Dense Bean Salad

Self-proclaimed “Dense Bean Salad girl” Violet Witchel is credited with the viral TikTok bean salad craze. Each of her protein-packed bean salad recipes is not only incredibly good for you but also looks quite tasty and easy to make. And since these salads all have simple combinations of ingredients, they’re also easy to customize with your favorite flavors. We created our own dense bean salad recipe inspired by pepperoni pizza, with ingredients like pepperoni, bell peppers, grape tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella pearls.

What are dense bean salads?

Many of the Violet Witchel dense bean salad recipes have sparked endless variations. But at their heart, the bean salads combine one or more types of protein-packed beans—usually chickpeas and cannellini beans—with plenty of fresh chopped vegetables, cheese, meat, herbs, spices and a flavor-packed vinaigrette dressing. Refrigerating the salad helps the flavors meld together, and packing the salads into individual containers makes these healthy salads the perfect make-ahead lunch.

Dense Bean Salad Ingredients

Dressing:

Olive oil: Olive oil adds a rich flavor to the dressing. In recipes like this one where the flavor of olive oil should shine, use extra virgin olive oil vs. regular olive oil. This is the place to splurge and use your best olive oil.
Red wine vinegar: Red wine is the perfect type of vinegar for this dressing recipe. It has a bright and tangy flavor that balances the richness of the olive oil.
Garlic: Minced garlic adds a punch of pungent flavor to the dense bean salad dressing.
Honey: A little bit of honey sweetens the dressing. You could use granulated sugar, maple syrup or agave syrup in place of the honey if you prefer.
Seasonings: The dressing is seasoned with a combination of earthy and aromatic dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes for a little spice and, of course, salt and pepper.

Salad:

Beans: At the heart of every dense bean salad recipe is the beans! This recipe uses two cans of beans: one can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) as well as one can of white beans (aka cannellini beans). High-protein beans like these are among our favorite pantry staples to always have on hand.
Grape tomatoes: Halved grape tomatoes add sweetness and a light acidity to the dense bean salad.
Sweet peppers: This dense bean salad recipe gets a pop of color, crunch and sweetness from the addition of sweet peppers. You can use a combination of red, yellow and orange sweet peppers, or your choice of one of those. Just avoid green peppers, which aren’t as sweet.
Red onion: Diced red onion adds a robust flavor. If you prefer a milder onion flavor, soak the chopped onion in cold water for 15 minutes, then drain it and add it to the salad.
Pepperoni: Use your favorite sliced pepperoni for this recipe. Pepperoni adds the perfect amount of savory, peppery and spicy flavor to this pizza-inspired dense bean salad recipe.
Mozzarella pearls: Fresh mozzarella pearls add creaminess to the salad. If you can’t find the small pearls, you can use quartered bocconcini (bite-sized fresh mozzarella) instead. Of course, you can also slice and cube a ball or log of fresh mozzarella.
Fresh basil: Fresh basil adds a sweet, peppery and savory flavor to the salad.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dressing

A white bowl holds oil, herbs, and seasonings being mixed with a whisk on a light, textured surface. Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

In a large bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, honey, dried oregano, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.

Step 2: Mix all the ingredients together

A white bowl filled with chopped red onions, grape tomatoes, chickpeas, mozzarella balls, red bell pepper, white beans, pepperoni slices, and chopped herbs, placed on a light surface with wooden salad servers beside it. Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

Add the chickpeas, cannellini beans, grape tomatoes, sweet peppers, red onion, pepperoni, mozzarella pearls and fresh basil. Toss to combine. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

A bowl of colorful salad with cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, mozzarella balls, and herbs, served on a white plate with two wooden-handled serving utensils, next to stacked plates and forks on a blue-striped napkin. Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

Dense Bean Salad Variations

Create a supreme pizza dense bean salad: Lean into the pizza vibes by adding even more of your favorite toppings. Think chopped salami or pancetta, green peppers, black olives, sausage crumbles and mushrooms.
Change up the dressing: Easily switch up the flavor profile of your dense bean salad by changing the dressing. Try a creamy tahini dressing, a sweet and tangy honey mustard dressing, or even just a simple balsamic vinaigrette.
Fly southwest: For a little southwestern flair, throw some black beans into the mix along with your favorite Tex-Mex spices like chili powder, ground coriander and ground cumin. Replace the mozzarella with slightly salty Cotija or queso fresco. Use a creamy and flavorful salsa verde to tie all the flavors together.
Make it Mediterranean: For a Mediterranean spin on a dense bean salad, add sliced olives, chopped pepperoncinis and crumbled feta in place of the mozzarella. Greek salad dressing would add a bright and tangy flavor.

How to Store Dense Bean Salad

For an easy grab-and-go lunch, store dense bean salad in individual Mason jars or other small containers topped with a secure lid. Otherwise, you can store this bean salad in a large airtight container in the refrigerator and scoop out individual portions as needed.

How long does dense bean salad last?

It’s best to eat dense bean salad within three or four days of making it.

Dense Bean Salad Tips

A large white bowl filled with a colorful salad of chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls, herbs, and chopped vegetables sits on a striped napkin with salad servers, forks, and small bowls nearby. Sarah Tramonte for Taste of Home

What can you serve with dense bean salad?

While dense bean salad is meant to be a healthy and protein-packed midday meal on its own, you can serve it with crusty bread or tortilla chips. Of course, this bean salad is also perfect for serving as a side dish. I