Shhhh, our Yellow Bean Salad has an alias 😮 it is also known as Wax Bean Salad. Regardless it is lip-smacking sensational and a lifesaver when it comes to feeding a crowd!

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Yellow Bean Salad on a blue plate sitting on red & white tea towel and mint sprig on the side.

This bean salad recipe is brimming with delicious yellow and green beans, fresh mint, and pine nuts; all smothered in a tangy mustard dressing.

This is a favourite side dish at parties, barbecues, or family dinners and perfect for entertaining as everything can be prepared in advance and then tossed together on the day of serving (detailed make-ahead tips below).

Had something else in mind? Why not try our Ultimate Green Bean and Hazelnut Salad for sweet, crunchy flavour or if you are looking for a main meal bean salad, try our Grilled Tuna Salad with Flat Beans instead.

In This Post:

Ingredients & Substitutions

Green & Yellow Beans - we used both in this recipe for the colour contrast. Don't panic if you can only find green beans though, this salad will be just as tasty no matter what type of bean that you throw into it. You can try purple, snake, flat or even tinned beans such as butter beans or red kidney beans are great to use as a substitute.
Pine nuts - added for some crunch and earthiness, try cashews, walnuts, almonds or pistachios as an alternative. Or if you want to keep it nut-free add your favourite seeds such as pepitas, sunflower or linseeds.
Fresh Mint - added here for its cooling, sweet aroma, try some fresh basil or dill instead.
American Mustard Dressing - this is what well and truly makes this salad sensational! It is an easy dressing that can be made a couple of days in advance if you are in a hurry. If you absolutely HAVE TO use a store-bought dressing then try a honey mustard variety.

Consider Adding - some crumbled feta; hey, I'm Greek; everything tastes better with feta, right? 

No, seriously, the feta adds some tangy creaminess which works really well with the blanched beans and mustardy dressing.

Labelled ingredients needed to make a Yellow Bean Salad.

How To Make It

STEP 1 - Prepare Your Green Beans

Place two large pots of water on the stove (one for the green and one for the yellow beans). Allow them to come to a roiling boil, this is when the bubbles are boiling over each other.

If you are not using a stringless variety, destring your green beans. Yellow beans are bred to be stringless so there is no need to remove the strings.

Wash your beans in a colander under cold running water and strain well.

Hands stringing beans over a colander with beans.

Take a handful of beans to prepare at once, no need to do this one bean at a time just line them up and trim off the ends.

Pick up the handful give them a tap to align the opposite ends.

HAND HOLDING GREEN BEANS & TAPPING TO ALIGN ON A WOODEN BOARD WITH KNIFE IN BACKGROUND

Now trim the opposite ends.

For this recipe we need small batons so we are going to cut the beans in half, or in thirds if they are ginormous.

HANDS SLICING YELLOW BEANS IN HALF ON WOODEN BOARD

Step 2 - Blanch Your Beans

By this stage your water should have well and truly come to the boil, drop your green beans in one pot and your yellow beans in another, we are going to cook them until tender.

The green beans should take approximately five minutes and up to ten minutes depending on how young your beans are. The younger and more tender the faster they cook.

Yellow beans are much more tender than green beans, so you need to be careful you don't turn them into mush - they cook quickly!

Drop your yellow beans into the pot with boiling water and cook for approximately three minutes or until tender but still firm. Keep an eye out as they cook quickly remember.

I have to confess that as I was making this salad for Mum and Dad, I cooked the beans a bit longer than I usually do as they like them a bit softer than I do.

Once done to your liking, drain and refresh your cooked beans in the sink under cold running water.

REFRESHING GREEN BEANS IN COLANDER UNDER RUNNING WATER

REFRESHING YELLOW BEANS IN COLANDER UNDER RUNNING WATER

Step 3 - Assemble Your Yellow Bean Salad

Add the dressing ingredients to a glass jar.

Season with some sea salt and cracked black pepper then shake well until emulsified (well combined).

Wash and dry mint and strip the leaves from stems.

Place all the cooked beans, pine nuts, and mint in a large mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

ADDING ALL YELLOW BEAN SALAD INGREDIENTS TO BOWL

Season your salad and pour over the dressing.

POURING OVER MUSTARD DRESSING ON YELLOW BEAN SALAD INGREDIENTS

Mix well to combine, make sure all those beans are covered with the mustard dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.

MIXING YELLOW BEAN SALAD WITH DRESSING TO COMBINE

Arrange in a salad bowl, serve and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions 🍽

This is a great salad to serve at a barbecue as the sharp and tangy dressing partners beautifully with grilled meats or with a roast such as pork, chicken or turkey.
Try it with:

My all time favourite - a perfectly grilled steak!
A pork belly roast
Chicken schnitzel

Tips & Questions

What's the Difference Between Yellow and Green Beans?

Apart from the obvious colour difference, as they have been bred not to have any of the chlorophyll that green beans do.
They are also sweeter and much more tender than green beans, require less cooking time and are more delicate and need careful handling, so they don't brown.

Yellow beans, yellow snap beans and wax beans are all one and the same. The great thing about them is that they don't lose their sunny yellow colourful hue after cooking, unlike green beans.

How Can I Store Yellow Bean Salad?

Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge, and it should keep for at least three days; however, the mint will discolour.

What Else Can I Do With the Leftovers?

Another salad that I love to bulk up the next day by adding a tin of tuna or salmon for a simple light lunch.
Or make some delicious toasted melts with smoked ham/chicken and tasty cheese.

Make-ahead Tips

You can prepare most of the ingredients for this salad a couple of days in advance and simply toss everything together on the day of serving.

On or two days before...
- you can wash and trim your beans
- blanch them to your liking, drain and refresh them under cold running water
- pat the beans dry and keep them in a covered container in the fridge
- make up the dressing and keep it in a sealed glass container in the fridge
On the day....
- wash, dry and strip the leaves from your mint
- place the beans, pine nuts and mint leaves in a mixing bowl, season and pour over the dressing.
- mix well to combine then serve