Kidney bean salad with bacon is a simple, yet delicious side made with easy-to-get ingredients! It’s quick to make and perfect for picnics or barbecues.
This red bean side dish has an easy and quick preparation and can be made ahead. Plus, if you are on a meat-free diet, you can enjoy this cold salad instead of lunch.
In this post, you will find pro tips, serving suggestions as well a short video. A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
What tools will I need to make red kidney bean salad?
- Knife & cutting board – for cutting leek, cilantro, bacon, and apples.
- Strainer – to get rid of any excess liquid from red beans and also to rinse them with cold water.
- Mixing bowl & spoon – I also used a small bowl to mix the mayo dressing, but you can just use one medium bowl.
- Measuring cups
How to make kidney bean salad with mayo?
The preparation will only take you a few minutes, especially when you use cooked red beans and bacon.
Make the mayonnaise dressing by mixing mayo with sour cream, salt and pepper. Squeeze in lemon juice to your taste (I used juice from ½ medium lemon) and add finely chopped cilantro.
Mix this easy dressing with well-drained kidney beans, diced apples and cooked bacon. Chill in the fridge and serve!
Serving ideas:
- Grilled meat
- Burgers
- Ham
- Sausages
- Hot dogs
- Chicken wings
Useful tips:
- This easy legume salad can be enjoyed right away, but I do recommend chilling it in the fridge. It does taste so much better!
- You can use any type of bacon you like (pancetta will work well here too). If you can’t buy a cooked one, buy raw and cook it on a stove or in the oven until ready first.
- This is a versatile red bean salad recipe so you can adjust the quantities of the ingredients to your liking. Also, leek can be substituted with onion and celery can be added as well.
- Sour cream can be substituted with natural (plain/unsweetened) yogurt or Greek yogurt. However, I find that the sour cream makes this red bean salad tastier.
More legume recipes you might like:
- White Bean Soup
- Tuna Bean Salad – another bean salad recipe worth giving a try.
- Baked Bean Pasta Sauce – an economic recipe, protein-rich and simple.
Check out our video for how to make kidney bean salad!
Kidney Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans cooked kidney beans , drained (14-ounce/400 grams each), see note 1
- 2 large apples , diced
- 1 cup cooked bacon , cut into small pieces, see note 2
- 1 cup leek , chopped (100 grams), see note 3
- ½ cup sour cream (125 grams)
- ½ cup mayonnaise (125 grams)
- ½ medium lemon , or to taste
- ⅛ cup cilantro , roughly chopped (5 grams), or to taste
- salt & black pepper , to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, apples, bacon and leek.
- Mix together sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Pour this over the salad and mix until well combined.
- Chill in the fridge for 30+ minutes or overnight (preferably in an airtight container).
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You should get about 2-cups of drained kidney beans (14-ounce/400-grams).
- It is about 7-ounce/200-grams of raw bacon.
- You can add more leek if you like.
- Sour cream can be substituted with natural plain yogurt (unsweetened) or Greek yogurt, if preferred. Its quantity can be slightly increased, if you like.
- This kidney bean recipe can be easily doubled or halved. It can be prepped ahead.
- More tips, serving ideas and a quick video can be found in the post above this recipe card.
Annie says
This definitely looks too good to share!! I love beans and pulses and I mean who doesn’t love bacon?! This looks fantastic!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) Thanks, Annie!
Christine says
Beans in salad is the way to go when I want salad as a meal.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Beans are great in salads, aren’t they? :)
Jeni says
I love red beans. And this as a chilled salad sounds fabulous and great for a work lunch!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Oh, it would definitely be great for work lunch! :)
Bintu says
My son would be very happy if I made this for him. He adores bacon
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
:) I think it’s hard not to love bacon! :)
Kathryn says
This looks like a nice, easy salad for summer BBQs.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Kathryn! :)