Dense Bean Salad

0 from 0 votes

Jan 27, 2026

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

This Dense Bean Salad is hearty, high-protein, and full of flavor with beans, fresh veggies, chicken, and mozzarella in a lemon-garlic Greek yogurt dressing. Perfect for meal prep with simple, everyday ingredients!

Dense bean salad in a serving dish with spoon.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I’m jumping on the viral Tiktok dense bean salad bandwagon, inspired by a recipe from Violet Witchel.

I made it my own by making the base of the dressing creamy with Greek yogurt for extra protein, then added edamame for even more protein. It’s so flavorful, it’s basically a Marry Me dense bean salad recipe.

High in protein: Packed with 4 types of beans, plus chicken, mozzarella pearls, and Greek yogurt for about 24 grams of protein per serving.
Customize it: Swap ingredients to suit your taste or pantry.
Easy to make: No cooking and one bowl is needed.
Meal-prep friendly: This salad stays fresh for days, make large batch and enjoy all week for lunch.
Versatile: Enjoy on its own, scoop as a dip, or pile into a wrap.

Ingredients for Dense Bean Salad

The salad ingredients list is a bit long but you can use what you have. It’s kinda fun to just dump everything in a bowl to clean out the fridge and pantry.

Cannellini beans, black beans, edamame beans, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, parsley, grape tomatoes, greek yogurt, lemon, oregano, salt, pepper, mini mozzarella balls, garlic, deli chicken.

Canned chickpeas: Low-sodium, drained, and rinsed. Freshly cooked garbanzo beans work just as well.
Cannellini beans: Creamy, mild beans add a nice texture to the salad. Navy beans can be used instead if you like.
Black beans: Low-sodium canned works great, or soak and cook dried beans for a homemade touch.
Edamame beans: I added these for extra protein and texture. They should be shelled, frozen, and thawed before mixing in.
Veggies: Red onion for a bit of zing and halved grape tomatoes for a touch of sweetness and color. You can also toss in some chopped bell peppers or English cucumbers.
Sun dried tomatoes: They add a rich, tangy flavor. I like the ones packed in oil, just drain before adding. Replace with Kalamata olives or add pepperoncini for extra kick.
Mini mozzarella balls: Little bursts of creamy cheese that pair perfectly with the beans and veggies. You can also use feta cheese.
Deli chicken: Bite-sized slices add protein and a flavor boost. I recommend Italian, Cajun, or garlic chicken for extra punch.
Fresh parsley: Can easily be swapped with any fresh herbs like cilantro, basil or dill.
Homemade dressing: A creamy blend of extra virgin olive oil, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper.

How to Make Dense Bean Salad

Mix the beans: Toss chickpeas, cannellini, black beans, edamame, grape tomatoes, red onion, and parsley in a big bowl.
Add the extras: Cube the chicken, chop sun-dried tomatoes, and halve or quarter the mozzarella balls, then add everything to the bowl.
Make the dressing: Stir together olive oil, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Dress the salad: Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Pop it in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors meld.

Tips for Best Results

Here are my little tips and tricks that make this protein-packed salad shine.

Don’t skip chilling: The flavors get way better after some time in the fridge.
Add what you like: Just avoid quickly wilting or soggy ingredients.
Use low sodium beans: To keep the bean salad from getting too salty.
Cut into similar sized pieces: Makes it easy to enjoy a bit of every ingredient in each bite.

Side view of dense bean salad in a serving bowl with spoon.

Serving Ideas

I love that you can enjoy this dense bean salad in so many ways. You don’t have to stick to just eating it from a bowl.

In a wrap: Roll the salad up with some greens for a quick, handheld lunch.
In a pita bread: Spread some hummus inside and stuff it full of the salad.
As a dip: Serve with crackers, veggie sticks, or pita chips for snacking or appetizers.
On greens: Pile over a bed of fresh lettuce or spinach.
With grains: Mix with rice, quinoa or couscous to make it even more filling.