The TikTok-Viral ‘Dense Bean Salad’ Has People Stocking Up on Canned Beans

Canned bean recipes have always been popular, not just among those who meal prep or like kitchen shortcuts. While cooking and rehydrating dried beans isn’t the worst option, opening a can and doing a quick rinse is much more convenient—and you won’t lose much nutritional value in the process.

One popular TikToker relies on canned beans daily to meet her nutritional needs. With 2.7 million followers and rising, Violet Witchel meal preps what she calls a “dense bean salad,” and she says eating it every day pretty much guarantees she gets enough protein. Here’s how the salad comes together—and how you can customize it with what you have on hand.

What Is a Dense Bean Salad?

The original dense bean salad post has over 10.6 million views and includes a variety of meats, veggies, and legumes. Witchel starts by chopping a shallot, flat-leaf parsley, and two bell peppers. Then, she adds four fresh basil leaves and an entire container of cherry tomatoes split in half. Pepperoni, sliced smoked chipotle chicken, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and mixed mozzarella balls round out the base ingredients.

Then comes the most important part: the beans. For the original recipe, Witchel uses a can of white beans (cannellini) and a can of chickpeas. For the dressing, she mixes sundried tomato oil, garlic olive oil, white wine vinegar, pizza seasoning, sea salt, and mustard.

Witchel says the key is how she combines the dressing with a milk frother, which makes it extra creamy. The final product is portioned and stored in deli containers. Witchel famously claims that the salad tastes great all week long. More importantly, it shouldn’t spoil very quickly if made as directed.

How to Customize Dense Bean Salad Variations

Witchel posts several variations of the dense bean salad on her TikTok and shares the recipes on her Substack. Just last month, she shared the above enchilada dense bean salad with chickpeas and black beans, which has already racked up 3.4 million views.

She also has recipes for spicy chipotle chicken, tzatziki grilled steak, Buffalo chicken, and spicy cashew slaw dense bean salads. For each, she trades out the beans and dressing but sticks to some basics, like onion and herbs. Here’s how you can craft your own, depending on what you crave that week or what you have to use up in the pantry.

Step 1: Pick Your Protein

Some dense bean salads require more protein prep and others use cold cuts or already prepared meats. If you have more time, consider grilling some chicken your favorite way. If not, take inspiration from the original recipe with some pepperoni and sliced turkey.

Step 2: Chop an Onion and Bell Pepper

Witchel has used a variety of onions, like shallots, red onions, or pickled red onions. If in doubt, chop a red onion and put it in a large bowl. Next, chop up one or two bell peppers to help bulk up the salad. If you aren’t a fan of bell pepper, swap in another veggie like cucumbers or carrots.

Step 3: Add an Herb

Select an herb that compliments the salad’s theme. For example, cilantro pairs well with spicy chipotle chicken; basil pairs well with the pizza seasoning dressing from the original recipe. Chop the herb and toss it in. It’s better to start with a small amount, then add to your taste so you don’t overpower the salad.

Step 4: Pick Bonus Ingredients

This step is where you can really get creative and pull the dense bean salad theme together. The original recipe includes artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella balls. To keep it simple, pick a cheese and pair it with two bonus veggies, like grilled corn and avocado.

Step 5: Include Beans

Two cans of beans will fill out the recipe so you have enough to last the week. You could include 2 cans of the same bean, but by including different types, you can maximize your bean health benefits (or “bean-efits, according to Witchel). Some go-to types include chickpeas, cannellini beans, butter beans, black beans, or kidney beans.

Step 6: Make Your Dressing

Witchel offers several tasty dressing recipes, and most start with a base of olive oil or red wine vinegar. She then adds spices and other bases, like mayo or mustard, and uses her milk frother to make the dressing extra creamy. If you want to save time, use a store-bought dressing, add a little mustard, and froth it. Toss everything together, then store it for the week. If you are tired of eating the same thing every day, eat the salad plain, toss it on a tortilla or crusty bread, or eat it with tortilla chips.