Protein rich Vegan Bean salad with a creamy flavorful cilantro tahini dressing! Looking to eat healthy this summer? Want to shed those extra pounds? This power packed salad is a perfect summer recipe, incredibly easy to make and so nutritious and healthy!
There’s nothing like having a refreshing salad with on a hot summer day! As much as I love to eat salads, I like them to be quite filling and flavorful. A salad with just greens is not my kind of a meal. I would usually need something to go with it, so I am not left feeling hungry. But a salad with a lot of protein is quite filling and perfect as a meal by itself. This Vegan bean salad with 4 different kinds of beans/ lentils is so nutritious and healthy. The lentils make this so filling and the creamy dressing keeps you craving for more!
The best part about this salad is that it is protein packed with 4 different kinds of beans/ lentils. You can make this salad with all the 4 beans or use more/ less as per your choice. Like quinoa? They are great when added in this salad.
A good salad needs a good dressing and this creamy cilantro tahini dressing takes this protein packed bean salad to another level. It is so aromatic, tangy, creamy and nutty! The addition of avocado and tahini makes the dressing nice and creamy. You get a slight nuttiness from the tahini and the lemon juice and vinegar makes it zesty and fresh!
What all beans can I add in this VEGAN BEAN SALAD?
You can beans of your choice. I have added kidney beans, chickpeas, blackeyed pea and green moong lentils in this recipe. But pinto beans, black beans, cannellini beans are all great options.
How do I cook my beans for this vegan bean salad?
I have used my instant pot to cook the beans for this recipe. I cooked my kidney beans and chickpea together as they have similar cooking times. Once they were done, I cooked the black eyed pea and green moong lentils together as they require similar shorter cooking times. You could cook your beans in a pressure cooker or an open pan. Canned beans work well in this recipe too. I like to cook a batch of different beans over the weekend and keep them handy in so I can use them in recipes like these.
Do I have to soak the beans?
I have always soaked my beans, either overnight or atleast for a couple of hours. Especially beans like chickpeas and kidney beans usually get soaked the previous night. I would drain the water in the morning and cook the beans in my instant pot or pressure cooker so I can use them in my curries or salads for dinner/ lunch. As far as black eyed pea and green moong lentils are concerned, it’s ok if you do not soak them overnight as they get cooked faster anyways. But I would still try to soak them for an hour or so, so they are easy to digest and we experience less flatulence. Forgot to soak your beans? It should not be a problem.You can still make this recipe. The beans will just have to be cooked a little longer than mentioned in the recipe. (Check my notes) This article on cooking times is useful too – Instant pot cooking times
How to make this creamy vegan dressing?
This dressing is incredibly creamy and delicious. A vegan no mayo dressing, which is nutty, aromatic and so delicious. I use avocados to make this dressing super creamy and to add some good fat. Tahini gives it a slight nuttiness and again some creaminess. If you don’t have tahini in your pantry, now is the time to stock up! It is my favorite ingredient offlate and I love using it in dressings, baked goodies and curries. Another important item in this dressing is the cilantro! Cilantro makes the dressing so refreshing and gives it a nice flavor. We also add some lemon juice, red wine vinegar for some tanginess, maple syrup to balance out the flavors and good old salt and pepper.
Why should you make this Vegan Bean salad with creamy cilantro tahini dressing?
Protein packed
Loaded with lentils and beans
Vegan
Gluten free
Can be made ahead of time
Filling
Perfect on a hot summer day!
Looking for other beans recipe? Check out my Black eyed pea coconut milk curry, karamani kuzhambu, channa masala, green moong dal soup
Click here for more Instant pot recipes!
Now let’s see how to do this Vegan Bean salad recipe!
Protein packed summer vegan bean salad with crunchy veggies and a creamy cilantro, tahini and avocado dressing
- 1 big avocado
-
2
tbsp
Tahini 
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 11/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
-
1
tbsp
maple syrup / sweetner of your choice - 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp avocado / olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup water or milk to thin down the dressing as needed
- 1/2 cup chickpeas
- 1/2 cup kidney beans / rajma
- 1/2 cup black eyed pea
-
1/4
cup
green moong lentils - 1/3 cup finely chopped onions
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
- 1 cucumber diced
- 1 green apple diced
-
Soak the kidney beans and chickpeas overnight. Next day, cook it in enough water / stock to cover the beans in your instant pot for 20 minutes and release pressure naturally. You can cook the chickpea and kidney beans together,
-
Soak the black eyed pea and green moong lentils for a couple of hours. Cook them in your instant pot for 4 minutes and release pressure immediately. You can cook them together.
-
Grind all the ingredients together and make a creamy dressing. Adjust salt as needed to suit your taste,
-
Add the beans to a bx bowl. Now add the chopped onions, cucumber, green apples, red bell peppers and give it a mix.
-
Now add the creamy salad dressing to the beans and veggies and toss well. Adust seasoning again at this stage as needed.
-
Serve immediately or cold
- You can also use canned beans in the recipe
- If you want to cook the beans in a pressure cooker. cook the chickpea and kidney beans for 1 whistle and release pressure naturally. You don’t want over cooked beans
- Substitute tahini with equal amounts of cashew / almonds
- Can add a small piece of green chilly / jalepeno for some spicy kick in the dressing.
- Want to make the dressing in advance? Make the dressing without the avocado and store it in the refrigerator. Blend the avocado with the dressing when you are ready to eat the salad.
- Can add some quinoa, pasta or barley, millets along with the beans.
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