How dense bean salads became a protein-packed recipe sensation
“Are you sure you’re getting enough protein?”
Whenever someone learns I’m a vegetarian, some form of this question almost always follows. And it’s a question I’ve come to dread. The inquiry itself is innocent enough; it’s the unsolicited advice that accompanies it that rubs me the wrong way.
Protein has become the ultimate buzzword in the nutrition and diet space in recent years, popping up everywhere I turn: in advertisements, on social media and in casual conversation. It feels like every TikTok I see features someone explaining how they “easily” cram 150 grams of protein into a day’s worth of meals. So despite my experience and research, I began to doubt myself, wondering if I’d been too quick to dismiss critiques of my diet. I started brainstorming ways to add more of the macronutrient into my diet without excessive supplementation.
An antidote to my worries popped up on my TikTok For You page last spring: a dense bean salad, abbreviated to DBS by those who love and cook them. The salad can have any flavor profile, but it always consists of beans, hearty vegetables and an acidic dressing. This one in particular brimmed with verdant vegetables and herbs: cucumber, cabbage, edamame, cilantro and scallions. Great northern beans acted as the legume base, and a miso vinaigrette bathed the whole salad in punchy, savory flavor.
I rushed to make it – and was hooked from the first bite. It was just what I was looking for: a fresh, vegetable-packed meal that also happened to boost my protein intake, no chalky pea protein or bland egg whites necessary.
Like me, the recipe developer and content creator behind the recipe, Violet Witchel, started making dense bean salads as a solution to nutrition qualms. “Because I was a student-athlete, it’s the only way I could get enough protein and vegetables in the week, because I really didn’t have time to cook, and I could keep it in the fridge all week long and it stayed really fresh and delicious,” she told me over Zoom from her home in San Francisco.
Witchel began making TikToks in 2020 during her junior year at Vassar College as a way to document her love for food and showcase how to eat well in a college dorm. From the early days of her account, she posted prototypes of the dense bean salad, such as a Mediterranean bean salad with chicken and balsamic dressing from 2021 that now has more than 8.7 million views, but she built a following with other recipes such as tacos and kale salads.
In February 2024 she dubbed the unnamed dish a “dense bean salad,” and the rest is history. Each of the videos in her “Dense Bean Salads” TikTok playlist has amassed at least 1 million views. She’s also found success on Instagram and Substack, where she posts full salad recipes for her subscribers, as well as a host of other healthful recipes that she works into weekly meal plans.
When I asked Witchel why she thinks people love her bean salads so much, she cited the skyrocketing cost of meat in 2024, with chicken and beef prices climbing to record highs. An affordable protein source such as beans may have been especially welcome for home cooks. Several of Witchel’s salads also feature cucumbers, the “it” vegetable of the summer.
But the feedback she receives most often is that people struggle to find the time to cook things that are both delicious and good for them. According to Witchel, they’re looking for a dish that’s “meal prep-able, healthy, stays good in the fridge for a week, is actually appealing and something that doesn’t upset your stomach.” Many are also seeking ways to increase their protein intake. It sounds like a lofty goal, but for dense bean salad fans, Witchel’s recipes hit all the marks.
The hype around the dense bean salad’s nutritional benefits is well founded. When I explained the trend to Carol Johnston, senior associate dean at Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions and a registered dietitian, she was on board. “It’s just a perfect combination of foods,” she said.
While many home cooks are trying dense bean salads for their protein content, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that most Americans are already consuming the amount recommended by the Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and that the recent protein obsession may be blown out of proportion.
There is one demographic in particular, though, that’s at risk of not meeting protein goals. “In the published literature, we see that vegetarians don’t consume enough protein,” Johnston said. Despite my dismay at hearing this, she assured me that getting enough protein on a plant-based diet isn’t difficult – it just requires a little more planning and care, and that planning and care can come in the form of a dense bean salad. Beans “are one of the better sources of protein on a vegetarian diet,” Johnston said.
She also highlighted a less-discussed point about protein. Although dinner tends to be the heaviest meal in the standard American diet, it’s important to spread protein intake evenly throughout the day. “The current view on protein is to have 20 or so grams per meal,” Johnston said. Having a dense bean salad in the fridge for a quick and easy lunch – or savory breakfast! – can be helpful for a more even distribution.
And while protein may not be an issue for omnivores, most Americans are deficient in fiber. In addition to the range of hearty vegetables that can be added to a dense bean salad, Johnston says that beans in particular are an excellent source of the complex carbohydrate. “Beans also are inherently high in things like folate, which is the B vitamin, as well as iron, magnesium and some of the minerals that are harder to find in our diet,” she said.
If you want to experiment with the dense bean salad formula at home, there are a few things to bear in mind. Witchel recommends staying away from any ingredients that will break down too quickly, such as delicate greens or fresh fruit. “You want something with cellulose and structure,” she said. She also suggests using onions, alliums and herbs to add both flavor and nutrition to the salad.
