Easy Mexican Caviar Recipe (aka Texas Caviar)

Lime and cumin add so much bright, vibrant flavor to beans and fresh veggies in this simple dip recipe. It’s a great recipe and truly one of my favorite appetizers to serve up for parties as a healthy dip option and if there are any leftovers, it makes a great side salad for nacho casserole or a topping for tacos. Be sure and make a batch of my homemade Mexican Seasoning.

This Texas Caviar Recipe is always a big hit with friends and family and works excellent with tortilla chips for dipping along with a bowl of salsa verde and fermented salsa.

Add it to your next Mexican theme party or serve it up as a starter for a Mexican dinner party.

Why This Recipe Works

• No need to cook Mexican caviar bean salsa. An easy recipe that only requires a quick mix of ingredients and it’s ready to serve.
• A tasty side dish and easy vegetable bean dip that is always a crowd pleaser!
• Cowboy salsa is a forgiving recipe allowing you to switch ingredients easily to use up stuff you have on hand.

Video: How to

🛒 Ingredient Notes

A simple recipe made with relatively simple ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store or order easily online.

• Black-eyed peas: Make a great addition to the salad with their unique texture and earthy flavor.
• Black beans: Black beans are used a lot in Mexican dishes and have a relatively mild flavor but their color stands out making the salad more colorful.
• Cilantro: Diced up fine so it adds flavor and a little bit of color to the dip.
• Onion: Use yellow, sweet or red onion to make this cowboy caviar recipe. They all work.
• Celery: Gives the salad a little extra crunch to the texture.
• Garlic: For best flavor use fresh garlic.
• Red wine vinegar: A mild vinegar which works well with the lime juice to add the acid to this recipe.
• Fresh lime juice: I highly recommend using fresh lime juice for the best, most vibrant flavor.
• Cumin: This spice is commonly used in most Mexican dishes for flavor.
• Sugar: Just a touch to balance out the acidity of the lime juice and the spiciness of the jalapenos.
• Diced tomatoes with green chilies: These canned tomatoes have green chilies added for spice and flavor.
• Pickled jalapenos: Adds some spice to cowboy caviar salsa but it’s optional so leave it out if you prefer a less spicy version of the dip.

See the recipe card further down on the page for a complete list and quantities.

🔪 Step by Step Instructions

Here’s a preview of how to make this Mexican caviar recipe. For the full instructions, see the recipe card towards the bottom of the page.

1️⃣ Place rinsed and drained beans into a large mixing bowl.

2️⃣ Add the fresh cilantro.

3️⃣ Add the onions, diced celery, and minced garlic to the bowl.

4️⃣ Next add the red wine vinegar, lime juice, salt, cumin, and sugar.

5️⃣ Toss in your drained diced tomatoes with green chilies. Add your pickled jalapenos or green chilies.

6️⃣ Give it a good stir so all the ingredients are mixed well.

⭐️ Hint: If you can, this Mexican caviar recipe needs to sit a few hours before serving. This allows the seasoning to infuse throughout the dip.

Using a citrus juicer is the perfect way to quickly and easily juice fresh limes.

🔀 Substitutions

Here are a few substitutions you can use to make when making this Mexican caviar recipe:

• Diced tomatoes with green chilies: Swap this type of canned tomato out for regular diced tomatoes and a small can of green chilies. If it isn’t spicy enough, you always add more pickled jalapenos.
• Pickled jalapeno peppers: Jarred jalapenos are a quick option to add spiciness to this recipe however you can swap it out for fresh jalapenos or choose canned green chilies for a milder option.
• Red wine vinegar: You can use white vinegar which is slightly brighter and more intense in flavor, or use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar with a flavor similar to the red wine vinegar.

🌶️ Variations and How To Serve

See Intentional Hospitality for variations and serving ideas. Like adding in Cowboy Candy.

💭 Tips for Making the Recipe

Don’t skip letting Mexican caviar sit in the refrigerator. Giving it an hour or two to sit allows the flavors to meld together.

Drain the canned beans and tomatoes very well before adding them to the bowl.

Dice the fresh vegetables into small pieces, similar to the size or smaller than the beans.