This Cowboy Caviar is a wonderfully fresh, healthy, and easy-to-make dip. It’s loaded with tomatoes, avocado, beans, corn, and the best dressing infusing every bite. This recipe is popular for good reason and we make this salsa all year long.
Just like classic Pico de Gallo and Guacamole, this is one of those appetizers you’ll make over and over. Watch the video tutorial and you’ll be craving this ‘Texas Caviar’ until you finally make it.
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Cowboy Caviar
If you are looking to spice up your ordinary summer cookout, you have to add this to your menu. Serve it as a side dish with crispy tortilla chips or Scoops corn chips, or pair it as a side with Hamburgers and Homemade Lemonade.
This cowboy caviar is a crowd-pleaser and always disappears fast! There are many recipes for cowboy caviar, but we really love this delicious version that my classmate, Annie from nursing school, shared with me years ago. It makes a big batch so it is an ideal potluck or party appetizer; right up there with Spinach Artichoke Dip and Ceviche!
Cowboy Caviar Video Tutorial
Watch the video tutorial and see just how easy it is to make this Cowboy Caviar. If you enjoy our videos, subscribe to our and click the bell icon so you will be the first to know when we post a new video!
What is Cowboy Caviar?
According to the stories, in the 1950’s Neiman Marcus’ food director, Helen Corbitt, introduced this dish at a party in Houston, Texas. Because of its “humble” ingredients, guests dubbed it “Cowboy Caviar”.
Is it a salsa? A dip? Or is it a black bean salad? Call it what you will, I call it delicious. Cowboy Caviar, also known as “Texas Caviar,” is a beefed-up Pico De Gallo type salsa, but unique because it’s loaded with beans, avocado, and corn and is dressed with our special ingredient, Italian dressing.
It’s so colorful with all of the fresh vegetables and those black beans add a great source of protein. Today, stores such as Costco and Trader Joe’s sell packaged versions of this popular dish, but we, of course, think fresh is best.
Time-Saving Tip: Save time by using our favorite food chopper for cutting up the tomatoes, jalapeños, avocado, onion, and bell pepper.
Ingredients
This cowboy caviar salsa is so colorful, loaded, and satisfying. This salsa tastes best in Summer when you can get fresh and garden-grown veggies but it’s delicious with store-bought ingredients as well.
- Tomatoes – Fresh tomatoes are the tastiest in season, but the beauty of this salsa is it can be made all year long.
- Beans – We love home-cooked beans or canned black beans or black-eyed peas. Be sure they are rinsed and well-drained. We often interchange these two beans based on what we have on hand and either one works great.
- Corn – During the winter months, we use canned or frozen corn and in the summer months, we add freshly cooked Corn on the Cob.
- Avocado – Adds an irresistible creaminess. I’ve been known to sneak in extra avocado.
- Bell Pepper – We have used red, orange, yellow, and even green bell pepper. Any kind will work.
- Onion – Adds great flavor and crunch to every bite.
- Jalapeños – Don’t be intimidated by the jalapeños – the Italian dressing mellows it out and even the kids love it!
- Italian Salad Dressing – This surprising ingredient infuses every bite with incredible flavor. We love Newman’s Own brand, but you can use your favorite one or try our Homemade Italian Dressing.
- Limes, garlic, and salt – Use fresh lime juice and garlic for the best flavor.
- Cilantro – salsa would not be complete without it!
Pro Tip: Wear a glove when handling the jalapeño, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon to reduce the heat.
How to Make Cowboy Caviar
- Chop the fresh ingredients – tomatoes, avocados, onion, jalapeños, bell pepper, cilantro, fresh corn. Mince the garlic and add everything to a large bowl.
- Rinse and Drain – Black beans (and corn if using canned corn). Add to the bowl.
- Combine – Add Italian dressing, lime juice, and salt. Stir to combine and enjoy!
It really is that easy. You can make it several hours ahead and the leftovers are still great the next day.
Pro Tip: Make this side dish a complete meal by adding shredded chicken and/or cooked pasta such as penne, macaroni, or fusilli just before you mix all of the ingredients together. To make it a totally simple, no-cooking-required meal, purchase a rotisserie chicken from the deli and omit the pasta.
Common Questions
A bowl of fresh vegetables surely has great nutritional value. With black beans and/or black-eyed peas, this recipe is a great source of fiber and protein. Of course, you could choose a healthier option than tortilla chips for scooping, but I am not judging.
This recipe is so versatile and modifications based on personal preference or which ingredients you have on hand are so simple to make. Want to add red onion instead of white onion? Chili powder instead of jalapenos for an extra kick? Canned corn kernels instead of fresh corn on the cob? By all means… substitute. It is so simple and you really cannot go wrong.
Texas Caviar can easily be prepared up to two days ahead of time and be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Longer than two days, and the vegetables will start to lose their crispness. This recipe is also easily doubled or tripled for your party crowd.
How to Serve Cowboy Caviar
- Appetizer – We always serve Cowboy Caviar with tortilla chips as an appetizer. It’s perfect for parties because it makes a big batch. My husband and I often skip dinner and just make a big batch of this black bean salad in the evening with crunchy tortilla chips.
- Topping – If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, it can be served as a topping for Beef Tacos, burritos, Nachos, or over Pan-Seared Steak.
- Side Dish – You can serve this as a salad or side dish for a potluck. It is definitely a crowd-pleaser.
This recipe for Cowboy Caviar is a keeper. Make this once and you will make it again and again.
