Texas Caviar is a great and easy to make party food! Perfect for any cookout or potluck, this flavorful side dish is made with plenty of finely diced fresh veggies and a simple homemade vinaigrette. Everyone who has tried this easy side dish has asked for the recipe because it’s just that good, and the best part is you can have it prepped in just 10 minutes. Recipe also includes a brief video so you can see exactly how it’s made.
Literally the BEST Texas Caviar
I originally shared the recipe for this Texas Caviar (also commonly known as Cowboy Caviar) over on Spend with Pennies!
Alright, I wasn’t originally going to share another savory recipe with you so soon after my Macaroni Salad recipe, but with it being Memorial Day weekend and with the extremely warm reception last week’s savory recipe received, I thought I’d take a short sugar break (though if you’re looking for a sweet side, see my Ambrosia Salad!). I’ve been holding on to this recipe for over a year now, so I thought that it was about time I finally share.
My family loves Texas Caviar. My mom and sister will finish off the entire bowl by themselves if allowed near it unsupervised, and it tastes just as good when eaten by the spoonful as it does when served on corn chips. It’s one of my favorite recipes to make in the summer alongside homemade refrigerator pickles.
Texas Caviar is a little hard to categorize. It’s not quite a salad, not quite a salsa, and not exactly what I generally think of when I think of a dip, but it is easy to make, bursting with flavor, and completely delicious, so whatever you want to call it I think you’re going to love it.
Despite the name, this recipe doesn’t actually include any actual caviar. Instead, it’s made of beans and finely chopped tomatoes, avocados, onions and other veggies. When preparing, one of the most important things to do is make sure that you dice up your ingredients so that they are as small as possible. This will ensure that every chip you dip has a variety of flavors and textures in each bite. Nobody wants to dip a corn chip into their Texas Caviar and come up with a giant chunk of just pepper. Nobody.
How to easily dice an avocado for Texas Caviar
To easily cut your avocado, I recommend slicing it in half, removing the pit, and then using your knife to score the avocado into small pieces while it’s still in its skin (shell? what is the outside of an avocado called, I have no idea), just like in the photo below.
Then, just use a large spoon to scoop the now-finely-diced avocado pieces into a large bowl. By far the easiest way I’ve found to cut an avocado, and I’m sharing this tip because the way I used to do it was messy, aggravating, and even a little bit dangerous so I’m hoping this simple tip helps some of you! Remember this tip for the next time you need to cut avocado, like when you try my taco salad!
The dressing is a simple homemade vinaigrette that starts with an olive oil base. I add red wine vinegar, but if you only have white wine vinegar on hand that works well, too.
While I often serve Texas Caviar immediately after making it, allowing it to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour lets the ingredients absorb the vinaigrette and helps really bring out the best flavor. While the lime juice does help to preserve the avocado and keep it from turning brown, I do still recommend making this caviar no earlier than the night before you intend to serve it, just so that it looks its best.
Alright, I’ll be back with more sugary sweets next week, I promise. Until then, if you’re looking for some other great Memorial Day Recipes or cookout side dishes, make sure to check out my Broccoli Salad, Caprese Salad, Ramen Noodle Salad, and Deviled Eggs!
Enjoy!
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Texas Caviar
Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes seeds removed and diced
- 2 ripe avocados diced
- 1 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz can black eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 1 ½ cups frozen sweet corn, thawed I just usually toss it in the salad frozen unless I plan on eating it immediately, it thaws quite quickly.
- 1 bell pepper diced, I used half a green and half a red, but color doesn’t matter
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed and diced into very small pieces
- ⅓ cup Cilantro finely chopped
DRESSING
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice fresh-squeezed preferred
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes, avocado, onion, black beans, black eyed peas, corn, pepper, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl. Toss/stir well so that ingredients are well-combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Pour dressing over other ingredients and stir/toss very well.
- Keep refrigerated. For best results refrigerate (covered) for one hour before serving so that the beans and other ingredients can soak in the dressing. Make sure to stir well before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Linda
We love this dish! The kids are growing up though and so I’m not needing to make such large portions these days. I’m wondering if I made a bigger batch if this would freeze and thaw ok?
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Linda! The only thing I would be worried about when freezing and thawing this is the texture of the tomatoes. They typically don’t hold up well to freezing and eating in a dish like this.
Lauren
This is so much more fun than salsa.
Rebecca L Crowson
Thank you!
Rita
Excellent recipe! A party hit for sure!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that the texas caviar was such a hit, Rita! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
Chanel
This is the best. I had 4 helpings tonight alone, lol
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the texas caviar, Channel! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Chefette
Thank you for this great recipe. I will cut the ingredients a bit larger and use it as a vegan salad at work. I’m always looking for a good idea for these dietary needs.
Sam
I’m so glad you like the recipe! 🙂