Pesto Bean Salad with Almonds and Cranberries
Fresh and flavorful, this pesto bean salad is a perfect quick lunch or dinner! With a homemade spinach pesto, three kinds of beans and dried cranberries, it’s anything but boring. Gluten free and vegetarian with dairy free and vegan options.
So with it being back to school time and all that jazz, I thought it would be fun to talk about a few lunch ideas.
This coming from the lady without kids.
But, us adults need fun and new lunch ideas too. I’m more of a whatever leftovers I had from dinner last night become my lunch type person, but I decided I should try to think about lunch a tad bit more.
Give it the attention it deserves.
And so I give you pesto bean salad with almonds and cranberries.
About This Pesto Bean Salad
A super super easy meal that you can throw together in 20 minutes or less.
And then it’s ready to go for lunches all week. Lunch is served! Especially with lots of crunchy pita chips – my fave.
And the bean salad? It’s filled with three … count em’ three … kinds of beans, a hint of red onion, some crunchy almonds and dried cranberries for little bursts of sweetness.
And we’ll toss it all in a spinach-based pesto and then finish it with a sprinkle of fresh chives.
Really you can use any kind of pesto that you like … my poor basil plants are dead so spinach it was.
Who manages to kill basil? This girl does. Sigh.
Additional Bean Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Balsamic Chickpea Salad
- Roasted Three Bean Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea and Lentil Salad
- Mexican Bean Salad
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Pesto Bean Salad with Almonds and Cranberries
Fresh and flavorful, this pesto bean salad is a perfect quick lunch or dinner! With a homemade spinach pesto, three kinds of beans and dried cranberries, it’s anything but boring. Gluten free and vegetarian with dairy free and vegan options.
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 4 cups packed baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup packed fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup raw slivered almonds
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese*
- ½ tablespoon honey**
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ¼ cup olive oil
For the salad:
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- ½ cup raw slivered almonds
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Instructions
To make the pesto:
- Add the spinach, basil, almonds, parmesan, honey, garlic and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
- Add in the olive oil and process until smooth. Set aside.
To make the salad:
- Add the chickpeas, pinto beans, kidney beans, red onion, almonds and cranberries to a large bowl. Toss to combine.
- Add in some of the pesto and mix until combined. Taste and add additional pesto to your liking (I use about ¾ to all of the pesto).
- Sprinkle on the fresh chives. Taste and season with additional salt if needed.
Notes
*To keep this dairy free / vegan - omit the parmesan and substitute with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.
**To keep this vegan - use maple syrup instead of the honey.
I love to serve this with something crunchy - like pita chips!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 451Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 713mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 12gSugar: 17gProtein: 19g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Welcome back and Happy Belated Birthday! 😀 And hello to this lovely salad! I’ve been trying to stockpile interesting recipes to make and bring for lunch at work and this with some pita chips like you suggested sounds wonderful!
Thanks Jess!!
Hope you had a lovely vacation! 🙂
This salad looks mighty tasty! Lots of my favourite ingredients in one little bowl. Yum!
Thanks Courtney!!
Isn’t Ashville beautiful? I visited there a few times and fell in love…like I am falling in love with this salad! Sounds amazing!
I love the taste of pesto so much so this recipe is perfect for me… thanks for sharing!
this sounds utterly delicious! must make this soon 🙂
These salads look amazing! Love the addition of pesto, so good!
This looks amazing!! Love everything in here, and I definitely need to try this! Pinned 🙂
Welcome back! I always love coming home to my bed 😉 This salad looks so good! I love the cranberries you added too! A lovely hint of fall/winter.
I went to college in Asheville and I love it there soooo much! I really miss it and dream about moving back there someday! So glad you had fun! I’m big into lunches too and this looks like the perfect recipe that I could make a big batch of and eat it for lunch everyday!
It is such an awesome place! I’m already trying to figure out how fast I can get back to visit! 🙂
I love the addition of dried cranberries! I can also be a bit lazy with my lunch, but these kinds of dishes are nice because I imagine you can use it all week… Kind of like those dinner leftovers!
great healthy salad!
