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Home Pasta and Rice Salads

Cowboy Rice Salad

By:Nagi
Published:17 Apr '17Updated:16 Sep '20
127 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Take a trip out to the wild west with this SouthWestern COWBOY RICE SALAD! Based on the famous Cowboy Caviar, this brown rice salad is filled with bright, zesty flavours, plenty of juicy veggies, nutty brown rice and drizzled with a fabulous SouthWestern lime dressing!

Bright, zesty, and full of flavour, this Cowboy Rice Salad will transport you to the wild, wild west!

Cowboy Rice Salad

The words “rice” and “salad” do not come naturally for people of Asian background. Rice is to Asians what bread is to Western countries. Growing up, we rarely had bread. In fact, when I visit relatives in Japan, the only reason they would buy bread is for us, thinking that we’ve been so westernised that we must have our bread fix, that rice is not enough!

For clarity, that’s not true. But I always find it funny that they purchase bread just for us!

So rice as a salad? Hmm. I don’t think that even exists in Japan. And I can’t think of a single rice salad from any Asian country – anyone care to enlighten me??

Bright, zesty, and full of flavour, this Cowboy Rice Salad will transport you to the wild, wild west!

 

This is the first rice salad I’ve shared here on RecipeTin Eats. (Update: And in 2020, I shared another!) So I wanted to start off with a bang – and this Cowboy Rice Salad is a ripper! It’s a rice salad version of Cowboy Bean Salad  which is also known as Cowboy Caviar, a Midwestern salsa/salad that’s popular in the States. Made with tomatoes, capsicum / bell peppers, red onion, corn, beans and coriander/cilantro, Cowboy Caviar is dressed with a fairly sweet vinaigrette then served as a salad or salsa for scooping up with corn chips.

And you know what? The very first thought that popped into my head when I made it was that it would be purrrrrfect to adapt to a rice salad. And it is!

Bright, zesty, and full of flavour, this Cowboy Rice Salad will transport you to the wild, wild west!

While the salad ingredients are largely the same – except, of course, the addition of rice (*head smack!*) – I opted for a lime dressing which is a bit lighter and has that citrus zing to it.

And I add a touch of spices to the dressing to really drive home that Southwestern flavour. And to give myself the best possible Cowgirl experience. 😇 Because we can all dream. 😂 Of living in the wild, wild west? – Nagi xx

PS I like making this with brown rice because I think the slight nutty flavour is fabulous for salads. But this works just as well with white rice.

Bright, zesty, and full of flavour, this Cowboy Rice Salad will transport you to the wild, wild west!

Bright, zesty, and full of flavour, this Cowboy Rice Salad will transport you to the wild, wild west!

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Bright, zesty, and full of flavour, this Cowboy Rice Salad will transport you to the wild, wild west!

Cowboy Rice Salad

Author: Nagi
Prep: 20 mins
Total: 20 mins
Salad
Western
4.98 from 34 votes
Servings8
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A Southwestern rice salad filled with bright zesty flavours and tossed with a lime dressing. Made with brown rice for extra flavour, and a hint of spice flavour in the dressing to drive home the SouthWestern flavours! Serves 8 - 10 as a side, 4 - 6 as a main. Recipe video below!

Ingredients

  • 4 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup lime juice , plus more to taste
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp chipotle powder (sub with smoked paprika + cayenne pepper)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 garlic clove, minced)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • Black Pepper

Salad:

  • 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , diced
  • 1 green capsicum/bell pepper , diced
  • 1 small red onion , chopped
  • 1 x 400g (14oz) corn kernels , drained
  • 1 x 400g (14oz) black beans , drained and rinsed
  • 3 tomatoes , watery seeds removed then diced
  • 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , roughly chopped (Note 2)

Instructions

  • Place Dressing ingredients in a jar, shake. Taste test, adjust to your taste.
  • Place Salad ingredients and rice in a bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss, then serve. Fantastic served straight away and even the next day!

Recipe Notes:

1. I like making this with brown rice because I like the slight nutty flavour, I think it adds more interest to the salad. However, it's super terrific made with white rice too. If using white rice (normal, not jasmine/basmati or other fragrant white rice), it's best to use long grain rice. Next best is medium grain. Short grain and sushi rice will be a too sticky for this rice salad, in my opinion. 
If using WHITE RICE, you will need 1 1/2 cups of uncooked rice.
2. Coriander/cilantro is a pretty staple herb for a Southwestern salad! However, if you do not like / have it but are busting to make this salad (I don't blame you), I think the best sub is either 1 1/2 cups of finely sliced shallots / scallions or 3/4 cup finely chopped chives. Different flavour, but still a nice burst of freshness to replace the coriander. Parsley will also be a suitable substitute (3/4 cup chopped) however I don't think it adds flavour as much as the other subs I suggested.
3. Storage: Keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
4. This rice salad is my rice salad version of this famous Cowboy Caviar by Culinary Hill!
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

 WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

Cowboy Rice Salad recipe video!


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127 Comments

  1. Nagiier says

    October 26, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    5 stars
    Nice one.

    Reply
  2. Tara says

    October 11, 2021 at 5:02 am

    To make the dressing oil free could you sub that out for something or just leave it out completely??

