Easy Three Bean Salad Recipe – Water Bath Canned, Low Sugar, Honey Sweetened
Are you on the hunt for a delicious three bean salad recipe that’s healthier and lower in sugar? Look no further! This honey-sweetened, canning-friendly recipe will satisfy your cravings without compromising your goals. Easy to share, this perfectly balanced sweet-tart marinated salad will become your go-to side dish for BBQs, picnics, and family dinners.
Want more delicious and unique canning recipes? Try this amazing fan favorite tomato chutney, this honey sweetened jalapeño jelly, or these easy pickled green beans (that you can use to make this quick, low carb appetizer!).
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I’ve been developing this recipe for canned three bean salad for a couple of years. While I love marinated three bean salad, especially as a lettuce salad topping, I didn’t like the amount of sugar in most recipes – including the tested recipe for canning I based my recipe off of (1.5 cups sugar for double recipe) or the Ball Blue Book (2 cups of sugar).
Thankfully, you can adjust sugar in water bath canned recipes as it is there for mostly flavor as well as helping to extend shelf life in things like jams. With pickled food, the vinegar is what preserves the shelf life so the sugar is really only there for flavor.
This is the recipe I started with, along with the Ball Blue Book three bean salad recipe. I found that the USDA recipe didn’t have enough liquid to cover the contents of the five pints of produce, so I used closer to the amounts listed in the Ball Blue Book. This is upping the acid-to-low acid ingredients so still completely in line with the tested recipes.
Besides using more vinegar and water, I also wanted to use more of my garden green beans, so when I doubled the recipe, I kept the canned beans to the original amounts, doubled the cut green beans, and then added the 2 cups I didn’t use from the canned beans (so, 4 cups total of low acid green beans and canned beans doubled to 8 cups total). This provides the perfect green bean-to-canned-bean ratio in my book!
The other thing I did is to skip the marinating step (which isn’t used in the Ball Blue Book recipe). I found no flavor difference when I didn’t marinate and it eliminated a step and a lot of hours of waiting – always a plus in my book. I also use a simpler method of combining all the ingredients, boiling, and then simmering for a few minutes at a lower heat. That means this recipe is DONE in about an hour!
It’s so nice to have this salad on the shelf to eat alone or add to greens for quick meals – and it was really great during our winter power outage to provide veggies without opening the fridge!
In fact, I gave a jar to my sister while her power was out and she said it was the best three bean salad she’d had!
I think going with less sugar lets the other flavors shine – I hope you try it and see if you agree!
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious canned three bean salad:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Green Beans: Use all green beans or a combo of yellow and green like I show. You’ll need about 1.5-2 pounds of beans to make 5 cups cut.
- Canned Beans: Use a combo of kidney beans and garbanzo like shown. Prefer to use only one kind? Simply double the amount to equal what the two are (3 cups total). Want to use a different type of bean? Feel free to substitute your favorite. I’ve used white beans in the past and they were a fun change.
- Vinegar: I prefer apple cider vinegar as it has less of a sharp bite, but you can use any vinegar that is 5% acidity (read the labels – some are only 4%!).
- Lemon Juice: You must use bottled lemon juice in canning recipes since fresh isn’t a standard acid level. The tested recipe was based on this amount of lemon juice and since lemon is more acidic than vinegar it cannot be replaced with more vinegar. I like the bit of flavor this adds to the salad, but if you’d like a different flavor profile, you can try using bottled lime juice which can be switched with lemon 1:1 in canning.
- Honey: This sweetener is approved for canning (see FAQs below), but other sweeteners like maple syrup are not so if you can’t have honey, use 1/2 cup of cane sugar instead (since honey is sweeter than sugar, we use less of it).
- Peppers and Onions: You cannot increase the amounts of these fresh ingredients. You can choose to use only one, though, and use the total 2 cups for that one instead of the two. You can also use any kind of pepper you’d like – mild hot peppers like poblano are nice!
- Dry Seasonings: You can always add what you prefer in dried seasonings for canned foods as it doesn’t affect the acid level. I sometimes add in dried basil or oregano for a different flavor, too.
