Vegetarian Recipes

Classic Three Bean Salad

A salad this simple has no business being so delicious, but it just is. This Classic Three Bean Salad has minimal ingredients, the most basic of basic dressings, and yet I can’t seem to get enough of it. The creamy beans are the perfect contrast to the tangy-sweet dressing, and there’s just enough savory crunch from the red onion to keep the flavors grounded. It’s the perfect summer side dish for all of your BBQs and potlucks, or on those busy weeknights when you don’t want to spend a lot of time fixing dinner.

Overhead view of a bowl full of three bean salad

“I made this recipe yesterday. I followed it to the letter, no alterations and no substitutions. It was FANTASTIC. I will make it again and again. So flavorful and delicious and satisfying. Thank you!”

Isabelle

Easy Three Bean Salad Recipe

My three bean salad has dark kidney beans, cannellini beans, and green beans. You can also try other beans like chickpeas, wax beans, purple hull peas, or black eyed peas. This recipe is really flexible, so you can swap out the beans, and you can even add more than three beans if you’d like. However, I recommend having a variety of colors, textures, and shapes. Make sure to have at least one creamy bean, too!

I also made a basic, slightly sweet vinaigrette with just enough Dijon to give it a little zing. You can easily tweak the sweetness or tang to your liking or even use your favorite bottled dressing (like Italian dressing) for a different flavor. This recipe is SO easy to make your own, so have fun with it!

Overhead view of a bowl of three bean salad

Print
Add to Collection Go to Collections

Classic Three Bean Salad

Simple ingredients come together in this Classic Three Bean Salad to make a simple summer side dish, perfect for BBQs and potlucks!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Total Cost $3.84 recipe / $0.77 serving

Prep Time 15

Marinate 30

Total Time 45

Servings servings (1 cup each)

Calories 301kcal

Author Beth Moncel

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can kidney beans $0.94
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans $0.94
1.5 cups frozen green beans thawed, $0.59*
¼ cup red onion finely diced, $0.12
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped, $0.17
¼ cup apple cider vinegar $0.24
¼ cup olive oil $0.64**
2 Tbsp sugar $0.12***
1 tsp salt $0.03
¼ tsp black pepper freshly cracked, $0.02
1 tsp Dijon mustard $0.03

Instructions

Rinse and drain the kidney beans and cannellini beans. Place the kidney beans, cannellini beans, and thawed green beans in a bowl.
Slice the red onion, then soak the onion in a bowl of ice water for about five minutes before draining and finely dicing. Chop the parsley. Add the onion and parsley to the bowl with the beans.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and Dijon.
Pour the dressing over the beans, onion, and parsley, then stir to combine.
Transfer the bean salad to the refrigerator and let the beans marinate in the dressing for about 30 minutes before serving. Give the salad a good stir just before serving to redistribute the dressing.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Video

Notes

*If you’d prefer to use fresh green beans, I’d slice and blanch them for 1-2 minutes and then cool them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. I wouldn’t use canned green beans as they’re much softer and have a muted flavor compared to frozen or fresh.

**Olive oil is my preferred choice for this vinaigrette. It adds richness, helps balance the acidity, and creates a temporary emulsion; I never skip it! Without it, the vinegar and Dijon flavors will be more pronounced, the texture will be lighter, and the flavor will be much sharper. You can try leaving it out if preferred, but it all comes down to your personal preference.

***The dressing is meant to be slightly sweet to mellow the sharpness of the vinegar and mustard, but feel free to adjust it to your taste. If you’re sensitive to sweetness, start with a smaller amount of sugar and add more if needed.

Nutrition

How to Make Three Bean Salad Step-by-Step Photos

Prep the beans: Rinse and drain one 15 oz. can of kidney beans and one 15 oz. can of cannellini beans. Add them to a bowl with 1.5 cups of thawed frozen green beans.

red onion slices soaking in a bowl of water

Shock the onion: Slice some red onion and soak them for about 5 minutes in a bowl of ice water (this takes the sharp edge off their flavor). Finely dice about ¼ cup of the red onion. Chop about ¼ cup fresh parsley.

Make the dressing: Whisk together ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.

dressing being poured over salad ingredients in the bowl

Combine: Add the onion and parsley to the bowl with the beans, then pour the dressing over top. Stir everything to combine.

