Fasulye Piyaz Salad (Turkish Bean Salad) is a healthy and nutritious side dish and a perfect accompaniment to your meals. It is made of beans, onions, tomatoes, and parsley then dressed with tahini, lemon juice, and olive oil. This cold Turkish salad is very easy to make and is ready in 15 minutes.
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This simple yet delicious salad is originally from the Antalya province of Turkey where it is considered the main dish. The rest of the country typically serves it as a side dish with traditional Turkish recipes such as Inegol Kofte, Grilled Lamb Kofta (Izgara Kofte), or Cheesy Baked Shrimp (Karides Guvec).
What is Piyaz Salad?
Turkish Fasulye Piyaz is a delicious and healthy white bean salad made with sliced onions, fresh herbs, and tomatoes. It is then flavored with a tangy dressing consisting of lemon juice, sumac, olive oil, and tahini.
You can find Piyaz on many Turkish restaurants' menus, especially served with Inegol Kofte or Baked Turkish Meatballs.
Fasulye Piyaz Salad can also be served as a mezze along with Muhammara - Acuka (Red Pepper Dip), Arnavut Cigeri - Turkish Liver, and Tirokafteri (Spicy Whipped Feta Dip).
Why This Recipe Works?
- Fasulye Piyaz Salad is a very easy recipe to follow and made with fresh & healthy ingredients.
- You can turn it into a vegan meal without the eggs along with some crusty bread and Bulgur Pilavi (Turkish Bulgur Rice Pilaf).
- This Piyaz Salad is gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb, ideal for most special diets.
- It is ready in just 15 minutes which makes it a perfect dish for weekday meals.
- Fasulye Piyaz (Turkish White Bean Salad) is an easy and tasty side dish that pairs nicely with many Mediterranean flavors.
Ingredients and Substitutes
White Beans For Piyaz
The main ingredient for piyaz is the beans and you can either use cooked ones or cook the dried ones. You can check my Kuru Fasulye recipe if you want to learn how to cook dried beans from scratch.
The best options are Cannellini beans, butter beans, or navy beans but any type of white beans can be used for that dish
Tahini
Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds. Always make sure to use good quality tahini and give it a good stir before using it as the oil accumulates on top of the sesame paste in time.
You can buy tahini from large supermarkets, and Middle Eastern shops or buy them online from Amazon.
Sumac
Sumac - It is a popular spice in Middle Eastern and Turkish cooking. It is a versatile seasoning that adds bright red color and tartness to a dish.
In case you don't have any sumac on hand, simply add more lemon juice to substitute for its acidity.
You can buy it from the majority of large supermarkets as well as online from Amazon.
Other ingredients you will need for Piyaz Salad are:
- Red onions - I prefer red onions for the color and strong flavor but you can use any onions you like. Slice them thinly to add a bit of crunch to the salad.
- Parsley - Parsley is one of my favorite herbs that add flavor and brightness to salads. It is very popular to use this aromatic herb in many Turkish salad recipes including Piyaz.
- Vinegar - Although the original piyaz recipe recalls grape vinegar, you can also use white wine or cider vinegar.
- Tomatoes - You can use any fresh tomatoes to garnish your salad. If you want to add them to your salad, use firm tomatoes with not much seed.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making this healthy Turkish Bean Salad is quite simple. However, to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple tips:
Prepare The Beans
If you want to use dried beans, soak 1 cup of them in plenty of water overnight.
Drain and place them in a pan with plenty of freshwaters. Cook for about 1 hour or until they are soft but not mushy.
The cooking time depends on the type of beans you are using. Let the beans cool down in the cooking water and then drain before using.
If you want to use tinned beans, drain them using a colander and set them aside while preparing the dressing.
Prepare the Piyaz Dressing
For the dressing, take 3 tablespoon of white beans in a bowl and turn it into a paste with a fork. Add the lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, vinegar, and salt then whisk. Add water if the sauce is too thick, check the seasoning and set aside.
