Creamy Kidney Bean Salad Recipe (2024)

Thiscreamy kidney bean saladrecipe is loaded with fresh vegetables, hearty beans, and dressed in a sweet and tangy dressing! It’s a bright and crunchy salad that is a perfect side salad for serving at your next barbecue, gathering, or holiday meal.

We always make this for company – it’s simple, easy to make, and has a handful of ingredients. I love serving this with a VinegarColeslawandPickled Beetstoo.

This creamy kidney bean salad is inspired by White Fence Farm’s recipe, which is incredibly delicious. It’s a simple bean salad with fresh veggies. I also attempted aWhite Fence Farm Copycat Coleslaw Recipeand their amazingWhite Fence Farm Pickled Beetstoo!

If you are a lover of kidney bean salad, this will be your new go-to recipe. It’s adapted from one of my family’s favorite restaurants:White Fence Farm in Romeoville, IL. I have so many memories of going there as a child. And every time I go back to Chicago now I make sure to save some room for a big meal there (which is especially easy since my husband is a WFF convert as well).
Note: This isn’t White Fence Farm’s official recipe, its just my adaptation!

This salad comes together in about 10 minutes if you use canned beans. This salad is a great make-ahead dish, or even nice as a light lunch. It’s one of our favorite bean recipes that we enjoy all year long.

This Creamy Kidney Bean Salad Recipe Is:

• Bright
• Fresh
• Satisfying
• Crunchy
• A Crowd Pleaser
• Vegetarian and High Protein

A Classic Kidney Bean Salad Recipe

White Fence Farm is known for their fried chicken, but a major draw is their unlimited “relishes” which come out before the meal. They made delicious fried corn fritters, coleslaw, pickled beets, cottage cheese, and kidney bean salad.

I would 100% recommend a trip to White Fence Farm if you are in the Chicago area! It’s a real gem. Even though I live 1000 miles away, I always make a stop there when I am in Chicago.

Our Favorite Bean Salad with Kidney Beans

Since my husband and I now live hundreds of miles from White Fence Farm, this easy bean salad recipe is perfect copy to make when I have a craving for their kidney beans. This tasty salad is creamy but also surprisingly light with all the fresh chopped vegetables and simple dressing. A great salad any time of year!

I like to use dark red kidney beans, but you could use light or a combination of both. It’s a good salad or side dish recipe that is a great source of protein from the beans. Browse all our bean recipes here to find your next favorite!

What’s In This Red Bean Salad Recipe?

• Dark Red Kidney Beans: You can use canned, or cook your own red beans from scratch. If you use canned I’d recommenda no salt added variety like these, so the salad isn’t too salty.
• Yellow Onion – I usually use yellow onions, but you can use white or red onion for a spicier version.
• Diced Celery
• Bell Peppers:If you don’t have fresh peppers,these sweet roasted red peppersare a great substitute! I love adding them to breakfast bakes, sandwiches or wraps, and soups.
• Mayonnaise: you can useregular mayoin this creamy dressing, or even half mayo half sour cream.
• Sweet Relish:which gives this dish a little extra flavor boost and a nice added sweetness. You can use chopped sweet pickles instead.
• Onion Powder:adds a delicious and savory flavor to this dish as well, andthe onion powderpairs nicely with the flavors in the salad.
• White Pepper: I’d recommend white pepper over normal ground pepper – it gives the dish a much lighter flavor and a nice kick. I boughtAmazon’s brand of white pepper for a few bucksand have been loving it!

Canned Kidney Beans Versus Homemade

While I love the convenience of canned beans, I usually cook dry beans from scratch in my pressure cooker The texture is better and it’s a bit more affordable. I use a 7.5-Quart Instant Potwhich is larger than the standard model so I can batch cook more at a time.

Next time you reach for the canned beans, think about investing in apressure cookerinstead! Homemade beans are inexpensive, and make great recipes in a pinch.

This is a perfect side dish to bring to a picnic or BBQ, and comes together pretty quickly. You do need to refrigerate for a few hours before serving (although it can be served at room temperature) so make sure to plan to make this recipe the a day before for perfection.

How to Make Kidney Bean Salad

• Drain and rinse kidney beans under cold water. Put them in a large bowl.
• Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and stir well to combine.
• In a small bowl, add the dressing ingredients: mayonnaise, relish, onion powder, seasoning salt, and black pepper. Stir all ingredients together, and taste. Adjust seasoning (adding more salt, pepper, or mayo) if needed. Pour dressing over the kidney bean salad, and toss well to combine.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container. Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days.

I also attempted aWhite Fence Farm copycat Coleslaw Recipeand their amazingWhite Fence Farm Pickled Beets– and we think they turned out pretty darn great, like the original!

Share This Creamy Kidney Bean Salad Recipe

As always, if you make this red kidney bean salad recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me@theherbeevore on Instagramso I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipes!

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About the Author: Kelly Jensen