Cowboy Caviar is a Super Bowl and summertime staple that is beloved by millions of people. It’s also known by many names such as Texas Caviar, Redneck Caviar, Southern Caviar Dip, Mexican Caviar, and Carolina Caviar. No matter what you call it, it’s delicious and so easy to make! I love love LOVE BBQ season, and for us, it starts when it’s just warm enough to be outside for it! This colorful Cowboy Caviar is a great recipe and the perfect BBQ side dish as it’s packed with fresh sweet and savory flavors. It’s super versatile and goes with just about any meat, especially if it’s smoked. You don’t need to have the right color of bell pepper, or the right type of beans for this unfussy recipe. Just use what you have, and it’ll be great! You can enjoy this classic side dish on its own as a dip with plenty of tortilla chips (bonus points if they are the lime-flavored tortilla chips) or as a side salad. Or toss it with some chopped greens for a southwest salad and serve it with some grilled chicken breast for an easy main dish. Some of our other favorite fresh summery sides are this Authentic Pico de Gallo, my classic 7-Layer Dip, this Grilled Mexican Street Corn Dip, and my Grilled Corn Salad.
Why We Love This Recipe
Customize this easy recipe with your favorite fresh veggies. Packed with fresh ingredients for the best flavor, it’s a healthy and hearty side dish! Throw this salad dip together at the last minute for potlucks and summer cookouts.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cowboy Caviar
Beans – Use a combination of black-eyed peas and black beans for the most classic version of this dip, or sub in pinto or other small white beans instead. Vegetables – Fresh corn kernels, chopped Roma tomatoes, a jalapeño, red bell pepper, red onion, and avocados make up the bulk of this dish. Herbs – Fresh cilantro and finely chopped green onions will give this dish added bursts of freshness! Tortilla Chips – Use tortilla chips or corn chips to serve this salad dip as an appetizer or snack. We especially like this with lime flavored tortilla chips.
Dressing
Oil & red wine vinegar – For the base of the dressing. Seasoning – A combination of fresh garlic, freshly squeezed lime juice, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cumin give the dressing classic Tex Mex flavors. Sugar – White granulated sugar works well to balance the acidity of the dressing.
How to Make Cowboy Caviar
Tips for Success
Dice the veggies that need chopping as small as you can by hand to let their juices out as that’s where the flavor is! Plus, it makes it easier to scoop bites with all of the dip ingredients rather than ending up with large chunks of just one element of this Texas caviar. This recipe makes about 6 cups, or twelve ½ cup servings. You can easily double or triple this recipe for a larger crowd or for larger portions if you like.
Substitutions and Variations
Turn up the heat. Add some chili powder, more jalapeño peppers, or hot sauce to add a little spice. As written, this Texas caviar recipe isn’t spicy at all. Corn. Use 2 ears of corn with the kernels cut off or one (14-ounce) can of corn that has been drained well instead of frozen corn. Tomatoes. Use cherry tomatoes or whichever kind of tomatoes you have on hand if roma tomatoes aren’t available. Beans. You can use different types of beans for this dip. Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), pinto beans, or even white acre peas in place of black-eyed peas. Dressing. Serve this simple dip without a dressing, or with a different salad dressing. My Creamy Cajun Dressing, Cesar Salad Dressing, or an Italian dressing could work well in place of the olive oil, vinegar, and herbs. Veggies. Use your favorite salad veggies for this dip. A green bell pepper will work fine here if you prefer them to red, or a yellow bell pepper would give a slightly sweeter flavor. Celery and cucumber would work well too and give some added crunch.
More Dip & Salsa Recipes You’ll Love
Fresh Mango Salsa Jalapeño Popper Dip Philly Cheesesteak Dip Buffalo Chicken Dip Best Homemade Guacamole Ever
It’s also great for use in other recipes as salad filling too. Try it in my Grilled Chicken Shawarma Wraps, these Mexican Pork Carnitas, or these Grilled Chicken & Steak Fajitas. Serve alongside other classic Mexican and Southern Tex-Mex flavors like Cornbread, Homemade Mexican Rice, Homemade Guacamole, and my Mexican Style Salsa.
Grilled Mexican Street Corn Dip
7 Layer Dip
Easy Refried Bean Dip
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
