Cowboy Caviar

I’m having a party tonight with a bunch of my friends, and while I’m having Pollo Tropical cater the main meal with all the Cuban favorites like rice, beans, chicken, and pork, I knew I wanted to make a homemade appetizer to kick everything off.

Cowboy Caviar was the perfect choice! It’s fresh, colorful, packed with flavor, and comes together in just minutes. The tangy dressing, crunchy vegetables, sweet corn, beans, and little kick from the jalapeños pair so well with the Cuban flavors, and honestly…I have a feeling this might end up stealing the show.

My party menu couldn’t be easier. Homemade Cowboy Caviar to start, delicious catered Cuban food for dinner, and for dessert I made my Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Crunch Cake. It doesn’t get much better than that!

The best part? You simply chop everything up, whisk together the dressing, toss it all together, and let the refrigerator do the rest. As it chills, all those incredible flavors come together, making it even better by the time you’re ready to serve.

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Melissa Jo

Cowboy Caviar

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This easy Cowboy Caviar is fresh, colorful, and packed with flavor! Made with corn, beans, crisp veggies, and a zesty homemade dressing, it's the perfect make-ahead appetizer for parties, BBQs, potlucks, or anytime you're feeding a crowd. Serve it with tortilla chips and watch it disappear!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  

For the Cowboy Caviar

• 1 15-ounce can sweet kernel corn, drained
• 1 15.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15.5-ounce can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 pepper diced red bell pepper diced
• 1 pepper diced orange bell pepper diced
• ½ cup chopped red onion
• 2 jalapeños diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and cracked black pepper To taste
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1½ teaspoons Better Than Elote Seasoning

Dressing

• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
• 2 limes fresh lime juice

For Serving

• 1 bag Tortilla chips
• 1 bag Pita chips
• Tajín
• Crumbled Cotija cheese

Method

 

Step 1

1. Drain and rinse the black beans and black-eyed peas well. Drain the corn.

Step 2

1. Dice the red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, red onion, jalapeños, and chop the fresh cilantro.

Step 3

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn, black beans, black-eyed peas, cilantro, peppers, onion, and jalapeños.

Step 4

In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together:

1. Olive oil
2. White wine vinegar
3. Fresh lime juice
4. Sugar
5. Chili powder
6. Salt
7. Garlic powder
8. Better Than Elote Seasoning
9. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 5

1. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and beans. Toss everything together until evenly coated.

Step 6

1. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is even better so all of the flavors have time to come together.

Step 7

1. Before serving, sprinkle with Tajín and crumbled Cotija cheese if desired. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

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Melissa’s Tips!

• Don’t skip the chill time. This recipe is good right away, but it’s so much better after sitting in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Overnight is even better because all of the flavors intensify.
• If cilantro isn’t your thing, substitute chopped fresh parsley instead. Since parsley is much milder, add an extra teaspoon of every seasoning except the Better Than Elote Seasoning to boost the flavor.
• Dice everything into similar-sized pieces so you get a little bit of everything in each bite.
• Taste before serving and add another squeeze of fresh lime if you’d like a little extra brightness.
• I love finishing mine with Tajín and crumbled Cotija cheese. It adds the perfect finishing touch.

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Give everything a good stir before serving again since some of the dressing will settle at the bottom.

Do Not Freeze!