- Violet Witchel, the viral “Dense Bean Salad Girl,” says the biggest mistakes people make with canned beans is not draining them and underseasoning the beans.
- Dense bean salads are meal-prep gold. They hold up for days in the fridge, often taste even better after marinating, and are built for real life.
- Witchel advises that you meal prep recipes you’ll genuinely be excited to eat on day four or five so you don’t end up replacing them with takeout.
If you’ve ever opened a can of beans, tossed them into a salad, taken one bite and thought, Meh—then you’re not alone.
But according to Violet Witchel—the creator better known as the Internet’s “Dense Bean Salad Girl”—the problem isn’t the beans. It’s what (or, more accurately, what isn’t) happening to them before they hit your plate.
“You can’t eat plain beans. You have to season them—spice them, salt, oil, marinades. A plain can of beans is unappetizing,” Witchel tells Good Housekeeping.
After amassing millions of followers thanks to her colorful, protein-packed dense bean salads, Witchel has become something of a bean evangelist. And after talking to her, I realized most of us have been underselling canned beans for years.
The biggest bean mistake? You’re not draining them properly.
Before you even think about seasoning, Witchel says there’s one mistake she sees over and over.
“The biggest mistake I see people making with beans is leaving them in the liquid that they’re canned in,” she says. “People will make soups, they’ll make salads, and they’ll dump the whole can in. I think that makes them really soggy and gross, and doesn’t do their flavor justice.”
Her routine is simple: Rinse canned beans thoroughly, then let them sit in the colander for a minute or two before using them.
“You kind of want a dry cooked bean because it’ll cling to more of the dressing in a salad,” she explains.
But don’t pour that bean liquid straight down the drain. The starchy liquid, known as aquafaba, can be saved and used in soups, cocktails, desserts, and more for added texture and richness—so transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze it for later before you rinse your beans.
Then season more aggressively than you think
Once the beans are dry, don’t be shy.
Witchel’s easiest upgrade? “A little bit of olive oil, sea salt, some red pepper flakes, lemon juice. They’re delicious,” she says. “You can add them to any vegetable, any meat, as a side. Can’t be beat.”
And if your bean salad tastes flat?
Her answer came immediately: “Acid, salt, and spice.”
“I’m a big proponent of throwing some vinegar in there, some lemon juice, some lime juice—something really punchy to brighten it up,” she says. “Beans can soak up a lot of flavor, so do more than you think. It’ll taste a lot milder once you mix it all up and make it a salad.”
One vinegar she’s especially loving right now? White balsamic.
“It has all that depth of regular balsamic without the abrasiveness,” she says.
Don’t be afraid of salt
If there’s one seasoning mistake Witchel wishes home cooks would stop making, it’s holding back on salt.
“Not enough salt is the biggest mistake,” she says. “I see people are really scared of salt. Go crazy—beans can take a lot.”
Her pantry staples also include good olive oil, paprika, and Aleppo pepper, which she describes as “a little bit richer, a little bit smokier” than traditional red pepper flakes.
Why dense bean salads aren’t going anywhere
Unlike plenty of viral TikTok recipes that disappear almost as quickly as they arrive, Witchel thinks dense bean salads have stuck around because they solve a real problem.
As grocery prices climbed, she says, people were looking for meals that were affordable, satisfying, and easy to prep ahead.
“I think they actually make people feel really good,” she says. Unlike flashier food trends, dense bean salads are something “you can integrate every day.”
That practicality also makes them ideal for meal prep.
Worried about beans making you gassy? Your body may just need time.
Let’s address the elephant in the room.
For plenty of people, the biggest hesitation around eating more beans isn’t the flavor—it’s the fear of digestive side effects. Witchel says that’s one reason beans get an unfair reputation.
“I think there are some misconceptions that beans are not good for you,” she says. “Some people are like, ‘Oh, digestively they have X, Y and Z,’ or, ‘They make me fart.’ And they think that’s forever.”
According to Witchel, many people find the digestive side effects lessen once beans become a regular part of their diet.
“If you eat beans every day for a week, your body adjusts.” While everyone’s digestive system is different, experts say introducing fiber-rich foods gradually can help your body adapt over time.
That doesn’t mean you should suddenly overhaul your diet overnight, though.”
“I’m anti-fiber maxing,” she says. “Don’t go zero to 100 with fiber. Don’t go zero to 100 with anything, honestly. Like protein—if you’re changing your diet drastically, it’s gonna mess with you. So, like all good things, incorporate them slowly.”
Her advice is sound: Start by working beans into your meals a few times a week instead of trying to eat them at every meal. Your digestive system will have time to adjust—and you’ll be more likely to stick with the habit.
Violet’s biggest meal prep advice? Stop cooking for your fantasy self
Dense bean salads aren’t just viral—they’re practical. They hold up in the fridge, travel well, and often taste even better after a day or two. The catch? You have to be honest about what you’ll actually want to eat later in the week.
“I think meal preppers make food they’re not excited to eat day three, and they’re very aspirational with it,” Witchel says. “They make meal prep for a person they want to be, not who they are.”
“It’s really easy day one. By day five, you’re pulling cold stuff out of the fridge and reheating it, you’re wanting to DoorDash—it’s not sustainable.”
It’s one of those deceptively simple pieces of advice that applies far beyond bean salads.
Because if your lunch still sounds good on day five, there’s a much better chance you’ll actually eat it.
And maybe—even if you never thought of yourself as a bean person—you’ll finally start looking forward to that can in the back of your pantry.
