Marinated Three Bean Salad
This sweet and tangy Marinated Three Bean Salad has the perfect balance of soft beans and crunchy mix-ins for unforgettable retro flavor!
This classic Marinated Three Bean Salad (a.k.a. Wax Bean Salad) is perfect for summer gatherings like BBQs and potlucks.
It makes a BIG salad and is an ideal make-ahead dish because it needs to marinate for at least eight hours (or overnight!) to taste its best.
I found this salad in a variety of cookbooks from the 1960s and 1970s. After comparing them, I found that most recipes were very similar, except for a few fun variations (see variation section below).
My absolute favorite thing about this salad is the refreshing mix of sweet and tangy flavors. It’s so summery and satisfying!
Can’t get enough beans? Don’t miss my Easy Baked Calico Beans, Italian Green Beans, and Easy Green Bean Casserole.
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Ingredients
Be sure to check the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions!
My Top Tip for Making Three Bean Salad
You can usually find canned wax beans next to the green beans at the grocery store. If you can’t find them, substitute more green beans or lima beans.
How to Make Marinated Three Bean Salad
- Prepare your salad ingredients by opening and draining the three cans of beans. Then chop the celery, green pepper, and yellow onion into small pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained beans and chopped celery, green pepper, and onion.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the bean mixture. Then, cover and refrigerate at least eight hours or overnight.
- Can be served cold or at room temperature.
Storage Information
Refrigerate. The bean salad will keep in the fridge for up to one week. It’ll get even more flavor as it sits!
Please note that there will be a fair amount of marinating liquid that doesn’t get absorbed into the beans. That’s ok! Just drain some off before serving.
Do not freeze this dish. The texture of the beans will be altered after freezing/thawing.
Variations
Because this recipe has been around for a long time, it has naturally evolved over the years. Here are some of the most common variations to make it all your own.
- Add 1 cup of chopped cooked carrots
- Add 3–4 sliced green onions
- Add a jar of chopped pimentos (drained)
- Substitute canned asparagus for one of the beans
- Substitute canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) for one of the beans
- Add ½ teaspoon of paprika to the dressing
More Summery Side Dishes
Three Bean Salad is great for a potluck or cookout. Here are a few more sides to round out your meal!
📖 Recipe
Marinated Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (15½ oz) can cut green beans, drained
- 1 (15½ oz) can cut wax beans, drained
- 1 (15½ oz) can kidney beans, drained
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped green pepper
- ¼ cup chopped yellow onion
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup white vinegar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Prepare to make the salad by opening and draining the three cans of beans. Then chop celery, green pepper, and yellow onion.
- In a large bowl, combine the drained beans and chopped celery, green pepper, and onion.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the bean mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Serve cold or at room temperature.
Can you substitute for the sugar?
A couple people commented on the Gift of Hospitality Facebook page that they have substituted Splenda, but I haven’t tried it for myself.