Finished three bean salad in the bowl with a spoon

Chill and serve: Refrigerate the three bean salad for about 30 minutes to let the beans marinate. Give it a good stir, and then serve!

Classic three bean salad on a plate with chicken and potato salad

What to Serve with Three Bean Salad

The sweet-tart flavor of this three bean salad makes it a perfect match for other sweet-savory dishes, especially anything with BBQ sauce. In the photos here, I served it with my BBQ cheddar baked chicken and a big scoop of potato salad, and the combo was incredibly satisfying. It also pairs beautifully with glazed ham steaks (the Dijon dressing goes so well with the sweet glaze), creamy pork chops for a fun contrast, or crispy air fryer drumsticks when you need a quick weeknight meal.

Storage Instructions

Three bean salad is one of those recipes that actually gets better with time in the fridge. As it refrigerates, the beans begin to absorb the flavors in the dressing, and everything gets SUPER tasty. This salad will probably stay good in the fridge for about four days (if you don’t eat it all by then).

Overhead view of a bowl of tuna and white bean salad.

Tuna White Bean Salad

$2.41 recipe / $0.80 serving

Cowboy Caviar

$5.54 recipe / $0.55 serving

Mediterranean White Bean Salad

$4.87 recipe / $1.22 serving

Taco Salad

$17.26 recipe / $2.87 serving

Our Classic Three Bean Salad recipe was originally published 6/21/21. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 7/3/25.

The post Classic Three Bean Salad appeared first on Budget Bytes.

Vegetarian Recipes

Cherry Blondies

Whenever I’m craving something sweet, but I’m sick of the same old same old, I whip up a batch of these fudgy, chewy, fragrant Cherry Blondies! The creamy white chocolate, tart cherries, and crunchy almonds make this recipe stand out. This is not your typical blondie! I don’t use almond extract too often, but pairing its flavor with cherries and white chocolate is just a no-brainer to me. (But a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly!)

Easy Recipe for Cherry Blondies

Blondies are like brownies, just without the cocoa. Instead, they’re made with brown sugar and vanilla, and have the BEST buttery flavor and chewy texture.

For these cherry blondies, I mix in canned cherry pie filling (it adds a sweet-tart cherry flavor without a lot of fuss or cost), slivered almonds, and white chocolate chips. I also brown the butter first to bring out a nutty, almost toffee-like richness that’s totally worth the extra few minutes. A mix of brown and white sugar strikes the perfect balance of moisture and structure, while a splash of almond extract adds a frangipane-style flavor. Bake them once, and you’ll see why I keep coming back to this combo. 😋

Print
Add to Collection Go to Collections

Cherry Blondies

These easy Cherry Blondies are loaded with white chocolate, almonds, and cherry pie filling for a sweet treat that’s simple to make and hard to resist.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Total Cost $5.82 recipe / $0.64 serving

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Chill Time 20

Total Time 1 30

Servings slices

Calories 429kcal

Author Jess Rice

Equipment

8×8” Baking Dish
Parchment Paper
3 Mixing Bowls
Sauce Pan
Hand Mixer

Ingredients

1¾ cups all-purpose flour $0.28
½ tsp baking powder $0.02
¼ tsp salt $0.01
1 large egg $0.29
1 tsp vanilla extract $0.47
½ tsp almond extract $0.15
½ cup cherry pie filling $0.73*
1½ sticks salted butter cut into cubes, $1.48
½ cup granulated sugar $0.19
1 cup brown sugar $0.91
¼ cup white chocolate chips $0.42
¼ cup slivered almonds $0.87

Instructions

Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper and preheat oven to 350℉.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl, combine the egg, vanilla, almond extract, and cherry pie filling. Mix together and set aside.
Cube the butter and melt over medium heat until frothy, whisking once in a while to make sure the milk solids don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
Once butter is browned, it will have a nutty aroma and darken in color. (Babysit it! Don’t let it burn!) Remove from heat.
Combine browned butter with granulated and brown sugar.
Mix with a hand mixer on low until combined. Then, add the wet cherry mixture and continue to mix until combined.
Finally, gently mix in the dry flour mixture little by little until a batter forms.
Fold in white chocolate and almond slivers.
Transfer batter to greased and line baking dish and add some extra white chocolate and almonds on top, if you have them.
Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting. The interior may still be a little gooey. These are chewier than your typical brownie! Enjoy.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*The ingredients in a can of cherry pie filling are pretty simple, but I have found the Duncan Hines Comstock brand “Simply Cherry” in a can to have fewer ingredients and no added coloring, so if you see it next to the regular cherry pie filling, you may want to spring for that can instead. You could try making these with fresh cherries, which I skipped because I couldn’t find any at my local grocery store, just make sure you pit them first!

