Make a bowl of Texas Caviar (aka “Cowboy” Caviar), set out the chips for scooping and watch how fast this delicious appetizer is gobbled up!
Today I want to share the recipe for a delicious appetizer! It has been called “Texas Caviar” or “Cowboy Caviar” and has many different variations and ingredients.
Looking for an easy to make recipe? This is it! Texas caviar is a simple dish to make in about 15 minutes and is served as an appetizer with chips for scooping it up.
This is a much-loved Southern dish, and I truly believe you’re going to love it, especially if you’ve never tried it before.
It is seasoned well with a very simple vinaigrette which perfectly complements the fresh, crunchy veggies and the star of the show, black-eyed peas!
An added plus is that the longer it sits, the more flavor it takes on, so you can make it several hours ahead of time and enjoy the best flavor later on.
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Here We Go!
First things first! This recipe features black-eyed peas, so you need to rinse and drain one 14-15 oz. can of them! Once they are rinsed and drained, place them in a medium mixing bowl.
Add sliced green onions, chopped red and green bell peppers, jalapeño, celery, parsley and cilantro to the bowl of black-eyed peas.
Look how colorful this dip instantly becomes with the fresh veggies added! Stir well, until they are fully combined. See how easy it is to make?
It has crunch, color, freshness, a little heat from the jalapeno and creamy soft, black-eyed peas which all help make this a beloved dish!
Make The Dressing
Whisk vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt and black pepper together in a small separate bowl until they are fully combined.
This basic vinaigrette that brings a lot of additional flavors to the Texas caviar, and it only takes a minute or two to make. Whoo Hoo!
“Dress” The Texas Caviar
Pour the vinaigrette dressing all over the veggies. Use ALL of the dressing because that is what helps develop the flavors of Texas caviar (or cowboy caviar) fully.
Stir well, until the vinaigrette and the veggies are fully combined. This will add a final flavor punch to the dip!
Give it a quick taste and season it with additional salt and pepper to suit your personal taste, if desired. Set the dip aside to “rest” before serving.
This is where making this dish ahead of time really plays a big part (see important note below). Plan ahead and this will not be an issue.
IMPORTANT: Do not serve the dip until it has rested for a minimum of one hour! This dip needs time for all the different flavors to develop and come together. The longer it rests, the better the overall flavor will be.
Serve The Texas Caviar
It is ready to be served once the Texas caviar has had sufficient time for the flavors to really come together. You won’t regret waiting a little bit more for the cowboy caviar to have its best flavor.
Before serving, give it a good stir to re-mix the vinaigrette on the bottom of the bowl with the veggies.
Place a bowl of the cowboy or Texas caviar out with a bunch of chips. I recommend using scoopable chips because they hold the weight of the dip very well.
Texas caviar is colorful, crunchy, tangy, and absolutely delicious and those you serve it to will likely love it, as well!
We enjoyed some Texas caviar while watching a World Cup soccer game recently and it was so good (the soccer game AND the dip-ha ha).
I’m confident it will be a wonderful appetizer for any get-together or party and will be among the first foods to be gobbled up.
I hope you have the opportunity to make this delicious appetizer to serve to those you love. The dip has very good flavor, crunch, and is always a favorite.
Thanks for stopping by, and I invite you to come back again soon for more family friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Looking For More APPETIZER Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of appetizer recipes to choose from, including:
- Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
- Apricot Pineapple Kielbasa Bites
- Cajun Tater Tots with Dipping Sauce
- Homemade Pico de Gallo
- Classic Cannellini Bean Dip
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Recipe adapted from: “When Southern Women Cook”, page 148, published by America’s Test Kitchen in 2024.
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Make a bowl of Texas Caviar (aka "Cowboy" Caviar), set out the chips for scooping and watch how fast this delicious appetizer is gobbled up!
- 15 ounces canned black-eyed peas rinsed, drained
- 3 stalks green onions thinly sliced (bulb and stalk)
- 1 medium jalapeño chile stemmed, seeded, finely chopped
- ½ medium red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, chopped
- ½ medium green bell pepper stemmed, seeded, chopped
- ½ stalk celery rib finely chopped
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1½ Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1½ cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
In a medium bowl, combine black-eyed peas, green onions, jalapeño, red and green bell peppers, celery, parsley and cilantro.
In a small separate bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, vegetable oil, sugar, minced garlic, salt and black pepper until fully combined. Pour all the vinaigrette over the vegetables; stir well, to combine.
IMPORTANT: Let the Texas caviar rest for a MINIMUM of one hour so the flavors come together (for BEST flavor). The longer it rests, the better flavor it will have! Stir again; serve with scoopable chips on the side and enjoy Texas Caviar!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!