Cowboy caviar is the ultimate 15-minute party appetizer that everyone can’t get enough of. It’s loaded with beans, chopped veggies, and a bright, tangy dressing that ties it all together.
Why You’ll Love Cowboy Caviar
I have plenty of must-make appetizers for big parties like the 4th of July or Super Bowl, but cowboy caviar is always requested by friends and family. It’s like a cross between some of my favorites: pico de gallo, three-bean salad (from my Healthy Meal Prep cookbook), and guacamole. So you can imagine all the delicious Southwest flavors and textures happening in this dish! Here are a few more reasons why you’ll love this cowboy caviar recipe:
- It can be made ahead of time. The flavor only gets better as it sits, so it’s a good idea to make it a day in advance (just wait to add the avocado).
- It’s more than a party dip! While you can serve it simply with tortilla chips, I also love spooning it over grilled fish, tossing it into salads, topping it with my chipotle chicken, or serving it as a side dish for BBQs, cookouts, and picnics.
- It’s actually healthy. Between the beans and the fresh veggies, this dish delivers a great dose of fiber and nutrients.
Cowboy Caviar Ingredients
- Beans: Black eyed peas are the classic bean ingredient, but I love a mix of those with black beans. You could also swap in alternatives like pinto beans, navy beans, and more!
- Vegetables & fresh herbs: The rest is a mix of Roma tomatoes, sweet corn, bell pepper, avocado, jalapeno pepper, onion, and fresh cilantro.
- Cowboy caviar dressing: This is a mix of olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, cumin, salt, and black pepper. While vinegar can be used as well, I prefer fresh lime juice to maximize the Southwest flavor.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Cowboy Caviar
Step one: Add the black beans, black eyed peas, tomatoes, bell pepper, avocado, jalapeno pepper, red onion, and cilantro to a large mixing bowl.
Step two: In a small bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt, cumin, and black pepper.
Step three: Pour the dressing over the cowboy caviar and stir together. You can enjoy this right away, but it’ll taste even better if you let the mixture sit for a few hours in the fridge!
Storage & Make-Ahead Tips
- How to store cowboy caviar: This will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. If it looks watery after a day or two, you can drain off a little excess liquid.
- Make-ahead tip: Prep all the ingredients a day in advance (except for the avocado) and store them in the fridge. Then, toss everything together the next day.
More Appetizers
- 7 Layer Dip: Another great dip with plenty of flavor.
- Ultimate Nachos: Always a crowd favorite.
- Jalapeno Poppers: The best party finger food.
- Ceviche: Perfect for a hot sunny day.
- Or browse through more appetizer ideas!
If you make this cowboy caviar recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Zwilling Chef's Knife My favorite chef's knife!
- Glass Mixing Bowls Perfect for mixing all the componenets.
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce can) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce can) black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 2 cups sweet corn, from frozen, canned or grilled
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Cowboy Caviar Dressing
- â…“ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients. Add the black beans, black eyed peas, tomatoes, bell pepper, avocado, jalapeno pepper, red onion, and cilantro to a large mixing bowl.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt, cumin, and black pepper.
- Stir together. Pour the dressing over the cowboy caviar and stir together.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: This will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. If it looks watery after a day or two, you can drain off a little excess liquid.
- Make-ahead tip: Prep all the ingredients a day in advance (except for the avocado) and store them in the fridge. Then, toss everything together the next day.
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
If you’re wondering why it’s called cowboy caviar (because I did!) let me give you the scoop. In the 1940’s a Texas chef and cookbook author who was working at the Houston Country Club created this dish as a playful, affordable spin on caviar, using black eyed peas instead of fish roe.
So it was originally called “Texas Caviar” then morphed into “Cowboy Caviar.” Over time, the ingredients evolved as well, and as I mention on the video above, I personally love to add diced avocado to it. But feel free to have fun with this recipe, adding other ingredients or your own spin as well!
Tried this recipe absolutely amazing thank u so much. This is a must try!!!
Glad you’re loving this cowboy caviar recipe, Sandra!
I subbed into beans for black eyed peas and it turned out great. I’d probably add another can of beans next time just for the extra fiber/protein, but tasted great as-is and stored phonomenally well for later lunches.
A little extra fiber/protein is definitely a good thing! ;) And yes, it’s awesome for leftover lunches as well. Enjoy!
Absolutely delicious and nutritious- easy and quick for a potluck too. Thank you, Lisa!
Glad this cowboy caviar worked out great for a potluck, Anna!
Another option as a sub is to swap garbanzo beans for the black eyed peas. Great recipe!
Great idea for a substitution, Eris!
Just made this and it’s so good!! Love the dressing!!
Wonderful! So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Alicia!
I made this with a few small tweaks — I used cannellini beans instead of canned black-eyed peas (couldn’t find them in Switzerland), flat-leaf parsley instead of cilantro (personal preference), and Padrón peppers instead of jalapeños (availability issue). I also adjusted the proportions a bit — for example, I used a whole small green bell pepper for half the recipe and a bit less corn, since the can sizes are different here. It turned out delicious!
Those sound like perfect tweaks, Malika! So glad you enjoyed it!