More Party Appetizers
These are our best appetizers, from salsas to dips and small bites. These are the top-rated recipes that always get rave reviews:
Cowboy Caviar Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and diced
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely diced
- 1 large avocado , peeled, pitted and diced
- 15 oz can corn, drained (or from 1 cooked cob of corn)
- 15 oz can black beans, well rinsed and drained (or make your own)
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro, About 1/2 cup chopped
- 3-4 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup light Italian Dressing, *
- 4 medium garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine diced tomatoes, chopped onion and bell pepper, seeded and diced jalapeño, sliced avocado, fresh (or drained canned) corn, rinsed and drained black beans, and chopped cilantro.
- Stir in 3-4 Tbsp of lime juice, 1/2 cup of Italian dressing, 4 pressed garlic cloves, and 1 tsp of salt or season to taste. Mix everything together and serve with tortilla chips.
This recipe is totally awesome and so fresh tasting. hubby loves it and it is my go to dish for luncheons
So glad to hear that, Cathi!
Omitted the onions and beans since we don’t like them and it turned out absolutely wonderful. My favorite part was the Italian dressing-I used the recipe from this website for it as well. Yum yum yum!!!
That’s wonderful, Lena!
Your recipes are great but this web page is the most difficult to use because of advertising pop ups that make recipes disappear or masked over. So time consuming that I have given up using. Sorry but true!!!
Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback. The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site, so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes. But we will definitely take note of your feedback and use it to improve our website.
I appreciate your feedback, and I hope you love every recipe you try.
Totally agree. Its not just this site but several that I’ve visited. I simply can’t take it when using my phone. Its tolerable when using a laptop but now a days most people search on their phone.
If they were stationary ads that would be one thing but they aren’t. They constantly pop up, they’re big and bright and cover the content of the site, they’re often difficult to figure out how to close & when you do close them they pop up again seconds later…VERY FRUSTRATING!
Sorry for the rant…glad to see it’s not just me.
Love this! I used black eye peas instead of black beans. You are the only chef I’ve ever followed. I love watching you cook! And everything tastes so good. You’re a delight to watch!
That’s wonderful, Kathy! Thank you so much. You’re very kind.
Hi Natasha,
I will be making this into 4oz appetizer cups for 120 people. How many batches do you think I should make?
Hi Ilona! To be honest, I’m not quite sure. I haven’t ever made it to service like that so I would not know the measurements. Sorry I cant be more help.
It was fresh and delicious. It was a lot of chopping as I didn’t have the chopping gadget, but worth it. I served with a ribeye and chips. Casual dinner at home. Loved it!
That sounds like an amazing combination. Thank you for your feedback. I’m glad you loved the recipe.
Made this recipe and it was so yummy. We used it to top a nacho platter on a baking pan topped with some pork al pastor, and loads of cheddar cheese. Served it with sour cream, pickled radishes, shredded lettuce on the side!! So good!! Thanks for the cowboy caviar recipe!!
You’re very welcome. So glad you love the recipe.
Awesome recipe! I used “State Fair” apples since they were all I had plus I made the top crust have slits instead of a braid/weave + an extra 5 mins of cooking at 350 and it came out fantastic. Thank you Natasha!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, David!
Delicious! As usual 🙂
I’ve been following you and enjoying your recipes for a while. Now my wife will check Natasha’s Kitchen when she’s looking for a recipe. Thanks!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Dave!
Amazing . My wife and I loved it! I well be making it again sometime!
Sounds great! I hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes that you will try.
This is awesome! So fresh! I used fresh corn (3 ears) and I had pink beans instead of black beans. So very good. Addictive!
Hi Sandra! I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for the feedback.
Incredible! I brought this to my brother’s party and it was the first to go. I wish I doubled the recipe!
Hi Caroline! I’m so glad it was a hit. Thanks for sharing.
Love cowboy caviar! It’s such a great summertime recipe, we make it so often! Absolutely delicious.
I agree! Such a great one. Thanks, April!
This is my family’s favorite salsa! I could just make it a meal, it’s so good!
I’m so happy you all enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Kara!
Hi Natasha,
Iv’e been making this recipe for a few years now and love it! Will be making it again soon. Thanks for the delicious recipe and can’t wait to receive your cookbook that I purchased on Amazon awhile ago. Keep up the great recipes!
Karen ❤😊
Hi Karen! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m excited for you to get your copy!
Mmm…Nat this looks so delicious and crisp and crunchy! Yes..I know, I gave it a 4 because of the cilantro. I try to like it but I just can’t ! I know that can make a big difference in the final outcome but I will put parsley instead. I know it doesn’t have much taste but it will look pretty at least. I am anxious to try this anyway. Thanks for sharing another wonderful recipe !
Lydia, Many people cannot tolerate cilantro. I hate it. I have never made Cowboy Caviar with it and it’s always super popular. I love Natashia’s recipe but mine does not call for Italian dressing, but marinating in the fridge does wonders with a little hot sauce.
I have made this a dozen times and it’s always a hit. Sometimes I add a can of black eyed peas. I think I’m addicted. Thanks for a great recipe. Another favorite is your instant pot whole chicken with that devine gravy. To die for.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
Hi Natasha
I made the Cowboy Caviar for our Canada Day BBQ and it was absolutely amazing!!!
I did substitute our home grown parsley for the cilantro as we are not big on cilantro!!
The freshness and flavours were incredible.
You are so right about the jalapeños not being overwhelming.
It was a winner for sure and definitely a keeper for our family!
You are the best on the web!!
Especially for us new to the cooking game.
Thank you
Alan
Looks amazing! Can you make this the night before without the avocados turning brown? Thanks!!
Hi Anne! This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. The avocados do start to turn brown but the lime juice in the recipe helps to slow down that process. You can also cut the avocados on the day of and add them in before serving.
Have you added garbanzo beans to this? Wondering how this would turn out with both black beans and garbanzo. Trying to make a more filling app for a big pool party.
Hi Kelley! I think they would work well together. You may also enjoy my chickpea salad .