White Bean Salsa

This White Bean Salsa with creamy avocado, crisp corn, savory sun-dried tomatoes, fresh lemon, and sweet basil is our latest obsession! It’s perfect over grilled Pesto Chicken, quinoa, or couscous (hello crave-able vegetarian meal!), or with some good tortilla chips.

Some of our other favorite salsas include this Mango Salsa, this easy food-processor Salsa, or this simple 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 in White Bean Salsa

This salsa only has six ingredients, so the quality of the ingredients makes a big difference to the overall flavor and texture. Definitely go for the good stuff, here!

1. Sun-dried julienne-cut tomatoes with herbs (pictured above): The herbs in the tomatoes add lots of flavor (so we don’t need additional ingredients) and the julienne-cut saves chopping time. These tomatoes are savory, a little sweet, chewy, and a great complement to the creamy textures in this salsa.
2. White beans: There are actually four different types of white beans, and while each is slightly different, any will work great in this salsa. We typically use Great northern or cannellini white beans.
3. Fresh lemon: Fresh (not bottled) lemon makes a world of a difference. It pulls everything together and adds a zippy freshness to the salsa.
4. Ripe avocado: Wait for fully ripe avocados — a ripe avocado can add an incredible creamy texture and a far superior flavor. You can tell an avocado is ripe by gently pressing near the stem. If the avocado yields to that gentle pressure, it’s ripe and ready to be added to this White Bean Salsa!
5. Fresh basil: We love the sweet, slightly savory touch of fresh basil. It adds a nice complexity of flavor and additional freshness.
6. Fresh corn: More on this ingredient below!

Let’s talk corn

There are a few different options for preparing the corn for White Bean Salsa. In this recipe, we prefer using sweet corn that has been grilled.

• Grill the corn on an outdoor grill until lightly charred all over. See “quick tip” box below.
• Grill the corn on an indoor grill pan until lightly charred all over.

For a fresh corn alternative, I recommend one of the following preparation methods:

• Buy pre-roasted canned corn (near regular canned corn in the grocery store) and use two cans, drained.
• Buy regular canned corn and roast it for a few minutes on the stovetop. More details on how to do that here.
• Or, use frozen corn. Char it in a skillet until thawed and lightly roasted.

Let corn fully cool before adding to this White Bean Salsa.

Fun ways to serve White Bean Salsa

• With good tortilla chips
• Over pesto couscous: Cook 1 cup small (Moroccan) couscous and add 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste), 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and 1/4 cup basil pesto). Generously spoon this white bean salsa on top and enjoy this tasty vegetarian meal!
• Alongside grilled chicken (perfect chicken marinade here)
• Inside an avocado: Scoop out avocados leaving a thick border (dice the scooped avocado for this salsa) and then serve White Bean Salsa inside that avocado! Add a few extra drizzles of fresh lemon and oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.

Tips

• Only add the avocado right before serving; otherwise it has a tendency to brown and lose texture.
• Don’t be afraid to add more salt and pepper — these two ingredients pull everything together! I occasionally add lemon pepper for a fresh flavor twist.

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

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5 from 4 votes

White Bean Salsa

By Chelsea Lords

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!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Grill or stovetop, see note 1

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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.

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