This is my favorite Cowboy Caviar Salsa Recipe! This recipe is from my friend, Kathleen. Whenever we have a neighborhood get-together, she brings a bowl just for me. Yep, just for me. She knows I love it. Just a small bowl to eat all by myself. She brings a large bowl for the rest of the group.
The reason I love this recipe so much, besides the great flavor, is that I have almost all the ingredients in my pantry. The other items, like tomatoes and cilantro, are purchased fresh from the store or used soon after I harvest them from my garden, depending on the time of year. I keep all the different canned goods in my pantry so I can make this recipe all summer. You can make it with different beans and serve it with different kinds of chips. I can actually eat it just as a meal. The great thing about this recipe is that it is a healthy and tasty treat.
It seems that so often the meals that taste the best have sugar or other things added for flavor that really aren’t good for you. Not with this tasty recipe. We can eat this and feel good about it. My husband would want a piece of meat with it. I could easily be a vegetarian. I just bought some meat at Costco, and I tell you, the prices just keep going up. So, my family is eating less meat and more beans, quinoa, rice, and lots of vegetables.
Depending on where you live, this recipe is called Cowboy Caviar or Texas Caviar. It’s a really popular recipe to take to a tailgate party or your next family reunion. There’s something about the combination of blackeye peas, beans, corn, avocados, a red bell pepper, onions, cilantro, and fresh lime. I use an Italian Salad dressing drizzled over the ingredients.
Cowboy Caviar Salsa is one of those recipes that sounds fancy but comes together in about 10 minutes with nothing more than a knife, a cutting board, and a big bowl. It’s colorful, crowd-pleasing, and somehow disappears faster than anything else on the table.
The base is black-eyed peas and black beans, drained and rinsed. Add a can of corn (or fresh off the cob if you have it), diced Roma tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, and a generous handful of chopped cilantro. For the dressing, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, a little honey, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pour it over everything, toss it well, and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the flavors can come together.
Serve it with tortilla chips, spoon it over grilled chicken, or eat it straight from the bowl — all three are completely valid options.
A few things that make it better: dicing everything small so you get a little of everything in each bite, using avocado if you’re serving it right away (it browns fast, so add it last), and not skipping the “rest” time. That half-hour rest in the fridge is where the magic happens.
This is the kind of dish that works at a summer cookout, a game-day spread, a weeknight dinner, or a potluck where you need something that feeds a crowd without much effort. It’s vegetarian, naturally gluten-free, and good for days in the fridge, assuming it lasts that long.
Cowboy Caviar Salsa has no single origin story, but it’s been a staple of Southern and Southwestern tables for decades. Call it a salsa, a dip, a salad, or a side, just make sure there are enough chips.
Items You May Need In The Kitchen:
- Colander
- Measuring Cups
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Mason Jar for Salad Dressing
Cowboy Caviar Ingredients
- Blackeye Peas: They have a dense consistency and a full, earthy flavor. They are used in many dishes, such as salads, soups, stews, and even some casseroles. Dry black-eyed peas can be sprouted as well.
- Black Beans: When cooked, they have a creamy texture and a slightly sweet flavor.
- Corn: We have all had corn on the cob with melted butter, salt, and pepper. Well, frozen corn, fresh corn, and even canned corn go well with many spices. It’s perfect in salads, salsa, casseroles, as a side dish, and in soups and stews. It has a sweet, unique flavor that most people love.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Most cherry tomatoes are sweet and full of antioxidants. They have thinner skin types and are juicy in the center; they are perfect for salads and salsas.
- Red Bell Pepper: All bell peppers add a variety of health benefits to any meal. They are good, freshly cut, sauteed, or added to scrambled eggs! Red bell pepper is my favorite one for salads and salsa. They have a sweet, tender taste that melts in your mouth.
- Sweet Purple Onion: Purple onions are somewhat milder than their yellow and white counterparts. This makes them popular for eating raw in salads and salsas.
- Avocados: They are earthy, creamy, and spread like butter! They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats.
