White Bean Salsa

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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 ingredients

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!

Julienne Cut Sun-Dried Tomatoes used in this recipe

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!

Lemons being juiced

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.

QUICK TIP

How to grill corn: Peel back husks and remove the silk. Rub vegetable or olive oil on all sides of the corn and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place on a heated grill (400-450 degrees F) and rotate every 3-4 minutes or until charred, about 12 minutes total. (This also works on a grill pan!)

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.

Drizzling lemon juice over the 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.

White Bean Salsa being served and a chip being dipped into it

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.

Overhead image of the White Bean Salsa with a chip being dipped

More recipes using white beans

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White Bean Salsa

5 from 4 votes
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.
Print Recipe

White Bean Salsa

5 from 4 votes
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.
Course Appetizer, Vegetarian
Cuisine American, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword white bean salsa
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Chelsea Lords
Calories 284kcal
Cost $7.12

Ingredients

  • 1 can (15.5 oz.; 439g) white beans, drained and rinsed (we usually use cannellini beans)
  • 2 ears fresh sweet corn Note 1
  • 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, & diced
  • 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, using 2 teaspoons oil from the jar Note 2
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
  • 1 large lemon (3 tablespoons juice)
  • Optional: pesto couscous and/or tortilla chips (See Step 3 below)

Instructions

  • PREPARE THE CORN: Preheat the grill to 450 degrees F. 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 the corn to the heated and oiled grill over direct heat. Grill corn about 10-12 minutes total, 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.
  • COMBINE THE SALSA: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the drained and rinsed white beans, prepared/cooled corn, diced avocado, julienned sun-dried tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of the oil from the tomatoes, chopped basil, lemon juice, and salt + 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: Serve this salsa with good tortilla chips OR
    Over pesto couscous: Cook 1 cup small 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 salsa on top and enjoy this tasty vegetarian meal! OR
    Alongside grilled chicken (perfect chicken marinade here) OR
    Inside an avocado: Scoop out avocados leaving a thick border (dice 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.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: There are a few different options for preparing the corn for this White Bean Salsa. In this recipe, we prefer using sweet corn that has been grilled. See Step 1 in the recipe 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 skillet 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. 

Nutrition Facts

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

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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6 Comments

  1. 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

  2. 5 stars
    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.

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