- Celery? We don’t care for celery in three bean salad, so I omitted the 1/2 cup included in the tested recipe. You can use it if you’d like.
- Oil? If you look at the USDA recipe, you will see oil listed in the ingredients. You can use this or not as you like since it’s included in the tested recipe. I always use less in canning because oil and canning don’t mix well, but this is official so it is cleared to use – I just chose not to. I have used some in the past, but only 2-3 tablespoons (not the 1/2 cup that would be used for the doubled amount). Again, this is your call, I just didn’t feel comfortable with that amount, even in an approved recipe.
How to Make this Three Bean Salad Recipe: Step-by-Step
Here are the steps to make and can three bean salad – the full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Prep Ingredients & Canner. Cut up green beans into bite-sized pieces (smaller pieces make it easier to add to the jars and to eat afterwards) and prep the other produce. Fill canner 3/4 full with water and set on heat to bring to a simmer.
Step 2: Boil & Simmer. Add all the ingredients to a 6-8 quart stockpot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer 5 minutes, stirring a couple times.
Step 3: Prep jars & Lids. While salad is simmering, wash 5 pint jars with hot, soapy water. Rinse well and then fill again with hot water to sit while finishing cooking. Wash lids and rings to have ready as well.
Step 4: Fill jars with salad. Using a stainless steel canning funnel and slotted spoon, fill the jars with the drained salad. It’s easiest to use the slotted spoon to fill the jars with the salad to about an inch of headspace.
Step 5: Fill jar with liquid. Then use a stainless ladle to add the liquid leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace. (Doing it this way helps to even out the salad and liquid across all 5 pints).
Step 6: Adjust for headspace. Remove air bubbles with a chopstick (or small spatula) and add more liquid if needed to keep the 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rim and attach lid to just fingertip tight.
Step 7: Fill canner. Add jars, one at a time, to the canner full of simmering water. Keep rack above water while filling with jars and then lower rack and jars all at once before turning up heat to high.
Step 8: Process. When the canner comes to a boil, start timing for 15 minutes. Adjust the heat to keep at a nice, even boil. When done, turn off heat, remove lid and let jars sit in canner 5 minutes. Use a jar lifter to remove jars to a towel lined surface (I like to use a tray to be able to move them without disturbing if needed). Cool 12 hours, check lids for seal, label and store.
Canning Tips
- Keeping jars hot – you can use my method above or wash in a dishwasher before canning so that the jars are still hot before filling. Or you can keep them in the simmering canning water (I find this cumbersome to turn and drain the hot jars before filling).
- Containing the mess – I like to use a small tray next to the stove where I stage all my canning supplies (shown in the photos above). I place the wet jar on the tray and then fill and anything that spills over is caught on the tray which is easy to wipe off when I’m done.
- One jar at a time – to keep the jars warm before filling it’s important to do only one jar at a time. Once you get the hang of filling, checking for bubbles, wiping rims, attaching lids, and adding to the canner rack though, it all goes pretty quickly.
Storage
Properly canned foods are good for up to 18 months (this is according to the lid manufacturers). Before opening a jar pulled from your shelf, do a quick search to make sure the lid is still sealed (they do lose seal in storage, though it is very rare) and the food still looks good.
More Easy Canning Recipes to Try
- Quick Pickled Jalapeños – Refrigerated or Canned
- Best Thick Canned Salsa Recipe with Step-by-Step Tutorial
- Canning Diced Tomatoes – Easy Fire Roasted Water Bath Method
I hope you enjoy this three bean salad recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating and review so I know how you liked it!
