Mango Black Bean Salad

Why You’ll Love Mango Black Bean Salad

This spicy mango black bean salad combines the sweet mangoes with black beans, bell peppers and a tangy lime dressing for the perfect balance of flavours and textures. Here’s why we love it:

• Vegan and gluten-free.
• 10-minute easy recipe.
• 13 g fiber per serving.
• 10 g protein per serving.
• Easy to customize.
• Works as a salad or salsa/dip with tortilla chips.
• Nutritious.
• Can be made in advance.

It’s ideal for a light lunch, satisfying side dish, quick and healthy snack or even addition to a balanced breakfast. Whip this simple salad up to enjoy on sunny days, bringing along to a picnic or as a topping for your next taco night.

If you love the flavours of this salad, this Edamame Mango Salad and Black Bean Corn Salad are both delicious and easy to make as well. For more bean salads, we love this Sun Dried Tomato Bean Salad, Chipotle Dense Bean Salad and Chickpea Lentil Salad.

Ingredient Notes

This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.

• Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is recommended. You could omit this if you want the recipe to be oil-free but I do prefer the dressing with just a little oil.
• Lime: You’ll need 1-2 limes depending on how juicy they are. You’ll also need them to make lime zest.
• Maple Syrup: I found it really needed just a touch a maple syrup to balance the lime juice. You can substitute agave syrup or honey.
• Mango: I used two Atufulo mangoes but you could use one large mango.
• Black Beans: Use a 15 oz up to 19 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed before using. I used a 19 oz can of beans. Chickpeas or red kidney beans would also work well here.
• Red Pepper: Substitute any other colour of bell pepper if needed.
• Jalapeno: I remove all the seeds otherwise it’s too spicy but you can leave a few seeds in if you like for extra spice.

Additions & Variations

This salad is easy to customize. Here are some ideas:

• Extra or Alternative Veggies (Choose 1 or up to 1 cup total): Corn kernels, diced cucumber, shredded napa cabbage, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper.
• Omit red pepper flakes if you’re sensitive to spice.
• Add up to 1 cup cooked quinoa for a quinoa black bean salad.
• Add up to 2 cups cooked small pasta shape like macaroni or bows to make a pasta salad.

How to Make Mango Black Bean Salad

Step 1: Add the oil, lime juice, lime zest, maple syrup, garlic, salt, cumin, chili flakes and salt to a large bowl. Season with black pepper and whisk together.

Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Season with more salt and pepper, if needed.

If you have time to chill the salad in the fridge for 30 minutes this allows the flavours to meld together but if not, that’s ok – it’s still yummy served right away! Top with diced avocado when you serve, if you like.

FAQs

Expert Tips

• When make the lime zest, be sure to scrape only the outermost green parts of the lime, avoiding the bitter white pith underneath.
• Take care to dice the fresh ingredients nice and small so you get more flavour in every bite.
• Avoid using overripe mangoes or they’ll be mushy in the salad. Just ripe or slightly under ripe are best for a firm texture. The dressing does have a bit of sweetener to balance the mango if it’s a little tart.