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 11, 2021 at 11:31 am

      Hi Tara…the oil brings the dressing together..if you leave it out I think it will be too acidic. N x

      Reply
  3. Lisa Vinson says

    September 8, 2021 at 5:01 am

    5 stars
    Should this be served room temperature or cold??? I am about to make it for anniversary dinner.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 8, 2021 at 8:51 am

      Yes definitely Lisa, I would serve room temp. N x

      Reply
  4. Marilynn Bean says

    August 10, 2021 at 7:22 am

    This looks delicious. Do you think it would be ok to add black eyed peas as well?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 10, 2021 at 9:01 am

      You definitely could! N x

      Reply
  5. DONNA MACALUSO says

    July 17, 2021 at 2:05 am

    Love all your recipes! Gonna try this salad tomorrow with ribs for friends. I’m wondering if better fresh made or next day? Thx!

    Reply
  6. Steph says

    May 6, 2021 at 10:12 am

    5 stars
    Nagi: This was a winner! I cook for ranches here in Montana. Our cowboys give it a big thumbs up. Thanks for a healthy salad to add to my recipe book!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 6, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      Yeehaaa! That’s awesome to hear Steph, thanks so much!! N x

      Reply
  7. Susan Battistessa says

    March 11, 2021 at 7:17 pm

    Why is it 4 cups of Brown rice and only 1 cup of white rice

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 12, 2021 at 10:15 am

      Hi Susan, the recipe calls for 4 1/2 cups of cooked brown rice. If you wanted to sub with white, you’ll need to cook up 1 1/2 cups of UNCOOKED white rice. I hope that clarifies things 🙂 N x

      Reply
  8. Yvonne Moloney says

    March 1, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you. It’s great.

    Reply
  9. Lynda Wilson says

    February 24, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    5 stars
    Super colourful and nutricious salad which was also absolutely delicious and quick and easy to prepare. The dressing is particularly good!!

    Thanks Nagi

    Reply
  10. Jeremiah Figueroa says

    February 12, 2021 at 2:37 am

    So I’m assuming this is a cold salad? Like the rice is the only thing cooked and it has raw corn and veggies

    Reply
  11. Amanda says

    January 21, 2021 at 8:08 am

    Easy to prep, very tasty & inexpensive

    Reply
  12. Micaela says

    October 4, 2020 at 5:10 am

    Hi! This looks delicious and I’m very excited to make it this week. Can you tell me should the rice still be warm when you mix the salad or should we cool it first?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 6, 2020 at 10:46 am

      Hi Micaela, sorry for the delayed response, I’ve been offline all weekend without reception! Let it cool down (it can still be slightly warm) just not hot. N x

      Reply
  13. Tracy says

    June 27, 2020 at 2:38 am

    I would like to make this to take on vacation. Do you think it can be frozen to keep longer? We’ll be there about a week.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 27, 2020 at 8:29 am

      Hi Tracy, you could freeze it but I’d leave out the tomatoes & herbs and add them once thawed. Keep the dressing separate too! N x

      Reply
  14. Anne says

    May 24, 2020 at 9:29 am

    5 stars
    It takes an amazing taste to excite our pallets. This recipe was the only one to do it for a holiday/no guests can come over but we deserve wow/I could eat it every day/every week during Covid stay-at-home.

    Reply
  15. Sue says

    April 2, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    5 stars
    Not sure if I did something wrong Nagi , but my rice took 25 minutes to cook. I used Sunrise brown rice .

    It was certainly worth the wait however as it was just delicious and so healthy.
    Even better that I had all the ingredients in my pantry and fridge !
    Cheered us up somewhat in this gloomy time . Thanks Nagi 😊
    .

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 3, 2020 at 11:41 am

      I’m so glad it was worth the wait though Sue!! N x

      Reply
  16. Hazel says

    April 1, 2020 at 10:56 pm

    5 stars
    Had this for dinner tonight – really good! Used spring onions instead of coriander, and maple syrup instead of honey. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 2, 2020 at 6:49 pm

      Sounds like you nailed it Hazel!! N x

      Reply
  17. Maria says

    March 29, 2020 at 11:37 pm

    Hi Nagi, I am not a fan of honey, so can I substitute it with something else?
    Love your recipes as I am not a very good cook and need all the help that I can get!!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 30, 2020 at 1:44 pm

      Hi Maria, you can sub with maple syrup – the sweet just balances the flavour in the dressing 🙂 N x

      Reply
  18. Simone says

    February 12, 2020 at 8:04 am

    5 stars
    This salad is really yum, so colourful & fresh. Love the dressing! Another one to add to my favourites.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 12, 2020 at 11:46 am

      I’m so happy you enjoyed it Simone! N x

      Reply
  19. Catherine says

    January 17, 2020 at 10:22 pm

    5 stars
    I made your Cowboy Rice Salad for Christmas and everyone commented on how delicious it was! Thanks

    Reply
  20. Marcy youker says

    January 3, 2020 at 3:48 am

    5 stars
    great recipe,;ove rice and legumes, thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 3, 2020 at 12:17 pm

      Hi Marcy, thanks so much!

      Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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