweet or it tastes like soap. If you are one of those people that hates cilantro, then you can leave it out.
A really great substitute for cilantro is green onions.
Is Cowboy Caviar Keto Friendly?
I get this question a lot. While beans are an amazing source of natural protein, they are not keto friendly if you are on a strict diet.
That doesn’t mean this dip isn’t a great choice. Here are estimated nutritional values.
Disclaimer: Dietary information provided by Carb Manager. If you are on a KETO or Low Carb diet, always make sure to double check your own information with this or My Fitness Pal based on the brands and weights you use.
I am not responsible for the calculations but do try to provide as much information as possible for readers to make informed decisions.
Cowboy Caviar
Cowboy Caviar, or Texas Caviar, is a healthy, flavorful, and easy dip recipe. Full of diced veggies and a healthy serving of beans, its a can't go wrong appetizer or side dish perfect for party crowds, big football games, or as a movie snack.
Ingredients
- 1 can, 15 oz, black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can, 15 oz, pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn, frozen or canned is fine
- 1/2 cup chopped tomato
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup diced orange peppers
- 1/3 cup diced red peppers
- 1/3 cup diced yellow pepper
- 1/3 cup diced red onions
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Add first 10 ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add seasoning (chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper) and mix well.
- Drizzle olive oil and squeeze lime juice onto mixture and mix well to evenly coat.
- Refrigerate for 2-4 hours or overnight to let flavors mingle.
- Stir well before serving, adding an additional tablespoon of oil if necessary.
- Makes approximately 6 cups of dip
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 226Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 259mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 6gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g
Nutritional information is automatically calculated with ingredients and serving size and may not be accurate. Please always double check with your own nutritional apps as well.
Celine says
Can Avocado oil be substituted for olive?
Trisha says
The only difference would be the taste, so its more of a preference. If you like avocado oil, it shouldnt be an problem.
Rebekah says
HI, there, I made this tonight and the red onion was soooo potent. Is there a way to make that less potent? Or should I just use regular onion nexts time? Thanks for the recipe. SOOO Good!
Trisha says
Looks like you got a really ripe onion! I personally love red onions and its one of my favorite thing in different dips, but if its too strong for you, try cutting into tinier pieces so you dont bite down as much OR just halving the onions. Alternatively, you can leave out onions if they bother you, but I feel like the recipe would have less kick.
JoAnn says
Cut your onion up as directed then place in a dish of ice water (covering it completely) for about 15 min. It will just taste like a mild red onion should. I do this all the time when adding red onion to something such as a salad or when your onion is raw and you find you have a beautiful purple onion with way too muck spunk!
Karyl says
How many days is this ok to store in fridge?
Trisha says
The problem with avocado is that it browns very quickly, so I would not keep this more than a day if you have avocado in it.
Paulette says
Can this be canned?
Trisha says
HI Paulette! Unfortunately I am not an expert in canning and I know it requires a lot of rules, so I cannot firmly tell you that you can can this type of recipe.
Erin says
Delicious and easy to make. Great for a summer cookout, too.