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Easy Three Bean Salad Recipe – Water Bath Canned, Low Sugar, Honey Sweetened
Equipment
- water bath canner
- 6-8 quart stockpot
- 5 pint jars and lids
- ladle, slotted spoon, canning funnel
Ingredients
- 5 cups cut green beans about 1.5-2 pounds
- 1.5 cups kidney beans, 1 can
- 1.5 cups garbanzo beans, 1 can
- 1 cup chopped or sliced onion, about 2 medium onions
- 1 cup diced sweet red pepper, about 1 large pepper
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery, optional
- 2.5 cups apple cider vinegar or other 5% acidity vinegar
- 1.5 cups water
- 1/2 cup bottled lemon juice (do not substitute fresh or more vinegar)
- 1/3 cup honey (or 1/2 cup cane sugar)
- 2 teaspoons canning or sea salt (pure salt, no additives)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, optional to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons optional herbs, basil or oregano to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons optional olive oil (I don't usually use this so it's not included in the nutrition)
Instructions
- Cut up green beans into bite-sized pieces (smaller pieces make it easier to add to the jars and to eat afterwards) and prep the other produce. Fill canner 3/4 full with water and set on heat to bring to a simmer.
- Add the prepped vegetables and all other ingredients to a 6-8 quart stockpot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer 5 minutes, stirring a couple times.
- While salad is simmering, wash 5 pint jars with hot, soapy water. Rinse well and then fill again with hot water to sit while finishing cooking. Wash lids and rings to have ready as well.
- Using a stainless steel canning funnel and slotted spoon, fill the jars with the drained salad. It's easiest to use the slotted spoon to fill the jars with the salad to about an inch of headspace. Then use a stainless ladle to add the liquid leaving a 1/2 inch of headspace. (Doing it this way helps to even out the salad and liquid across all 5 pints).
- Remove air bubbles with a chopstick (or small spatula) and add more liquid if needed to keep the 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rim and attach lid to just fingertip tight.
- Add jar to the canner rack and repeat with remaining 4 jars. TIP: Keep rack above water, fill with all the jars and then lower rack and jars all at once before turning up heat to high to start boiling.
- When the canner comes to a boil, start timing for 15 minutes. Adjust the heat to keep at a nice, even boil. When done, turn off heat, remove lid and let jars sit in canner 5 minutes (this helps prevent siphoning).
- Use a jar lifter to remove jars to a towel lined surface (I like to use a tray to be able to move them without disturbing if needed). Cool 12 hours, check lids for seal, label and store.
Notes
Properly canned foods are good for up to 18 months (this is according to the lid manufacturers). Before opening a jar pulled from your shelf, do a quick search to make sure the lid is still sealed (they do lose seal in storage, though it is very rare) and the food still looks good. High Altitude Adjustment: If processing at an altitude of higher than 1000 feet above sea level you’ll need to adjust the processing time according to this chart. If you have any jars that didn’t seal (which is rare!), store them in the fridge and use first. Note: This recipe is based on the National Center for Home Preserving’s tested 3-bean salad and the Ball Blue Book’s 3-bean salad. See post for the specific adaptations.
Nutrition
Your Questions Answered
Yes, honey is approved for canning and is actually more acidic than sugar. Since it is sweeter, you are advised to use 3/4 cup to 1 cup of sugar in recipes – and since I wanted a less sweet product, I lowered that amount even more. Is that safe? Yes! Sugar is for flavor and does help increase shelf life in things like jam, but it’s the boiling water canning that makes foods safe and preserves pickled food’s shelf life (source).
And the lower shelf life of reduced sugar recipes is really more a thing for jams and jellies that typically use more sugar. Most pickling recipes don’t have a lot of sugar to begin with, so I haven’t noticed a lower shelf life of this 3 bean salad at all with the lower sugar.
Traditionally, it’s a combo of green beans, yellow wax beans, and kidney beans with onion and peppers marinated in a sweet vinaigrette. As you can see, my recipe is more of a four bean salad, but it’s the same idea!
While there is a good amount of protein in beans, the main macronutrients are carbohydrates. However, beans are high in fiber, plant based protein and are nutrient dense. I think they’re a great option for high protein diets!
This is great! Can you can this using quart jars? If so, what would be the processing time?
No, the recipe has only been tested for pints (you can always go down in a tested recipe, but not up) – it’s a density issue and since there are lots of low acid ingredients in this you want to keep to the tested base recipe ratios and processing. Hope that makes sense!