Good to know! I am out of black eyed peas but I have the cannellini beans and was wondering about subbing. And also no cilantro here lol I appreciate your review!
Yum! Cowboy caviar used to be my go to recipe for any gathering where I needed to bring a dish. It’s been several years since I’ve made it and I’ve long lost the recipe I used to follow, so I was so happy to come across this recipe! I made it last night and added shredded roasted chicken and it was delicious! This will become part of our standard summer fare! Thank you!
Glad this recipe reappeared at the right time! Now you can make this delicious appetizer all the time again, Sue.
My favorite BBQ restaurant has a version of this for their smoked chicken nachos. Now I can make my own but better. It’s been one of my “favorite but need to find a recipe for it”. I’m giving it 5 stars in advance. I know it’s going to be good.
Thanks for your feedback, Marti! I hope this recipe is exactly what you’re looking for.
I made this over the fourth and it was absolutely delicious!
Thrilled you loved this cowboy caviar, Sherrie! The perfect way to celebrate the 4th.
Loved this recipe. Perfecto for hot summer Spain weather. Will repeat It for sure.
Happy to hear you’re loving this cowboy caviar, Nata!
My family loved the Cowboy Caviar (our son and his wife and two boys were over for dinner)! I couldn’t find Black-eyed peas at the store so I substituted White Northern Beans. But I’m going to try it again with the peas next time! My husband’s niece and husband will be here from Texas next week and it’ll be a nice dish to serve with our lunch!
Glad this recipe still turned out great with white beans instead of the blackeyed peas, Holly!
This Cowboy Caviar was a hit at our family 4th of July celebration! I’ve tried other recipes, but I think the black eye peas add an extra level of flavor. I had some leftover caviar that I ate today and the flavors were much more enhanced. Definitely making this again!
Yay, so happy you and your family loved it, Susie! It’s such a great recipe for 4th of July, and I agree, even better the next day. ;)
Just made the cowboy caviar, love it! Can use as dip or put on top of a tossed salad,, I love all the stuff you post ,so healthy and colorful.
Happy to hear you loved this cowboy caviar, Judy! It truly is such a versatile dish to have in your fridge.
I made this yesterday, and I felt as though it still needed a bit more flavor for our tastes. I have a great deal of it left over, so tonight I am adding the zest and juice of one more lime, a little more cumin, and about a half teaspoon of smoked paprika. I will taste it to see if it enhances the flavor, then tweak if necessary for our tastes. That said, I love the nutritional bang of this dish – there is so much nutrition, and my husband LOVES it; it’s hard to please him, LOL. There are so many ways this can be served too….as a dip, in a salad, as a topping, etc. Great recipe!!! I would rather eat something like this than a side that is nutritionally void and is laden with unhealthy fats, sugars, and carbs.
Hi Susan – yes, feel free to tweak the flavor to your liking! And I’m with you, I’d much rather have a veggie heavy side like this, especially during holidays when I’m already indulging. ;)
Thinking of using lentils instead if peas. Thoughts?
Hi Lindsay – You can do that if you’d like!
This looked so good I just had to make it today! It is so delicious and easy to throw together and the perfect appetizer or snack for a crowd!! Great tip about ripe but firm avocados. I added two because they were small and we love avocados. Definitely a keeper of a recipe :) Thanks Lisa!!
Wonderful! I’m so glad you loved this cowboy caviar recipe, Heather. Enjoy!
Perfect timing, as always! Just getting things ready for a family day tomorrow and it’s the perfect thing to bring. I just finished throwing it together, and I cannot stop eating it! Lol. (Must…put…in…fridge!) What’s awesome is that it’s going to be even better tomorrow!!🤯 🤤
Glad this recipe went live at the perfect time! Hope everyone loves it, Michala :)
I love cowboy caviar! Sometimes i use as you would seven layer dip. Refried beans, sour cream on bottom and caviar on top. yum yum
Great idea, Pamela!
Awesome
Glad you’re loving this cowboy caviar, Shirlene!
Wonderful salad for the summer thanks for sharing
Of course, Harriet. Enjoy this all summer long!
Saw this today and had all the ingredients. Absolutely love it I took half and added to Pasta for a cowboy caviar pasta. Love it.
Glad this turned out to be a great pasta dish instead, Michele!
Oh my!!!! With small pieces of celery sounds yummy!!!!!! Thanks! Would be great and refreshing for tomorrow on my family menu! 🎆🎉💖 Blessings!
Enjoy, Kary!!
Great recipe, especially for the summer love it. You have the best idea ideas keep them coming. Can’t wait to see what else pops up. Thank you so much
Of course, Shelly! Enjoy this cowboy caviar all summer long and stay tuned for more new recipes coming your way soon.
So good! I was just looking for a recipe for cowboy caviar and here you are. I pass on the black eyes peas, but I know they are traditional. It’s gonna be good tomorrow!!!
Glad you found the perfect cowboy caviar recipe, Lori. Enjoy!
Perfect! Somehow I already had all of these things in my pantry/fridge so I just made it lol. I can’t wait for the flavors to come together overnight. Perfect for the 4th of July get together for tomorrow and it makes a ton!! It already tastes good so I am excited!!!
You’re so fast, Angelica! I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy this cowboy caviar for your party tomorrow. Enjoy!