This is my guide on how to create high protein and fiber dense bean salads with recipe ideas! The dense bean salad trend started with Violet Witchel on TikTok with numerous social media users describing meal prepping these salads as “life-changing.” As someone who is always stressing the importance of both protein and fiber, I am all for it!
Lately, there is all this talk about making America healthy again given the rising rates of chronic diseases – but did you know that most Americans are not even close to meeting the dietary fiber recommendations in the dietary guidelines? Or that only 12% of Americans are consuming the recommended 1.5–2 cup-equivalents of fruits and 2–3 cup-equivalents of vegetables daily?
The dense bean salad trend is here to help you reach both of those guidelines! They are nutrient-dense due to the variety of fresh vegetables and packed with fiber from the beans. Essentially, it’s a lot of beans, a lean protein source, and fresh vegetables with a light vinaigrette.
This post does contain an Amazon affiliate link for Beano. I do suggest giving it a try if you’re worried about gas from these dense bean salads!
Benefits of a Dense Bean Salad
Okay, so we talked about the dietary guidelines – but why are they important? The role of dietary fiber promotes overall health and reduces risk for several chronic diseases. This is supported by decades worth of research. If you’re still skeptical, this is research from all over the world – not just the United States.
A dense bean salad is what I like to call a perfectly well-balanced meal. It’s high in protein, fiber and even healthy fats from the olive oil based dressing. It will keep you fuller for longer, help improve your gut microbiome, reduce your risk of chronic diseases (like heart disease and cancer) all while increasing vegetable consumption.
A dense bean salad, or DBS as they seem to call it on TikTok, can be dairy-free and gluten-free friendly. Plus, they taste even better the more they sit in the fridge.
What to Do if Beans Make You Gassy
I’ve been creating recipes that incorporate beans for a while. However, it is true that consuming beans and legumes can make some people gassy! These symptoms are actually normal, and the severity varies from person to person. In most cases, a person’s tolerance to beans improves the more you eat them. I always recommend to start low and go slow.
Here are some tips if you’re not used to consuming beans on a daily basis:
Tips for Success
To save some money, buy bags of dried beans and batch cook them. Freeze them for later for easy meal prepping. To save time, just buy canned beans and make sure to drain and rinse them.
Season the chicken based on what kind of dense bean salad you’re making. This can add a lot of extra flavor. To save some time, batch cook chicken the day prior or use a rotisserie chicken.
Another time saving tip? Just use a store-bought dressing or vinaigrette, like Olive Garden Italian Dressing (my fave) or any other oil/vinegar based dressing. If you use herbs, like basil or cilantro, you don’t need as much dressing to make it flavorful!
A vegetable chopper, like this Fullstar Vegetable Chopper, can save time and ensure that the veggies are the perfect size.
Creating a Dense Bean Salad {with Recipes}
These recipes are ideal for high protein and fiber meal prep and can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you’re adding already cooked chicken, it’s 4 days from when the chicken was cooked! You can eat the salad as is, with chips or in a wrap!
Check out the infographic above to customize your very own dense bean salad. Below is the “formula” I like to use.
I have created some easy recipes below but I highly recommend you check out Violet Witchel’s TikTok or Instragram for some really delicious flavor combinations for dense bean salads. Now, she makes all of her dressings from scratch – and more power to her. I’ve included some dressing ideas below, however, I often use store-bought dressings to decrease the prep time a bit.
Mexican Dense Bean Salad
This is the go-to, very similar to cowboy caviar but with more vegetables and chicken. This one does have a homemade vinaigrette that’s just olive oil, vinegar, lime, cilantro and honey! It’s super easy, delicious and packed with flavor. Just make sure to add the avocado separately to maintain freshness.
Ingredients include cherry tomatoes, cubed cheese, cooked and diced chicken, corn, red onion, black beans, white beans, bell peppers, and avocados with a simple cilantro dressing. Each serving provides 21 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber!
Italian Dense Bean Salad
Inspired by Violet’s DBS, this is an Italian version with mozzarella balls, chicken. You could sub the chicken with deli meat and make more of a antipasto bean salad as well. I love using Olive Garden Italian Dressing because it’s just so good. However, I recommend a homemade dressing (scroll for ideas) if you choose to go this route to keep the sodium content lower.
Ingredients:
The basil really adds a lot of flavor to this salad and you don’t really have to use much Olive Garden Italian Dressing (or homemade). This recipe makes 6-7 servings.
Asian-Inspired Dense Bean Salad
Edamame provides 10 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup. You can buy them already shelled – it’s usually called “mukimame”. It’s a refreshingly delicious combination with fresh veggies, cabbage and a sesame dressing
Other Ideas
- Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad (Eating by Elaine)
- Dense Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (It’s a Flavorful Life)
- Mediterranean Chickpea, Chicken, Cucumber and Feta Salad
- Mediterranean Chicken and Quinoa Bowl
Homemade Dressing Ideas
White Balsamic Vinaigrette (Two Healthy Kitchens). Light, tangy, and ready in just 3 minutes. This recipe features Dijon mustard, honey, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt.
Fresh Basil Vinaigrette (The Oregon Dietitian). Fresh and zesty with just a few simple ingredients: lemon, olive oil, vinegar, fresh basil, honey and seasonings!
Lemon Oregano Vinaigrette (Let Us Munch Lettuce). A simple yet flavorful dressing idea made with olive oil, fresh or dried oregano, lemon juice and a dash of red wine vinegar.
Honey Jalapeno Lime Vinaigrette (Two Cloves Kitchen). Yum! This one would be really good with a Mexican-inspired dense bean salad – like black beans, corn, jalapenos, chicken, onions, and peppers. The perfect blend of sweet and spicy.
Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette (Living Chirpy). Another simple yet flavorful homemade vinaigrette featuring olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, sun-dried tomatoes, dried parsley, garlic, shallot, salt & pepper.
Happy Meal Prepping
I hope this post gave you inspiration and ideas to add some dense bean salad meal prep into your life. It’s one of the best ways to increase overall fiber consumption. I promise the benefits will be obvious once your body adjusts to the gassy period that you might experience. For more ideas, read my post All the Best Ways to Use Beans with Recipes.
