Texas Caviar (Avocado and Black Bean Dip)
Last Updated on August 19, 2026 by Annie
Flavorful, filling, and festive, this homemade Texas Caviar is the perfect addition to any gathering. Made with black beans, avocado, corn, and more this vegan chip dip will have everyone reaching for more!
2025 Update: This recipe was originally shared in June 2019. This post has been updated to include new photos, detailed directions, and additional tips. I hope you enjoy this Texas Caviar recipe.
Crisp bell peppers, juicy tomatoes, mild jalapeño, protein packed beans, and a zesty dressing make this Texas Caviar recipe the ultimate crowd pleaser. Add in some creamy avocado and oven roasted corn and you have yourself the perfect potluck dish.
This delicious black bean and avocado dip came into my life nearly 15 years ago. I have slowly perfected the recipe making it for pool parties, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and just about every summer BBQ you can imagine.
Bright reds, greens, and yellows provide an eye-popping look and a fresh flavor. This dish easily stands alone, mixes well with quinoa, or lofts on top of a salad.
Personally, I prefer to serve it straight up as a dip next to a large bowl of tortilla chips.
Why You’ll Love this Texas Caviar Recipe
Texas caviar is one of those dishes that goes great with everything. Whether you are dishing it out with ground taco meat or taking it to a potluck to serve to friends and family it complements everything. Some of the reasons I love making this Texas caviar include:
- Quick to make. Simply chop, dress and serve.
- Great to make in advance. With a little extra chill time, the flavors really marry into the dip making it the perfect make ahead side dish.
- Vegan + Gluten Free. This dish is great for everyone since it is not only vegan but also gluten free!
How to Make Texas Caviar
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Black Beans- Drained and rinsed.
- Corn- Also drained and rinsed.
- Roma Tomatoes- Seeded and diced.
- Jalapeño- Seeded and diced for a mild kick, leave the seeds if you’d like more heat in the dip.
- Bell Pepper- You can use a colorful blend of red, green, or yellow bell pepper or stick to one color if you prefer.
- Cilantro- Washed and chopped into fine pieces, optional if you are one of those people who taste soap when you eat cilantro.
- Avocado- Ripe and cut into cubes.
- Dressing- Made from red wine vinegar, olive oil, Italian seasoning, lime juice, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and dried thyme.
Step-by-Step Directions for Texas Caviar
- Prep canned items: Drain and rinse the black beans and the corn and add to a large bowl.
- Chop veggies: Chop the Roma tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeño, and cilantro. Add these chopped vegetables on top of the beans and corn.
- Make dressing: In a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Set aside.
- Dress the caviar: Pour the dressing over the bowl of chopped veggies.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the dressing to sink in and add chopped avocado when you are ready to serve.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
As a simple no bake recipe, this avocado and black bean dip has a few kitchen tools that just make it simple to whip up.
- Glass mixing bowls– These are my go-to glass bowls that I mix every dressing and dip in.
- Mini whisk– I love mixing up the dressing for this Texas caviar with the mini whisk.
- Spatula– Perfect for folding the ingredients together and then tossing in the dressing.
Can you Customize Texas Caviar?
Yes and it is one of the things I love most about this recipe. Make it your own! Some of the ways you can change up this recipe include:
- Swap the beans. Use pinto beans or black eyed peas if you prefer.
- Make it spicy. Instead of seeding the jalapeño, leave the seeds and keep the heat!
- Add a grain. 1-2 cups of cooked quinoa or orzo pasta make this a complete meal.
How to Make Texas Caviar in Advance
While you can definitely make and serve this dish right away, I love making it a few hours and up to 24 hours in advance so that I can have a dip out and ready when people arrive.
- Chop and dress everything except the avocado.
- Toss the Texas caviar to evenly coat everything and then cover and chill until you are ready to serve.
- When you are ready to serve add the diced avocado and stir to coat.
If you are serving this at home, plastic wrap will do the trick to cover the bowl. If you are planning to take this dish somewhere else, I would recommend using a lidded bowl so you don’t risk spilling everything in the car on the way there.
Leftovers will keep up to 3 days in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions for Texas Caviar
There are a number of ways you might enjoy this Texas caviar recipe. Direct from the bowl with a salty tortilla chip is at the top of my list.
Some other ways you might want to enjoy this black bean and avocado dip include:
- Mixed in with fresh quinoa for a filling grain bowl.
- Tossed with pasta like this Texas Caviar Pasta Salad recipe.
- Add a scoop or two to a taco salad.
Texas Caviar FAQs
What is Texas Caviar?
Texas Caviar, also referred to as Cowboy Caviar, was invented around the 1940s as a blend of black-eyed peas, bell pepper, onion, and a vinaigrette-based dressing.
The main difference between traditional Texas caviar and the recipe I make every summer is the use of black beans in place of black-eyed peas (just my personal preference).
How long will Texas Caviar keep in the fridge?
Without the avocado I would say you could keep a batch of this in your fridge 3 days. With the avocado I would say probably 1-2 days.
Can you easily transport this dish?
Yes. Simply place in a lidded bowl or cover with plastic wrap to transport.
Chips and Dips?
Looking for more deliciously dairy-free dips to dish out? Here are some of my favorites!
If you tried this Texas Caviar recipe please let me know in the comments below!
You can also share a picture of it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can see all of your life after dairy adventures!
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Texas Caviar
Fresh and flavorful, this easy to make Texas Caviar comes together with fresh produce, beans, and a light red wine dressing. Perfect for summer gatherings and snacking!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients
- 2 cans Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 can Corn (drained and rinsed)
- 2 Roma Tomatoes (diced)
- 1 Jalapeño (seeded and diced)
- 1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (diced)
- Cilantro (to taste, I usually put in roughly ¼ c.)
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- 2 Limes (juiced)
- 3 Garlic cloves (microplaned or diced very small)
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons Thyme
- 2 Avocados (ripe)
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the black beans and the corn and add to a large bowl.
- Chop the Roma tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeño, and cilantro. Add these chopped vegetables on top of the beans and corn.
- In a medium bowl whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime juice, Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over the Texas Caviar and stir to combine.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the dressing to sink in and add chopped avocado when you are ready to serve.
Notes
This dish can be made ahead. I would recommend making it a day in advance and allowing to chill in the fridge before serving. If you go this route, hold off on adding the avocado in until you are ready to serve.
It will last in the fridge 3 days depending on how much avocado you end up using.
The bell pepper colors are not set in stone. Feel free to use whatever color bell pepper you have available.
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