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5.0 from 12 votes

Texas Caviar

💚🧡❤️ You don't need to buy this FAST and EASY crave-worthy appetizer or snack recipe made with Tex-Mex inspired ingredients including black eyed peas, tomatoes, corn, avocado, and a seasoned lime-cumin dressing! Serve it as a dip with tortilla chips at your next backyard barbecue, picnic, game day party, or for a holiday party. It's good luck to eat black eyed peas in the new year!

Prep Time
10 mins
Chill Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 309 kcal
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Texas Caviar
  • one 15-ounce can black eyed peas drained and rinsed (black beans may be substituted for part or all of the black eyed peas)
  • one 15-ounce can white corn Frozen, thawed, and drained corn OR fresh corn may be substituted; white or yellow ok
  • 2 cups roma tomatoes diced small
  • 2 large or 3 medium ripe Hass avocados halved, seed removed, flesh scored, and scooped out
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup fresh cilantro finely minced
  • 2 green onions trimmed and sliced very thin (I use root to tip; 1/4 cup finely diced red onion may be substituted)
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Dressing
  • ¼ cup lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅓ cup olive oil

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Texas Caviar - To a large bowl, add all the ingredients, and stir well to combine. Tip - Read the blog post for the myriad of substitutions and swap you can make with the ingredients. I listed the obvious in the ingredients above in the recipe like black beans in lieu of black eyed peas, or red onions instead of green. But you can add bell peppers of any color, jalapeno pepper, serrano chile, etc.
  2. Dressing* - To a medium bowl, add all the dressing ingredients except the olive oil, and whisk to combine.
  3. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly to emulsify it.
  4. Pour the dressing over the Texas caviar, stir and toss well to combine, and taste. Seasoning Tips - If it tastes at all flat, boring, or lacks oomph, it likely needs more salt, so add it, and fairly generously. The same is true for pepper. Then move on to a dash more cumin and chili powder for more flavor. While not specifically called out above, garlic powder or garlic salt is a nice addition. Add more lime juice if you like more acid, or a bit more sweetener if that's your preference, etc.
  5. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes (or up to 12-24 hours) in the fridge before serving. Serve with white or yellow corn chips, or your favorite dippers. Leftover Texas caviar will keep airtight in the fridge for 4-5 days, noting that the mixture will become more watery as time passes as the vegetables release their natural juices over time. And the avocado will oxidize. The taste will be fine, despite the color.

Notes

  • *If you don't want to make your own dressing, you can substitute with: 1/4 to 1/3 cup store bought Italian salad dressing + 2 tablespoons lime juice + 1-2 tablespoons olive oil whisked together. Taste and tweak, as necessary
  • If desired, you can also add a bit of honey/agave, and/or the seasonings such as cumin, chili powder, or smoked paprika.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 309kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 35g (12%) Protein 8g (16%) Fat 18g (28%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 14g Sodium 553mg (23%) Fiber 9g (36%) Sugar 10g (20%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 309

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 309kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 35g 12%
Protein 8g 16%
Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 14g 82%
Sodium 553mg 23%
Fiber 9g 36%
Sugar 10g 20%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.