There is no doubt about it canned beans are just so much more convenient. In a few minutes, you have opened your can, rinsed in your strainer and you are good to go. And out of all the tinned varieties, the best to use are chickpeas and cannellini beans, both come pretty close to homemade versions and are ideal backups. But, Dried beans are just so much tastier, with so many types to choose from and are so much cheaper than the tinned. Their biggest drawback is THEY JUST TAKE SO LONG TO COOK!!

White Bean Salad with Dill and Celery

This white bean salad recipe has gotten me out of hot water plenty of times! It takes less than ten minutes to get it on your table, and it is full of fresh, herby, zingy flavour and crunch.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

White bean salad in a ceramic bowl sitting on a wooden board with celery stalks and lemon halves on the side.

Are you having Murphy’s law day – everything that can go wrong did!

This handy white bean salad recipe will get you out of hot water when you have been caught out with life’s last-minute challenges it is quick and easy to throw together but oh so scrumptious.

In our speedy white bean salad, the creamy cannellini beans are a wonderful contrast to the crisp celery while the dill adds a nice aroma and the lemon poppyseed dressing adds a nice zing.

I need to add that this salad is perfect for entertaining large groups as it keeps so well, you can make it one or two days ahead, store it covered in your fridge and take it out on the day. In fact, it will taste even better as the flavours would have melded together beautifully.

In This Post:

[hide]

You Will Need

Labelled ingredients needed to make a white bean salad.

How to Make It: Step-by-Step

Step 1 – Prep Your Ingredients

Rinse your beans well under cold running water and strain well.

RINSING WHITE BEANS UNDER COLD WATER IN A STAINLESS STEEL STRAINER

Wash your celery stalks carefully to remove any dirt that may be lodged. Cut off the white part of the celery, remove the leaves and discard.

Using a vegetable peeler, de-thread your celery (no need to do this if you don’t have the time).

DE-THREADING CELERY STALKS WITH A VEGETABLE PEELER ON A WOODEN BOARD

Then chop finely into small dice with a sharp knife.

Or thinly slice in a food processor.

THINLY SLICED CELERY IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

Trim your green onion and thinly slice.

THINLY SLICING SPRING ONNIOS WITH A STAINLESS STEEL KNIFE ON A WOODEN BOARD

Wash your dill, shake to remove excess water, pat dry and chop finely.

THINLY CHOPPING DILL WITH A STEEL KNIFE ON A WOODEN BOARD

Step 2 – Make Your Dressing

You can put your dressing ingredients in a glass jar, season and shake until emulsified but I just throw everything in a bowl.

SHAKING LEMON POPPYSEED DRESSING IN A GLASS JAR

Step 3 – Assemble Your Salad

Throw everything in a salad bowl and pour over the dressing.

WHITE BEANS, CELERY, SLICED GREEN ONIONS, DILL AND LEMN POPPYSEED DRESSING

Season with salt and pepper and then toss to combine.

Arrange your salad in a bowl, sprinkle a dash of paprika on top for colour serve. It also keeps well chilled in your fridge for several hours or even the day before.

Serving Suggestions 🍽

White beans pair well with lighter meats such as pork, chicken and even fish and I have served it with all of those.

Grilled pork chops
Perch fillets that I have quickly defrosted
Fast Italian meatballs
Store-bought charcoal chicken

Tips and Questions

Dry Beans vs. Canned

There is no doubt about it canned beans are just so much more convenient. In a few minutes, you have opened your can, rinsed in your strainer and you are good to go.
And out of all the tinned varieties, the best to use are chickpeas and cannellini beans, both come pretty close to homemade versions and are ideal backups.
But, Dried beans are just so much tastier, with so many types to choose from and are so much cheaper than the tinned. Their biggest drawback is THEY JUST TAKE SO LONG TO COOK!!

Can I Have the Convenience of Canned With the Taste of Dry?

All you have to do is cook a large batch of dry beans and store them in zip lock bags in your freezer, then take them out and defrost them when you need them.

Divide them into smaller portions for your recipes, 1 to 2 cups are great. Drain some of the cooking liquid, leaving enough to cover them.
Then pack them into your preferred container – zip lock or freezer bags or even freezer containers. Remember to leave some space on top to allow for expansion.
You can keep them in your freezer for 2 to 3 months. They are best thawed slowly to keep their shape, but I have also defrosted them under cold running water and they were ok too.

Can I Meal Prep This White Bean Salad?

This salad is ideal to meal prep for your lunches or to pack and take to your next picnic or pot luck as it travels so well.
Just make it and portion it out into your containers, you can add any protein that takes your fancy, try some pulled pork, grilled chicken, crumbled feta or cubes of tasty cheese.

What About the Leftovers?

This white bean salad keeps well in the fridge for several days, just cover it well so it doesn’t absorb any other flavours.

Great the next day for lunch with a tin of tuna.
Mash the beans slightly, add some feta and tomato slices for a great topping for toasted sourdough or rye
Add some creamy avocado, tasty cheese and onion for tasty filling for a wrap.