If you’re wondering “hold up, what’s a cowboy caviar?”, it’s a black eyed peas and bean salad, but you can totally treat it like a dip too. This one comes together in a few minutes but the flavor is just right. Get into it boos.
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Cowboy Caviar Ingredient Notes
- Black Beans & Black-Eyed Peas: These two are the base of our caviar. You can swap the black beans and black-eyed peas for any beans you like. Pinto, kidney, or even garbanzo beans would work great.
- Prepared Pico de Gallo: Grab it from the produce section of your nearest grocery store, ready to go.
- Frozen Fire-Roasted Corn: Make sure it’s well-thawed and drained! You can also use canned fire roasted corn if that’s what your store has. If you can’t find frozen fire-roasted corn, grab one cup of canned Mexican street corn, drain it, and rinse it.
- Avocado: Pick out a ripe one, boos! It should be soft, but not mushy. Sub it for a scoop of guacamole in a pinch.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is a must.
How to make Cowboy Caviar
Step 1: Add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl.
Step 2: Whisk together.
Step 3: Add the caviar ingredients to a large bowl.
Step 4: Toss together.
Step 5: Pour the dressing over the caviar ingredients. Let sit at room temperature, then mix again prior to serving to really incorporate the flavors.
Step 6: Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
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Cowboy Caviar Recipe
Look whether you call this Texas Caviar of Cowboy Caviar it's so dang good, boos! It's like a chunky salsa got together with a bean salad and made the best chip topping!
Want to Save This Recipe, Boo?
Servings: 6
Equipment
Ingredients
Caviar
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 15 ounce can black eyed peas drained and rinsed
- 1 ¼ cup prepared pico de gallo
- 1 cup frozen corn fire roasted
- 1 medium avocado diced (about 1 cup)
Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl toss together caviar ingredients.
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk or shake together the dressing ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the caviar ingredients. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes (or in the refrigerator for longer).
- Mix again prior to serving to really incorporate the flavors. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
- Make It Ahead: Yup, you can prep the caviar ingredients the night before! Wrap them tightly with plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Then, about 25 minutes before serving, make your dressing and toss it all together. Add the avocado last so it stays fresh and doesn’t brown.
- Don’t Skimp on Quality: For the dressing, use fresh limes and extra virgin olive oil. It’s worth it boos, trust me. Those fresh ingredients make a big difference in the flavor.
- Let It Chill: This easy cowboy caviar tastes great after 20 minutes of chilling, but if you really want to take it up a notch, let it sit for an hour or two. The flavors really meld together!
- Go Fine with the Pico: If you’re making your pico de gallo from scratch, chop everything real fine. It’ll spread those fresh flavors evenly throughout the caviar.
- Dressing swap: I looove the cilantro-lime dressing, but you can totally use Italian dressing instead.
How to store Cowboy Caviar
Store your caviar in an airtight container in the fridge so it stays fresh and delish!How long will Cowboy Caviar last in the fridge?
It’ll stay fresh for about 3 to 4 days. Just make sure you add the avocado right before serving, or it might turn brown and sad.Can I freeze cowboy dip?
You can freeze the Texas caviar for about 2 months, but here’s the catch: don’t add the avocado before freezing. It doesn’t do well in the freezer and turns mushy when thawed.Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 920mg | Potassium: 695mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 299IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 4mg
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Recipe Tips
- Make It Ahead: Yup, you can prep the caviar ingredients the night before! Wrap them tightly with plastic wrap or store them in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Then, about 25 minutes before serving, make your dressing and toss it all together. Add the avocado last so it stays fresh and doesn’t brown.
- Don’t Skimp on Quality: For the dressing, use fresh limes and extra virgin olive oil. It’s worth it boos, trust me. Those fresh ingredients make a big difference in the flavor.
- Let It Chill: This easy cowboy caviar tastes great after 20 minutes of chilling, but if you really want to take it up a notch, let it sit for an hour or two. The flavors really meld together!
- Go Fine with the Pico: If you’re making your pico de gallo from scratch, chop everything real fine. It’ll spread those fresh flavors evenly throughout the caviar.
Recipe Variations
- Spice It Up: Add diced jalapeños if you want a little heat but be careful how many you add if you’re not into too much spice!
- Cheese: Sprinkle in some crumbled cotija cheese.
- Sweeten It: Add an extra ½ tablespoon of honey to your dressing.
- More Veggies: Throw in some diced bell peppers, or even cucumber.