This Cowboy Caviar Dip is so incredibly quick and easy to make. The recipe uses fresh simple ingredients that are tossed with a delicious dressing that every party go-er loves. Serve this appetizer for your next BBQ, game day party or potluck.

 

Cowboy Caviar (sometimes called Texas Caviar) is so very popular. The recipe is so incredibly easy to through together in about 15 minutes time. Most serve it along with salty tortilla chips.
Looking for other fresh dip recipes? Try my Easy Pico de gallo or my Homemade Salsa Recipe.

Salty dip chips pair well with the fresh veggies, crisp peppers, spicy jalapeños, and garlic and lime flavors found in the easy dressing. Don’t skip the black eyed peas or the kidney beans, they really add the extra flavor and texture.

Choose the freshest veggies possible that are as close to ripe but not over ripe. You do not want mushy tomato or mushed avocado. Be very careful when tossing your ingredients. Over-mixing may give the veggies a texture that is not very pleasing.

I serve this Cowboy Caviar all year long. It’s great for football parties, holiday get togethers and summer bbq’s. Since it can be made so quickly, there is no real need to make ahead. You have that option but, you need just a few minutes to chop the veggie and mix the dressing.

Cowboy Caviar Ingredients

You’ll need more than a few ingredients to make Cowboy Caviar dip like us but, trust us, it’s so worth it! By pairing some fresh ingredients and vegetables with a few canned and frozen ingredients, we can cut down on prep-time and make this a very easy Cowboy Caviar recipe. Here’s all you’ll need to whip some up yourself:

• Tomatoes – The best tomatoes for Cowboy Caviar are going to be firmer ones that aren’t too watery on the inside. Reach for Roma tomatoes- you can find these as individual tomatoes or as tomatoes on-the-vine- or even smaller grape or cherry tomatoes.
• Avocados – Make sure you’re using ripe avocados for this recipe, but avoid mushy or overripe avocados.
• Red Onions
• Black-Eyed Peas – Canned black eye peas are the easiest pick here. Remember to rinse and drain well!
• Black Beans – Again, canned black beans are the quick option. Rinse and drain!
• Corn – We used thawed frozen corn for our cowboy caviar recipe.
• Bell Pepper – Red and/or green bell peppers.
• Jalapeno Pepper – Remember to remove the seeds and seed membranes to make jalapenos less hot- or leave them in for that spicy pepper heat!
• Cilantro – If cilantro tastes like soap or you don’t like the taste, consider subbing in parsley and adding a bit of extra lime juice to compensate.

We’ll also be whipping up a sort of salad dressing that we’ll be tossing our Cowboy Caviar in. For the dressing, you’ll need:

• Olive Oil – You don’t need any premium or fancy olive oil here. Whatever your favorite cheap extra virgin olive oil of choice is should work here.
• Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed lime juice is going to taste best here. In a pinch, bottled lime juice should work fine as well.
• Red Wine Vinegar
• Sugar – Or whatever sweetener you prefer. Try to avoid any strongly flavored sweeteners here- plain white sugar is the easiest pick.
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder – Granulated garlic would work here too.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Cowboy Caviar

Once you get all the ingredients prepped, making Cowboy Caviar couldn’t be much simpler! To make Cowboy Caviar from scratch, here’s all you have to do:

• First, we have to prep our Cowboy Caviar ingredients. Open, rinse, and drain canned beans and peas while frozen corn thaws completely- avoid defrosting in microwave. Cut fresh ingredients, remove seeds from tomatoes and peppers, and finely dice down into small pieces– try to use corn or beans a size reference.

• Add Cowboy Caviar ingredients to a large bowl and set aside. To a large measuring cup, add all the salad dressing ingredients. Whisk together well until sugar and salt dissolve and everything is mixed well.

• Pour salad dressing over Cowboy Caviar. Mix together and toss well to coat and combine. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Storage / Freezing

Storage: Any leftover Cowboy Caviar you have sitting around should last around 2-4 days in the fridge. Move to an airtight container or wrap tightly with plastic wrap before putting the refrigerator. This chip dip doesn’t last all that long thanks to the avocado- it starts getting mushy after 2-3 days, so enjoy it quick!

Freezing: You can try freezing Cowboy Caviar, but we wouldn’t recommend it. Frozen tomatoes, onions, and peppers tend to lose that crisp, crunchy texture after they thaw out and freezing avocados can yield mixed results. For best results, try “flash freezing” your Cowboy Caviar on a parchment lined baking sheet for 45-60 minute before transferring to a freezer safe container and keeping frozen for 2-3 months.

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