Turkish White Bean Salad Recipe (Piyaz)
Nov 23, 2020, Updated May 11, 2021
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This Turkish white bean salad called Piyaz is ready in just 10 minutes. It’s an easy and tasty side dish that pairs nicely with many Mediterranean flavors.
We have many Turkish recipes here and they’re all made with fresh and delicious ingredients. This Turkish white bean salad, also known as piyaz, is another delicious salad that we love. Just like Turkish potato salad, Turkish Shepherd’s Salad, Turkish bulgur salad (kisir) and Turkish tomato salad (gavurdagi), this salad uses simple, fresh ingredients and a delectable dressing!
Table of Contents
Turkish White Bean Salad
Turkish cuisine includes many mezzes and side dishes characterized by rich flavor profiles. This white bean salad, also called piyaz, is a great accompaniment to almost any main dish. It’s made mainly with white beans (preferably cannellini beans) and a delicious zesty dressing. This simple salad holds so much flavor and anyone who tries it comes back for seconds!
What I love the most about this salad is that it can be prepared in 10 minutes or less, which makes it perfect for a quick side dish. If you’re a fan of fattoush or tabouli, you’re going to love piyaz.
White Bean Salad Ingredients
- White beans – The main ingredient you need for this Turkish bean salad is cannellini or navy beans. You can either use canned beans or cook them yourself.
- Tomatoes – It’s best to use firm tomatoes that are not too seedy for this recipe. I recommend using roma tomatoes.
- Red onion – Red onions add so much flavor to salads. Slice them thinly to add a bit of crunch to the salad.
- Parsley – Fresh herbs are the perfect way to add flavor and brightness. Parsley is generously used in many Turkish salad recipes including Piyaz.
- Olive oil: Use quality extra virgin olive oil to make salad dressing, it makes all the difference!
- Lemon juice: It’s best to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for this recipe.
- Sumac: This tangy and bright spice is a staple in the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. You can find it at ethnic Arab, Persian or Mediterranean stores.
- Aleppo pepper: If not available, you can use chili pepper flakes.
Instructions
- If using canned beans, make sure you drain the excess water, rinse and drain them and then place them in a large bowl.
- Finely chop the parsley, dice the tomatoes, and add them both to the white beans. Thinly slice the red onion and mix it in to the salad as well. Give it all a nice stir and set it aside.
- In a small bowl mix sumac, Aleppo pepper, and salt. Add in lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil and stir well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it so all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes and then serve.
Serving suggestions
You can serve this salad as a full meal on warm summer days. A bowl of this salad with a slice of crusty bread would be a perfect summer lunch! It also makes a great side for many Turkish and Mediterranean dishes including mucver (zucchini fritters), karniyarik (stuffed eggplant) and kofta kebab.
This salad also goes very well with kabobs. If you’re looking for mains to serve with this, take a look at our recipes for beef shish kabob, grilled chicken kabobs and salmon shish kabob.
You can also add this salad to a mezze spread and serve it with hummus, tabouli and cacik.
Frequently asked questions
Since this salad has a dressing and includes tomatoes, it’s best to consume it right away or within a few hours. If preparing ahead of time, make the dressing and the salad without the tomatoes and refrigerate separately. Once ready to serve, dice and add the tomatoes and toss with the dressing before serving.
This salad is originally made with white beans so either cannellini or navy beans would work for this recipe.
It’s best to eat this salad the day it’s prepared. However, if you have leftovers, store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
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Turkish White Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can cannellini beans, drained
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 lemon, juice of
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place the drained cannellini beans in a large bowl and add chopped tomatoes, sliced red onions and chopped parsley to the beans. Stir well and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix sumac, Aleppo pepper, salt, lemon juice and olive oil and pour it on the salad.
- Toss the salad with the dressing and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Serve cold as a side dish.
Video
Notes
- It’s best to use firm tomatoes that are not too seedy for this recipe.
- This salad is best served within a few hours.
- This would make a great side dish for dishes such as grilled chicken, karniyarik and shish kebabs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! I made the recipe as written except I substituted cilantro for parsley (which has a strong petroleum flavor to me). So glad I found this website! Every recipe I’ve tried has been flavorful and outstanding.
Thank you Lisa for being here!
This is a wonderful salad.
The only suggestion I have is that it is okay to soak the sliced red onion in cold vinegar water for 10 minutes to cut the sharpness, rinse, and use as directed in the recipe.
I use as appetizer. Very refreshing and tasty. Thank you for this recipe.
This is such an easy side dish to make! Super flavorful and always a hit!
This looks amazing and such a treat! Thank you!
Love the flavors in this quick and easy Turkish white bean salad. It’s perfect as a meal or a side dish.
This was great. Always enjoy finding new flavors like this.
I love easy salad recipes like this white bean salad. Can’t wait to try it!
It says “1 lemon juice of”…what does that even mean? 1 tsp? 1 TBSP? Juice of one lemon (which will vary widely)?
Totally misread the directions…my bad. Early in the morning and no coffee yet 🙂 Please disregard/delete my question about the amount of lemon juice.
go ahead and splurge. use whole lemon
The recipe does ask for a whole lemon.
This was the perfect salad to bring with me to my last family gathering! It was a big hit!!!!