- Cilantro: You either love or hate it, right? I love cilantro! The tender leaves add a stronger parsley flavor with a tangy citrus note.
- Fresh Limes: Lime zest or lime juice will enhance so many fruits and vegetables. It gives salsa that extra boost of flavor we all love.
- Italian Salad Dressing: Italian salad dressing is a simple oil-and-vinegar vinaigrette that’s easy to make from scratch or with a dry mix. It adds flavor to salads or salsa.
- Salt and Pepper: both spices add flavor and help to bring all of the flavors together.
- Tortilla Chips: The corn tortillas are crispy and ready to scoop any salsa!
Cowboy Caviar Recipe
One: Gather the Ingredients
Gather your ingredients, so you’re ready to make the recipe. I used a dry mix to make the Italian Salad Dressing. Do you love fresh ingredients as much as I do?
Two: Drain Corn
Drain the cans of corn.
Three: Rinse Beans
Rinse and drain the black beans.
Four: Rinse Peas
Rinse the black-eyed peas and drain them.
Five: Rinse Tomatoes
Rinse the cherry or grape tomatoes and then cut them in half.
Six: Combine Vegetables
Grab a large bowl and combine the blackeye peas, black beans, corn, and chopped purple onions.
Seven: Add Tomatoes
Now, add the sliced tomatoes to the bowl.
Eight: Add Peppers
The next step is adding the chopped red bell peppers.
Nine: Drizzle Juice
You can use bottles of lime juice or fresh limes to drizzle over the salad. Add the chopped avocados.
Finished Product
Pour the Italian Salad Dressing over the ingredients and stir until covered. Add salt and pepper if desired. Serve cold with tortilla chips.
Cowboy Caviar Salsa Recipe
Cowboy Caviar Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cans of blackeye peas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans of corn, drained
- 2 cups tomatoes chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1/2 cup diced sweet purple onion
- 3 avocados-pitted, chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro-chopped
- 2 fresh limes juiced
- Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Packet-prepared, or just make it yourself as a vinegar and oil dressing
- salt and pepper if needed
- 1 bag of Tortilla chips
Instructions
-
1. Grab a large bowl and layer the blackeye peas, black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, red bell pepper, purple onions, avocados, and cilantro. 2. Drizzle the lime juice over the salad. 3. Make the salad dressing as directed on the packet. 4. Pour the dressing over the ingredients in the large bowl. 5. Salt and Pepper if needed. 6. Serve cold with tortilla chips. 7. Great as a side dish, too! 8. Please store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How do I store the leftovers?
I store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can I freeze this recipe?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing it because the fresh vegetables would become soggy and mushy. Fresh is best.
Why is it called Cowboy Caviar?
It’s my understanding, after a little research, I quote Wikipedia, “That around 1940, Helen Corbitt, a native New Yorker, made it. She first served the dish on New Year’s Eve at the Houston Country Club. When she later served it at the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, it was named “Texas caviar” as a humorous comparison to true caviar, an expensive hors d’oeuvres of salt-cured fish roe. It has also been called cowboy caviar.”
What is Texas Caviar made of?
It’s made with a combination of beans, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. They serve it over fish, as a dip, and as a freshly packed salsa.
Can it be made ahead of time?
You can make it up to 8 hours in advance before serving it to your family or guests. I love it the next day as well, but the avocados get a little mushy. I think it still tastes great. Here again, fresh is best.
Can you water-bath or pressure-can this recipe?
As a Master Canner Preserver, I can’t recommend canning this safely. Please make it fresh when you want to serve it.
What can I serve with this recipe?
- Tortilla Chips
- Refried Beans
- Barbecued Steaks
- Barbecued Chicken
- Tossed Salad
- Flour Tortillas
Final Word
I hope you try making this Cowboy Caviar Salsa Recipe. I think you’ll love it. You can add or skip the ingredients you like or don’t care for. It’s that simple. Here again, it’s all about cooking from scratch, and this recipe is so good, my friends! May God bless this world, Linda
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