White Bean Salsa with creamy avocado, corn, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, and sweet basil is my latest obsession! Perfect over grilled Pesto Chicken or with chips.
Some other favorite salsas include Mango Salsa, easy food-processor Salsa, or Corn Salsa Recipe.
White Bean Salsa
This Garbanzo Bean Salad, Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad, and Cowboy Caviar are summertime staples at my home. We love grabbing a big bag of chips, one of those dips, and heading to a local park for an easy and fun picnic.
So it was about time we added a white bean dip to the mix! And while White Bean Salsa is pretty unique, we love it just as much as any of the others. It’s vibrant, fresh, and screams good summer eating!
Ingredients
- Sun-dried tomatoes: Pre-cut (julienne) sun-dried tomatoes with herbs add flavor and save chopping time.
- White beans: Any white beans work, but I usually pick Great Northern or cannellini beans.
- Fresh lemon: Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled for white bean salsa.
- Avocado: Fully ripe avocados are creamy and taste the best. Gently press near the stem—if it feels soft, it’s ready.
- Fresh basil: Sweet and slightly savory, basil adds a nice fresh flavor.
- Fresh corn: Grilled sweet corn works best here. Grill on an outdoor grill or a stovetop grill pan until slightly charred.
How To Make White Bean Salsa
- Grill corn on an outdoor grill or stovetop until lightly browned. Let it cool, then cut the kernels off.
- Mix everything: In a bowl, combine beans, corn, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh lemon juice.
- Stir and serve: Gently mix it all together. Serve with chips, over quinoa, or with grilled chicken.
Quick Tip
How to grill corn: Remove the husks and silk, rub with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill at 400-450°F, turning every 3-4 minutes, until charred (about 12 minutes). Works on a grill pan too!
How To Serve White Bean Salsa
- With good tortilla chips
- Over pesto couscous: Cook 1 cup Moroccan couscous with a pinch of salt, pepper, 1 tbsp lemon juice, and 1/4 cup basil pesto. Top with white bean salsa for a tasty meatless meal.
- With grilled chicken (check out my go-to chicken marinade!).
- Stuffed in an avocado: Scoop out avocados, leaving a thick edge. Dice the scooped-out avocado for the salsa. Fill the avo with the salsa and drizzle extra lemon juice and oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.
Tips For Success
- Add avocado right before serving so it doesn’t brown or get mushy.
- A little extra salt and pepper makes everything taste better. For a fresh flavor, try lemon pepper!
Storage
Store leftover white bean salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. For best results, add the avocado right before serving, as it can brown over time.
More Recipes Using White Beans
- Tuna-White Bean Salad served on toasted bread or bagels
- White Bean and Kale Soup with quinoa
- Sausage & White Bean Gnocchi made in one skillet
- Pesto Vegetable Bowls with roasted veggies
- Crockpot White Chicken Chili with corn
White Bean Salsa
This White Bean Salsa with creamy avocado, corn, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, and basil is my latest obsession! It’s perfect with grilled chicken, quinoa, or tortilla chips for a fresh, vegetarian bite!
Equipment
- Grill or stovetop, see note 1
Ingredients
- 2 ears fresh sweet corn see note 1 for alternatives
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large lemon
- 1 (15.5-ounce) can white beans drained and rinsed; I usually use cannellini beans
- 1 large avocado peeled, pitted, and diced
- 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, using 2 teaspoons oil from the jar, see note 2
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil julienned
- pesto couscous or tortilla chips, optional, see step 3 below
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 450℉. Shuck corn and discard silk. Drizzle corn with olive oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub the oil and salt/pepper into all sides of the corn. Add corn to the heated and oiled grill over direct heat. Grill corn about 10–12 minutes, rotating every 3–4 minutes until bright in color and lightly charred. Let grilled corn cool before cutting it off the cob. Let fully cool before adding to salsa.
- Juice lemon to get 3 tablespoons juice. In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice with drained and rinsed beans, prepared/cooled corn, diced avocado, julienned sun-dried tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of the oil from the tomatoes, chopped basil, and salt and pepper to taste. (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, but add to preference.) Gently stir to combine and serve immediately with one of the serving options listed below or straight out of the bowl!
- Serving Options:With tortilla chips: Perfect for scooping up every delicious bite!Over pesto couscous: Cook 1 cup small couscous and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 1/4 cup basil pesto. Generously spoon salsa on top for a tasty vegetarian meal!Alongside grilled chicken: Pairs beautifully with chicken marinade.Inside an avocado: Scoop out an avocado (dice the removed avocado for the salsa) and serve the White Bean Salsa inside. Add extra lemon juice and a drizzle of sun-dried tomato oil!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: See Step 1 for how to grill corn on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. You will need some additional oil, salt, and pepper. If you aren’t using whole corn on the cob, I recommend one of the following preparation methods: buy pre-roasted canned corn (near regular canned corn in the grocery store) and use one can, well-drained. Or buy regular canned corn and roast it for a few minutes on the stovetop. More details on how to do that here. The last option is to use frozen corn. Char it in a pan until thawed and lightly roasted.
Note 2: This salsa calls for sun-dried julienne-cut tomatoes with herbs. The herbs in the tomatoes add lots of flavor (so we don’t need additional ingredients) and the julienne-cut tomatoes save chopping time.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep components like avocado separate to prevent browning, and add just before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 1510mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 294IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this. Had 3 large Mason jars of last falls harvest. Tomatoes stewed, garlic, sweet basil and orange and red peppers. 1 jar with 3 cans white northern beans, 1 jar sundried tomatoes. Zest of 1 lime and juice. 1 T white pepper, 3 shakes red pepper flakes. 1 advocodo- pitted, diced. Made as a pre run forsuperb owl. 5 men, 10 c. 2 bags chips. Baked up some sweet potatoes, they scooped it inside. That was phenomenal
Great recipe.
Delish! So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Laura! 🙂
WOW WOW WOW! Best salsa ever!
I am so happy you loved this White Bean Salsa so much! Thanks Bryan! 🙂
Will be making this soon i never had salsa before perfect for my snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hope you love it!