Easy Greek White Bean Salad
This Greek white bean salad is a colorful, filling dense bean salad packed with fresh vegetables, flat-leaf parsley and a punchy lemon red wine vinaigrette. It mixes up in one bowl in about 10 minutes and, because there’s no lettuce to wilt, it’s perfect for meal prep lunches, an easy side dish or something you can make ahead for a summer or early fall gathering.
I’ve been making this Greek white bean salad since 2021, and it’s still one of my favorite bean salads because I almost always have everything I need to make it. The combination of lemon juice and red wine vinegar gives the dressing more dimension than using either one alone, and plenty of fresh parsley makes the whole salad taste bright and fresh. When I want something hearty and flavorful that I can make without putting much thought into it, this is one of the recipes I come back to again and again.
If you love hearty salads you can make ahead for easy lunches, try my Mediterranean black bean salad, Mediterranean Chopped Salad or Italian white bean salad next. My hummus pasta salad is another great option when you want something filling and flavorful that holds up well in the fridge for meal prep.
Ingredient spotlight
- Red wine vinegar + fresh lemon juice: I use both in the dressing because they bring slightly different flavors. The lemon juice adds brightness and a little sweetness, while the red wine vinegar gives the dressing more tang. They work really well together, but if you only have one, you can use all lemon juice or all red wine vinegar instead.
- Red onion: Red onion adds a lot of flavor to this salad, but soaking it briefly in the lemon juice and red wine vinegar helps mellow some of its sharp bite. Even if you don’t typically love raw red onion in salads, I recommend trying it this way. You can also use chopped green onion for a milder onion flavor.
- White beans: Cannellini beans and Great Northern beans are my favorites for this salad, but just about any white bean will work. Butter beans are another great option, and you can even use chickpeas in a pinch. Use what you already have on hand.
- Flat leaf parsley: Don’t skip the fresh herbs here. Flat leaf parsley adds so much freshness and flavor to the salad, and I don’t recommend substituting curly parsley. If you don’t have flat leaf parsley, fresh basil is my next choice, or try a little fresh mint or dill for a slightly different flavor.
Step by step instructions
Start by chopping the red onion. Add the red onion to the bottom of the bowl. Add the red wine vinegar and lemon juice to the onion and stir well. Let sit 3-5 minutes to help take the bite out of the onion. After the onions have sat in the vinegar mixture, add the olive oil, salt, garlic powder and dried oregano. Stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients, halved tomatoes, rinsed and drained white beans and chopped flat leaf parsley to the bowl. Stir well until everything is well coated with the dressing and mixed well. Serve immediately or let rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours to really marry the flavors.
Tips for success
- Give the salad time to chill. You can serve this right away, but I prefer it after it has been in the fridge for a while. Even 30-60 minutes gives the flavors time to come together, but 1-2 hours is even better. It’s also delicious the next day, which is one of the reasons I love it for meal prep.
- Double or triple it for a crowd. This recipe is easy to scale up when you need a make-ahead salad for a summer gathering, cookout or party. You can also make a larger batch when you want plenty of leftovers for lunches throughout the week.
Greek White Bean Salad (Easy 10 Minute Recipe)
Ingredients
- ½ medium red onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ large lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup tomatoes - chopped
- ½ cup flat leaf parsley (about 1/2 bunch) - chopped
- 2 cans white beans - (cannellini, great northern white beans)
Instructions
- Start by chopping the red onion into small pieces.½ medium red onion, chopped
- Add the onion to the mixing bowl. Add the red wine vinegar and lemon juice to the onion and let sit 3-5 minutes.2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, ½ large lemon, juiced
- While onions are soaking, cut the tomatoes, chop the parsley and rinse and drain the beans.1 cup tomatoes, ½ cup flat leaf parsley (about 1/2 bunch), 2 cans white beans
- Add all the ingredients (olive oil, salt, garlic powder, oregano, tomatoes, parsley and white beans) to the bowl and stir well.1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 cup tomatoes, ½ cup flat leaf parsley (about 1/2 bunch), 2 cans white beans
- Serve immediately if needed but if time allows, let salad sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to allow flavors to incorporate.
Recipe Notes
- Don’t skip soaking the red onion. Letting the onion sit in the lemon juice and red wine vinegar helps mellow its sharp bite and gives it a much better flavor in the finished salad.
- Rinse and drain the beans well. Be sure to thoroughly rinse canned white beans and let them drain before adding them to the salad so you don’t water down the dressing.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Easy ways to add more flavor
I often keep this Greek white bean salad simple, but when I have these ingredients on hand, there are a few easy additions I love:
- Kalamata olives: Add sliced olives for a salty, briny flavor.
- Capers: A spoonful of capers adds another punch of briny flavor to the salad.
- Pepperoncini: Add sliced pepperoncini for a little extra tang and mild heat.
- Feta cheese: Crumbled feta adds a salty, creamy element that works really well with the lemon and red wine vinegar dressing.
Add one or combine a few depending on what you already have in the fridge.o make this salad more filling
Common questions
Can I add more protein?
Want to make this Greek white bean salad even more filling? Add cooked chicken, salmon, shrimp or tofu. Feta cheese is another easy way to add a little more protein and flavor. If you’re adding a larger amount of protein, I recommend making extra dressing so there is plenty to coat everything.
This was amazing! I used great northern beans instead, i don’t use white kidney beans. recipe was. wonderful I ate it throughout the day on toast, with crackers & extra nooch
So glad you enjoyed this! I love that you were able to enjoy it so many different ways throughout the day!
Thanks for sharing greek white bean salad recipe. I like this recipe very much.