Alternatively, you can use a food processor for a smoother finish. Simply put all the sauce ingredients in the food processor bowl and blitz until smooth.
Assemble and Garnish
Finely slice the onions and place them in a bowl along with the beans. Finely chop some parsley and add to the beans along with the chili flakes, paprika, freshly ground black pepper, and salt.
Add the sauce to the salad and give it a gentle stir just enough to combine.
Place the salad in a large serving bowl or individual bowls. Garnish with chopped tomatoes and boiled eggs.
Top Tips From The Chef
- Red onions have a strong flavor and can be bitter sometimes. This recipe requires plenty of raw red onions and you might want to mellow out their pungent flavor. Simply rub them with salt, lemon juice, and a bit of sumac to soften them and make them much more palatable.
- This salad tastes better when served freshly made. If you want to make it ahead, don't add the dressing and the garnishes to the salad, and keep them in a separate container.
Serving Suggestions
Turkish White Bean Salad is a perfect side dish to many kebabs and kofte dishes. Try them alongside Grilled Lamb Kofta - Izgara Kofte, Adana Kebap (Adana Kofte), Tas Kebabi - Turkish Beef Stew, Lamb Beyti Kebab, or Orman Kebabi.
You can also serve Piyaz as a part of a meze spread along with Russian Salad (Olivier Salad), Saksuka (Turkish Vegetable Meze), Sigara Boregi (Turkish Cheese Rolls), and Mucver - Crispy Zucchini Fritters.
In the Antalya region, where this salad is originating from, Piyaz is also served as a main meal alongside some bread. Why not try it with some Turkish Pide Bread - Ramazan Pidesi, Keema Naan Bread, or Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread)?
Recipe FAQs
You can keep this salad refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I don't recommend freezing Piyaz Salad.
Yes, you can prepare the dressing for up to 5 days in advance and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container.
If you want to slice the onions in advance, rinse and pat dry them to remove sulfur compounds. Keep them refrigerated separately in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Also, you can cook dried beans for up to 5 days in advance and keep them refrigerated separately in an airtight container.
Piyaz is originated in Iran but also popular in most Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. This tasty salad was introduced to Turkey in the last quarter of the 19th century.
Related Recipes
For other great healthy salad recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this classic Turkish White Bean Salad "Fasulye Piyazi" as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Fasulye Piyaz (Turkish Bean Salad)
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- 50 g white beans (reserved from the beans for piyaz)
- 50 g tahini (2 tbsp)
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 25 ml extra virgin olive oil (2 tbsp)
- 25 ml lemon juice (2 tbsp)
- 25 ml cold water (2 tbsp)
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Piyaz
- 600 g white beans such as navy or cannellini (ready cooked beans, drained)
- 1 small red onion (finely sliced) (or 4 spring onions, sliced)
- ½ cup parsley (chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- salt (to taste)
To Garnish
- 2 hard boiled eggs (cut in quarters)
- 1 diced tomato (or 4 cherry tomatoes cut in quarter)
Instructions
Preparing the Sauce
- Peel 50 grams of cooked beans and turn them into a paste with a fork.
- Add tahini, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt then whisk.
- Add water if the sauce is too thick, check the seasoning and add more salt if needed.
Assembling the Piyaz
- In a bowl, put the rest of the beans, sliced onions, parsley, chili flakes if using, paprika, freshly ground black pepper and salt.
- Add the sauce to the salad and give it a gentle stir just enough to combine.
- Put in a serving bowl or individual bowls, and garnish with hard-boiled eggs and chopped tomatoes.
Nutrition
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Ashley
What an amazing flavour combination. Thanks for this great recipe.
Piper
Made this for the second time and added a red pepper. It looks like I spent hours making it! The first time I made it, it was a big hit and I know it will be gone soon now too! Thank you for the great new option. It’s great to have something new, different and healthy!
Katrina
I love this recipe. Instead of parsley, I use fresh cilantro. I make this recipe about every other week and it's always amazing.