Easy Mexican Caviar Recipe (aka Texas Caviar)

This quick and easy Mexican Caviar Recipe, also called Texas Caviar or Cowboy Caviar Salsa, doubles as a delicious salad or dip that works great for groups or just for your weekly meals. Not only is it a snap to make, but it's a healthy choice made with different types of beans, tomatoes, chilies, fresh onions, cilantro, and garlic that’s lightly seasoned with cumin and lime. It's sure to be a big hit when you serve it up!

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.

🛒 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

There are so many different ways to combine ingredients for Mexican caviar which makes it a great recipe for using up ingredients you have on hand in the pantry or refrigerator.

• Use different varieties of beans to make this Cowboy caviar recipe. Try pinto, white beans, light red kidney beans pigeon peas, or chickpeas. Really just whatever you have on hand will work just great! 
• Add cooked fresh corn, canned sweet corn, or shoepeg corn. 
• Mix chopped sweet peppers in a variety of colors. You can use red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, green bell pepper, or a mixture of them all.
•  If you like it spicy, add chopped roasted jalapenos or pickled jalapenos.
• Add diced avocados. 
• Mix in some grated sharp cheddar cheese or cubes of feta cheese or queso fresco just before serving.

💭 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.

❓ Can I make Mexican caviar in advance?

Yes, of course, it even tastes better the next day. If you are making this recipe to serve to guests, I recommend making it no more than 24 hours in advance. This is the perfect amount of time for the flavors to truly meld together while the veggies are still nice and crispy. Any longer than that, the salad will still taste good, but the vegetables may start to get a little soft.