Turkish White Bean Salad (Piyaz) Recipe
Turkish white bean salad (Piyaz) with flavorful Mediterranean salad that you can make in ten minutes! Filled with white beans, tomatoes, and a red-wine vinegar and sumac dressing. This salad has a perfect sweet and tangy flavor that will keep you wanting more
Turkish white bean salad, or piyaz, is a simple dish side dish filled with bold flavors. While Americans like cold bean salads, piyaz is typically served at room temperature. But that is not a hard and fast rule. You can serve it cold if you prefer.
Next, there is the Turkish salad dressing made with red wine, sumac, and extra virgin olive oil. The sumac adds a slight berry flavor that is unforgivable.
Finally, the core of this Turkish salad is white beans, parsley, tomatoes, fresh lemon, and red onions. Once you toss it all together, you will have a side dish that will become a hit at your next BBQ!
Key Ingredient Notes
Fresh Lemon Juice
Always use fresh lemon juice. If you used the bottled juice, the flavor will not be the same.
White Beans
Piyaz is typically made with white navy beans. However, you can use the white bean you prefer, such as cannellini beans, great northern beans, or butter beans.
Sumac
Sumac is a traditional Arabic spice made by crushing sumac berries. A sprinkle of Sumac is optional, but highly recommended. I also use to make sumac red onions and in my Turkish Shepherd salad recipe.
See the recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
Step One: Prep the Onions
Place the onion slices in a small bowl with lemon juice and sumac. Massage the onions for 20-30 seconds until they soften and release their juices. Add 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes.
Step Two: Combine the Ingredients
Combine the white beans, tomatoes, and fresh parsley leaves in a large bowl. Pour the onion dressing over the bean mixture and toss again. For presentation purposes, I often serve this salad in a medium-sized bowl.
Step Three: Rest and Serve
Piyaz is traditionally served at room temperature. Before serving, stir the salad well and garnish with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. I like to add pita wedges so that I can soak up any extra dressing!
Perfect Pairings
- Turkish grape leaves are more exciting then your average Middle Eastern grape leaf. They have currents and pine nuts. Giving them a sweet flavor.
- Lebanese hummus is the smoothest hummus you will ever have. It takes a few extra steps and oh my is it worth it!
- Shepherd’s salad is another Turkish delight. It’s made with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. The dressing also has sumac!
- Moroccan eggplant dip is perfect for those who like eggplant, but don’t like baba ghanoush (like me.) The eggplant is roasted, giving it a deeper flavor.
How Do I Store Piyaz?
Place the salad in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to three days. Before serving, drain any excess liquid and top with a fresh squeeze of lemon.
White Bean Salad (Turkish Piyaz)
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 small bowl
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons sumac
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup small to medium tomatoes If using cherry or grape tomatoes, half. If using campari or roma tomatoes cut them into wedges.
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ cup flat-leaf or curly parsley
- 1 15 ounce can white navy beans*
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep the Onions
- Place the onion slices in a small bowl with lemon juice and sumac. Massage the onions for 20-30 seconds until they soften and release their juices. Add 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes.
Combine Ingredients
- Combine the beans, tomatoes, and fresh parsley leaves in a large bowl. Pour the onion dressing over the bean mixture and toss again. For presentation purposes, I often serve this salad in a medium-sized bowl.
Rest and Serve
- Piyaz is traditionally served at room temperature. Before serving, stir the salad well and garnish with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. I like to add pita wedges so that I can soak up any extra dressing!
AMAZING RECIPE! I don’t love parsley (sorry!), so left it out, but added some crushed garlic for extra flavor – shouldn’t matter, except for weirdos like me who side eye parsley! Sumac is *magic* – your “massage the onion with sumac” etc was EVERYTHING.
Thank you so much Aliza for taking the time to let me know you liked my recipe! It means so much to me. I am glad you liked it and LOL on the garlic. In my house if a recipe calls for 1 cloves, we add 5. We love it too!