Honey-Mustard Bean Salad

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This honey-mustard bean salad is the perfect combination of sweet, tangy and downright delicious flavors. Creamy cannellini beans and hearty chickpeas create the ideal base to soak up the zesty honey-mustard dressing. If you don’t have cannellini beans or chickpeas on hand, black beans, kidney beans or even pinto beans work well, offering flexibility to suit your pantry. Serve this salad as a light main course with crusty bread or alongside grilled chicken, salmon or tofu for a heartier meal.

an image of the Honey-Mustard Bean Salad
Credit:

Photographer: Stacy Allen, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Active Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
10 mins
Servings:
6
  • Preparing this salad only takes 10 minutes, so it's perfect when you're in a rush.
  • Cannellini beans and chickpeas are rich in plant protein and fiber, offering important health benefits.
  • If you don't have cannellini beans, black beans or kidney beans also work well.

This Honey-Mustard Bean Salad takes a classic dipping sauce and turns it into a salad—a win for honey-mustard lovers! Packed with plant protein, cannellini beans and chickpeas bring a hearty earthiness to this salad, while sweet red bell pepper adds a nice crunch. Zingy shallots balance the tangy-sweet dressing that brings the salad together. Keep reading for our expert tips, including what ingredient swaps you can make.

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

  • This is a perfect salad for potlucks and year-round entertaining, especially during warm weather. Because it doesn’t contain mayonnaise, it’s safer to leave it out of the fridge longer.
  • We recommend making this recipe with cannellini beans or chickpeas, but it’s just as flavorful with black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans or lentils. We use canned beans for convenience, but you can cook up a batch on your own if you prefer.
  • If you plan to add ingredients, remember that achieving the right balance of textures and flavors is essential for creating a good salad—no single element should overwhelm another.

Nutrition Notes

  • Cannellini beans are a type of legume and, like all legumes, are a great source of plant protein, fiber and antioxidants. Eating more legumes has been linked to a healthier heart and reduced risk of heart disease.
  • Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, are another type of legume. Like cannellini beans, they also bring plant protein, fiber and antioxidants to this salad. In addition, they’re loaded with folate and add iron and some potassium. 
  • Red bell peppers are loaded with vitamin C, which will help your body better absorb the iron in the legumes. They also provide a nice shot of vitamin A, which when combined with the vitamin C, will support your immune system. The fiber in the bell pepper and the legumes feeds your beneficial gut bacteria, helping them thrive and multiply.
an image of the ingredients to make the Honey-Mustard Bean Salad

Photographer: Stacy Allen, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 6 servings

  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 (15.5-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed

  • 1 (15.5-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed 

  • 1 small red bell pepper, minced (about 1 cup

  • ¼ cup minced shallots

Directions

  1. Whisk 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon garlic and ½ teaspoon salt together in a large bowl; gradually add 2 tablespoons oil, whisking constantly.

    an image of the dressing being whisked together

    Photographer: Stacy Allen, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

  2. Add rinsed cannellini beans, rinsed chickpeas, minced bell pepper and ¼ cup shallots to the honey-mustard mixture; toss gently to coat.

    an image of the beans, peppers, and shallots being tossed with the dressing

    Photographer: Stacy Allen, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Are garbanzo beans the same as chickpeas?

    Yes! They are the same. At the grocery store, you might find them labeled in Spanish as “garbanzos” or in English as “chickpeas.” Interestingly, they’re called beans but aren’t actually beans; they are seeds from a plant that belongs to the pea family. Regardless, chickpeas are delicious, featuring a creamy texture and a mild, nutty, buttery flavor that’s perfect for bean salads.

  • What should I serve with Honey-Mustard Bean Salad?

    Serve this salad as a light main course with crusty bread or alongside grilled salmon or tofu. Here are some of our favorite recipes to get you started: Grilled Lemon-Pepper Salmon in Foil, Oven-Barbecued Pork Chops or Chipotle Tofu Tacos.

  • How should I store leftovers?

    The leftovers and dressing should be stored in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. The salad should be good for about 3 days and the dressing for up to 2 weeks. The dressing is perfect on green salads and roasted vegetables.

EatingWell.com, March 2025

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

202 Calories
6g Fat
29g Carbs
9g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6
Serving Size ¾ cup
Calories 202
% Daily Value *
Total Carbohydrate 29g 11%
Dietary Fiber 7g 25%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 9g 18%
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Vitamin A 32µg
Vitamin C 26mg 29%
Vitamin D 0µg
Vitamin E 2mg 11%
Folate 123µg
Vitamin K 7µg
Sodium 319mg 14%
Calcium 73mg 6%
Iron 3mg 19%
Magnesium 58mg 14%
Potassium 477mg 10%
Zinc 1mg 13%
Vitamin B12 0µg
Omega 3 0g

Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate.

* Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.)

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs.

Additional reporting by
Carrie Myers, M.S.
Carrie Myers
Carrie Myers is a portfolio entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the health and wellness space. As a writer and editor, Carrie has worked for both consumer and trade print and online publications. She's been quoted in several articles as a health and fitness expert. Carrie is also a certified life and wellness coach and exercise physiologist, and the founder of CarrieMichele Co., a lifestyle company that helps women create lives they love where they can be authentic.
and
Linda Frahm
Linda Frahm has been a copy editor and fact checker working with food and nutrition content for the past 30-plus years for consumer print and online publications.