Glad you enjoyed your trip, Ashley … I’m off for a little mini-break in Melbourne today, too … can’t wait! But you’re right – it’s always great to get home again and back into your routine, too. I guess that’s a good thing, really!
Absolutely love this salad. So creative … not to mention healthy! I could definitely eat this every day of the week for lunch!
Enjoy your break Helen!!
I will totally share some of my basil with you, Ashley! All 3 of my plants are in grow-super-fast mode. But I am definitely gonna have to try this gorgeous salad! I love a good bean salad and this looks awesome with all that pretty pesto! Pinned. 😉
I’m jealous! I’ve never had problems with basil before but this year … who knows what is going on!
Ashley, I’m SO glad I got to meet you in Asheville! I hope you had a wonderful birthday weekend and did more fun Asheville things!! I love this bean salad because I love anything with pesto on it! And also because I probably never would have thought to put cranberries and beans together. Haha:)
Right back at you!
Coming home is the best! Back to your own kitchen and back to fun recipes like this! Yum!
Perfect spinach recipe, loving this pesto! Will probably end up eating it with a spoon! Yum! 😉
Mmmm, lunches. This is a definitely step up from what I usually end up shoveling into my face – like hummus and whatever-veggie if we have it, “fancy” ramen (AKA, sesame oil and a poached egg with instant noodles), or miso soup and kale (because we ALWAYS have that). It gets pretty damn depressing after a while. This is such a great option and can’t wait to try it out!
haha it does get kinda sad when lunch isn’t interesting!
Welcome back! I’m so glad you had a great birthday! Asheville sounds like a wonderful place to celebrate, minus the lumpy bed. I can’t wait to hear (and see?) more about your trip.
My basil plant is still growing out of control and this salad looks like the perfect way to put it to use!
Thanks Sarah! Yes! Once I get my act together and load all the pictures I took on my computer! 🙂
Yay, so glad you had a great time in Asheville! Totally agree, nothing beats that feeling of coming home to your own bed 🙂 This salad sounds like the perfect meal to come home too – love the pesto, chickpeas, beans and cranberries in here! Looks so pretty and refreshing!
The bean salad with pesto looks utterly delicious and healthy as well!
Glad you had a nice vacay! It’s always good to get away…and stay off the phone. 🙂 I’m the most boring lunch person most of the time, and rarely “venture out” of my usual. This salad would make me venture out — I love everything about this. The pesto sounds awesome, and heck yeah I’d be dipping pita chips in it! 🙂
Pita chips are a must in my opinion!!
I hear ya about the bed, nothing beats your own!!! love the salad!
Thanks friend! It was awesome – it was so nice to unplug a bit and just relax!
Yay for vacays!!! And what a wonderful meal to come home to! Refreshing, healthy and delish!
I am always soooo happy to get back to my bed, especially since I got a new one, no other beds can compare! Glad you had a great time and this recipe looks great to pack for lunches 🙂 I love pesto!
That’s exactly how I feel! We bought a new one a few years ago and it’s the best thing ever!
Happy Belated birthday and welcome back!!!
Today of all days, I left my lunch in my fridge and remembered it when I was half way down the highway and now you tease me with this delectable salad! With pesto, chickpeas, kidney beans, pinto beans, almonds and cranberries what’s not to slobber over?! 🙂
Thanks Shashi!! haha oh man, sorry to tempt you on such a sad lunch day! 🙂
Hope you had a wonderful vacation, Ashley!
Anything with pesto always calls my name! I love that stuff! It’s so flavorful and makes any dish taste so amazing. This recipe sounds fabulous and will be a perfect on-the-go lunch for me!
This bean salad looks marvelous Ashley! Love that you added cranberries. Little bursts of sweetness are always good. 🙂
It was so nice to meet you in Asheville. Can’t wait to hear more about what you did after the conference!
Always! 🙂
I always have problems sleeping in a different bed when I’m on vacation. I always find even the most comfortable one…well, uncomfortable if compared to my own! And, like you, I am a firm believer that two pillows are better than one! This salad, by the way, looks amazing. Easy and quick to put together, plus give me anything with pesto and I’ll be sold.
xo, Elisa
Two are definitely better than one!! lol Thanks Elisa!