Omnivores should feel free to add meat – Witchel has included chicken, steak and cold cuts in her recipes. But if you’re vegetarian, like me, Johnston advises using a protein source in addition to beans. “Soybean is really nutritious as well, and so perhaps adding some chunks of tofu into the salad would be helpful,” she said. Tempeh, seitan, dairy and eggs are also great options, and nuts and seeds can boost protein while providing an enticing crunch.
As for the less desirable symptoms, such as gas and bloating, that may arise should you increase your regular legume consumption, Johnston notes that “every body is different” and that “the body tends to adapt” to increased fiber. A 2011 study in Nutrition Journal that investigated perceptions of flatulence linked to legume consumption by feeding participants half a cup of beans a day found that fewer than half the participants reported increased flatulence during the first week of the trial. Among those who had an initial increase in gas, 70% “felt that it dissipated by the second or third week of bean consumption.” Soaking dried beans before cooking is another method for combating gas, and if you’re using canned beans, Witchel suggests thoroughly rinsing them before adding them to your salad.
When I asked Witchel to choose her favorite dense bean salad, she laughed. “I can’t! They’re like my children,” she said. But she managed to narrow it down to her ultra-popular sun-dried tomato dense bean salad, an Italian-inspired creation with cold cuts, mozzarella, white beans, and fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, and a chipotle chicken dense bean salad with grilled chicken and corn, spicy chipotle dressing, and crunchy summer vegetables.
Witchel will keep developing a range of recipes, she said, but she doesn’t plan to stop riding the DBS wave any time soon. “As long as people still like them, I’ll keep making them.”
Kimchi and Kale Dense Bean Salad
Inspired by content creator and recipe developer Violet Witchel’s dense bean salads, this version is packed with protein thanks to edamame, black beans and tofu. In addition, other hearty vegetables are added, and everything is tossed in a punchy, acidic dressing. The beauty of this kind of dish is that it’s usually low- or no-cook, flexible and nutritious – and gets better as it sits in the fridge.
In this recipe, chopped kimchi and a gochujang vinaigrette provide brightness, spice and a touch of sweetness, as well as a dose of probiotics. While the salad is delicious on its own, it can also be served in a variety of ways. Try wrapping it in a rice paper roll or arranging it on a bed of white rice or barley. Because the flavor improves with time, this is a great option for meal prep.
For the gochujang vinaigrette
¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave
1 tablespoon soy sauce, preferably reduced- or less-sodium, plus more to taste
4 teaspoons gochujang
1 garlic clove, minced or finely grated
½ teaspoon fine salt
For the salad
5 ounces kale, stemmed and finely chopped (2 cups)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Fine salt
One (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups (12 ounces) frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to the package instructions and drained
Generous ¾ cup (6 ounces) vegan kimchi, roughly chopped, plus more as needed (see Notes)
8 ounces plain firm tofu, or homemade or store-bought baked marinated tofu, cut into ¼-inch cubes (see Substitutions)
8 ounces English or mini cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
3 medium carrots (6 ounces total), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
4 large red radishes (3 ounces total), cut into thin matchsticks
4 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped
Furikake, for serving (see Where to buy and Notes)
Make the gochujang vinaigrette: In a large Mason jar or other lidded container, combine the vinegar, oil, maple syrup or agave, soy sauce, gochujang, garlic and salt. Seal the tightly with a lid, and shake vigorously until emulsified and no lumps of gochujang remain. You should have about ¾ cup.
Make the salad: In a large bowl, combine the kale with the oil, lightly season with salt and use your hands to massage the greens until they start to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the black beans, edamame, kimchi, tofu, cucumber, carrots, radishes, scallions and vinaigrette, and toss well to combine. Taste, and add more soy sauce and kimchi, if desired.
Divide the salad among individual shallow bowls, sprinkle with furikake and serve.
Yield: Four servings (makes scant 12 cups)
Storage: Refrigerate for up to four days. The salad gets better as it sits and absorbs the flavors of the dressing.
Where to buy: Furikake and gochujang can be found at Asian markets, well-stocked supermarkets and online. Baked marinated tofu, from brands such as Nasoya, Wildwood and Hodo, can be found at Asian markets and well-stocked supermarkets.
Substitutions: Kale for Thinly sliced napa cabbage. Maple syrup or agave for honey (if you’re not vegan) or sugar. If you don’t like spice, use shiro (white) miso instead of gochujang. Black beans for chickpeas, or cannellini or navy beans. Canned beans for 1½ cups home-cooked beans. Tofu for shredded chicken. No baked marinated tofu or plain firm tofu? Use extrafirm, superfirm or high-protein tofu. Furikake for sesame seeds and/or finely chopped or crumbled nori. To make this gluten-free, use a gluten-free gochujang and tamari. Soy sauce for tamari or liquid aminos.
Note: Not all kimchi and furikake are vegan, as some brands include seafood products. Read the label to check the ingredients.From former Food editorial aide Anna Luisa Rodriguez, inspired by recipes from recipe developer and content creator Violet Witchel.