On a humid Wednesday in early June, Violet Witchel’s Dense Bean Salad was a common sight on city park benches and in brown bag lunches. The dish, a mix of canned beans, chopped vegetables, and a tangy vinaigrette, first gained notice on TikTok last winter. Unlike many flash-in-the-pan trends, Witchel’s salad has maintained steady popularity, with the hashtag now approaching 50 million views.
Local delis and cafes, including Dimes on Canal Street and Court Street Grocers in Carroll Gardens, have added versions of the salad to their seasonal menus. Managers at both shops reported an uptick in lunchtime orders this week, especially among office workers looking for something cool and filling.
The appeal, according to customers, is the ease of preparation and the sense of thrift. A can of chickpeas, some chopped celery, and a hard-cooked egg cost less than $5 at most city groceries. For many, the salad fits the summer mood: minimal cooking, no need for an oven, and easy to pack for picnics or a night at the Bryant Park Films series.
Witchel, who posts under her own name, credits the salad’s staying power to its flexibility. In an interview posted Tuesday, she emphasized that diners are swapping in whatever beans and vegetables they have on hand. Some add feta or canned tuna. Others stick with the original, dense with beans and little else.
As the city heads deeper into summer, the Dense Bean Salad seems likely to remain on the menu—at least as long as the heat holds and beans are cheap.