The first time I ever had this Cowboy Caviar with avocado was at a little get together with friends. It was bright, colorful and tasted bombastic! It was savory with a hint of sweetness, crunchy and soft, a bit tangy and it had a touch of heat.
Recipe for Cowboy Caviar with Avocado
The avocado and lime are the key elements in this recipe, also known as Texas Caviar. The avocado brings a smooth texture that’s wonderful to sink your teeth into and the lime gives it an awesome zing!
- In a large bowl, mix together 1 can beans like black eyed peas (drained & rinsed), 1 can sweet corn, 2 diced avocados, 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, 1/3 cup chopped onion and 2/3 cup halved cherry tomatoes or fresh chopped tomatoes.
- Take the veins and seeds out of a jalapeño and mince it until you have 1 tablespoon.
- Add the finely diced jalapeño to the black eye peas mixture.
- In a small bowl, mix together the juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
- Pour the lime mixture over the other ingredients and mix well.
Jalapeño Tips
I love the flavor of jalapeños and I really like they’re fiery kick. I don’t like how they burn my hands and make it near impossible to breath when I’m working with them. The first time I cut them up to take the seeds and veins out, my hands burned fiercely for nearly 2 hours. This is how to avoid that happening to you.
Jalapeño Rule #1: Wear gloves
Most grocery stores carry food safe gloves for cooking. If you’re sensitive to latex, look for the latex free variety. If you happen to forget and your hands start to burn try soaking them in milk or rubbing them with sour cream or yogurt.
Jalapeño Rule #2: Submerge the peppers in water while deveining them
This keeps the capsaicin (the active heat inducing component of peppers) out of the air.
Jalapeño Rule #3: Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and veins
Even if you’re using gloves, they can tear if you’re using your fingernails to scrape the jalapeños. 
How to Serve Up Cowboy Caviar
I’m old school. I like my Cowboy Caviar in a bowl with a bag of chips near by. But why stop there?
Cowboy Caviar has got a lot going for it. It’s colorful, healthy, easy, and very versatile. The first time I had it, Sharon brought it in a bowl with a side of tortilla chips. Here are some other ways to serve it up:
- Salsa – In a bowl with a bag of tortilla chips or slip it into tacos
- Side dish – Serve it up just as it is!
- Salad – Finely chop up a head of romaine and mix it in with the Cowboy Caviar. Add a little ranch dressing if you’d like.
- Shrimp cups – Fill phyllo dough cups with Cowboy Caviar, top with grilled shrimp and fresh cilantro
- Boats – Scoop a heaping tablespoon of the Cowboy Caviar into endive leaves. Top with grilled shrimp or crawfish.
- Relish – spoon it over hotdogs or over a couple fried eggs
Any way you decide to dish it up, you’ll be happy you did. This one’s a real winner!
Where did Cowboy Caviar (aka Texas Caviar) get its name?
This bean salad has been around since the 1940’s. Apparently it was first served at a New Year’s Eve party in Houston, Texas. Texas Caviar was given the name as a humorous comparison to costly real caviar. Plus, it sounds way better than Bean Salad.
Why New Years? Eating black eyed peas on New Years Day for good luck has been a long time tradition in the South. My family hails from both deep Texas (I was born in Brownsville) and rural Georgia. So growing up we always ate black eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck. If this is part of your tradition, I highly recommend trying it out!
Ultimate Party Food
Wether you’re hosting a Super Bowl Party or going to an Oscars party, I highly recommend making this Cowboy Caviar recipe. Not only is it easy to make, but if you make it a day or two ahead, it’s even better. Most of the ingredients you can keep in the pantry or freezer, so it comes together fast!
Bright colorful dishes that are packed with flavor always go over well at any gathering. It’s so good no one will notice how healthy it is, not to mention gluten free.
Variations of Cowboy Caviar
- Use black beans instead of black eyed peas
- Switch out the jalapeño for 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or chili powder
- Instead of making your own dressing, use 1/4 cup Italian dressing
- Add 1/3 cup of each bell peppers: yellow, red, and orange; or 1/2 cup of 2 of them.
Here’s the recipe for Cowboy Caviar with Avocado if you want to print the recipe out along with the nutrition information at the bottom. Enjoy! 😊
Cowboy Caviar with Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 can of blackeyed peas drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups corn
- 2 avocados diced
- 2/3 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 jalapeno with the veins and seeds removed and minced
- 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
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Add the corn, jalapeno, blackeyed peas, and tomatoes to a large bowl and stir.
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Take the veins and seeds out of a jalapeño and mince it until you have 1 tablespoon.
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Add the finely minced jalapeño to the black eye peas mixture.
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In a small bowl, mix together the juice of 2 limes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
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Pour the lime mixture over the other ingredients and mix well.
More Party Food Recipes
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Things to do if you’re bored:
Put those boxes of loose pictures into photo albums. 😁
The bean switches are a go for me,
Huge fan of black beans 😀enjoyed the back story as well ! Good luck awaits you 🤗
Such a colorful dish!