'Changed my life': The salad that gripped the world this year
As the year comes to a close, one TikTok food trend is continuing to change how people enjoy vegetables.
The 'dense bean salad' has taken the internet by storm and is still attracting widespread attention, but what is it?
Content creator Violet Witchel has revolutionised work lunches everywhere with her bean-centred salads, a concept that has earned her 2.7 million TikTok followers.
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2024 was the year of the DBS: dense bean salad. Getty Images/iStockphoto
Dense bean salads are exactly what they sound like: a whole, bean-focused dish with all the usual ingredients: vegetables, a protein and a generous dash of dressing.
The simple meal is famed for its longevity – it'll last for days in the fridge and continue marinading, making it an excellent option for meal prep – and for its health benefits.
Witchel's recipes have been endorsed by dieticians and fans who rave about its cost-effectiveness.
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A nutritional powerhouse, it is also an incredible source of fibre, which helps you feel full and satiated and keeps your digestive system healthy.
It got its name because all of the ingredients are finely chopped making each bite dense.
Content creator Violet Witchel has made the dense bean salad a trend. @violet.cooks
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Very rarely does a food trend endure, though the undeniably positive result of those who have tried it keeps the meal at the top of trending food suggestions.
Scientifically speaking, a bean salad is made of low-GI carbohydrates, meaning your blood sugar won't quickly spike and crash.
Instead, the meal's energy is slowly released into your body, allowing you to feel fuller for longer.
Witchel's comment section is permanently flooded with followers praising the recipes and sharing how they have helped them.
"I've started making dense bean salads because of you and it's been such a hack to get me to eat more veg and nutrients throughout the week so thank u for all these," one user wrote.
"I'm going to be honest, you've changed my life," another added.
"I'm addicted to your dense bean salads," one simply put.
Dense bean salads are perfect for customisation. Getty
So, how do you make the beloved dense bean salad?
Its newfound fans have shared a multitude of culinary creations centred on beans. Consequently, there is really no right or wrong way to make this salad.
As a base, you need a bean or two of your choosing, whether it's mung or kidney, a protein, vegetables, and a dressing.
Witchel often shares her weekly recipes to her TikTok account if you are in need of any inspiration, though she warns they do take time.
"I would say they're actually not that easy; they're time-consuming to make," she told The Cut.
"I think they're very easily adaptable, and people can customise them," she added.
Variety kinds of natural cereal and grain seed in sack and dark tone, for clean food raw material and agricultural product concept Getty
Witchel's beans weren't the only concept to dominate the salad world this year; the viral cucumber-shaken salad also trended online.
Logan is the creator of the trend, sharing variation after variation of ways to eat a whole cucumber.
The recipes were so popular that an Aussie brand that sells a key ingredient for one of the popular recipes sold out of 10 weeks' worth of stock in just seven days.
What will be the reigning salad trend of 2025?
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