Nutrition

how to make Cherry Blondies step-by-step photos

The ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350℉. Grease and line an 8×8” baking dish with parchment paper. Set this aside for now.

Flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients: Add 1¾ cups flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Set this aside.

Cherry pie filling, egg, and vanilla extract in a bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients: In a different mixing bowl, combine 1 large egg, 1 tsp vanilla, ½ tsp almond extract, and ½ cup of cherry pie filling. Set this aside for now as well.

Brown the butter: Add 1½ sticks of cubed salted butter to a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter until frothy, being sure to whisk it once in a while to avoid the milk solids from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan. Babysit it, and don’t let it burn! It typically takes about 5-8 minutes for butter to brown.

When the butter is browned, it’ll smell nutty and be darker in color. There will also be flecks of brown throughout (those are toasted milk solids, and they’re full of flavor). Remove it from the heat once done.

Brown and white sugar added to a bowl of browned butter.

Make the batter: Pour the browned butter into a mixing bowl and add ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 cup brown sugar.

The wet ingredients for cherry blondies added to the creamed butter and sugar.

Use a hand mixer on low to combine the browned butter and sugars. Once mixed, add the wet cherry pie filling mixture and keep mixing until thoroughly combined.

Dry ingredients added to the wet ingredients to make cherry blondies.

Now, gently fold in the dry flour mixture a little at a time until a thick batter forms.

Slivered almonds added to the batter for cherry blondies.

Finally, fold in ¼ cup white chocolate chips and ¼ cup slivered almonds.

The batter for cherry blondies in a lined baking dish.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. If you have any extra, top the batter with a few white chocolate chips and slivered almonds to make it look extra pretty.

Finished homemade cherry blondies in a baking dish.

Bake: Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. They’re done once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let your homemade cherry blondies cool for 20 minutes before cutting for the best results. They may still be a little gooey! They’re definitely chewier than your average brownie but just as delicious. Enjoy!

Overhead view of a baking dish of cherry blondies with one missing.

Tips for Browning Butter

I brown the butter in this cherry dessert recipe because it gives the blondies the most amazing, deep, nutty flavor that plain melted butter can’t match. You could skip this step and just melt it, but it definitely wouldn’t taste the same.

It’s honestly so easy to brown butter, and only takes about 5-8 minutes from start to finish! Here’s how to do it right (we also have a step-by-step breakdown with photos on how to brown butter you can check out, too!):

Use a light-colored pan if you have one. It makes it easier to see the color change.
Watch it closely. Browning happens fast, and it can burn before you know it. Stay nearby and use medium heat.
It’ll start to froth. That’s normal. Just keep gently stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom.
Look for brown flecks. Those are the milk solids toasting, which is exactly what you want.
Pull it off the heat right away. As soon as it smells nutty and the color deepens, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat! It’s ready to use.

You can even make a big batch of browned butter and keep it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks and use it in future recipes. It’s obviously delicious in my cherry blondies recipe, but it’s also amazing tossed with plain pasta, drizzled over roasted veggies, or mixed into oatmeal.

Line your pan with parchment paper. It makes it way easier to lift the blondies out and slice them cleanly once they’ve cooled.
Let them cool in the pan. As good as they smell fresh out of the oven, I let my blondies cool for at least 20 minutes to help them set up properly. They’ll slice neater, and the texture will be just right.
Check for doneness with a toothpick. You’re looking for a mostly clean toothpick when inserted into your white chocolate cherry blondies. If you hit a cherry or a melty white chocolate chip, it might smear a bit, so try a second spot! Don’t forget, they may still be a little gooey on the inside rather than cakey.

Storage Instructions

Personally, I enjoy these cherry pie blondies cold! I like to keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator and grab one whenever I need a sweet pick-me-up. They’ll be good for up to 3-4 days when stored this way. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.