A fresh and healthy Mexican-style Quinoa Salad recipe with black beans and cumin lime dressing! So nourishing and great for meal prep, picnics, and take-along lunches. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)
This Mexican-inspired quinoa salad is so fresh, colorful, and easy to prepare! It's tossed with a simple cumin-lime dressing that adds bright, tasty flavor.
I love that it's light and healthy, yet satisfying and nourishing. (Plus a good source of plant-based protein and fiber!)
It's also a great dish to make ahead of time. Enjoy it as a main dish or side dish for meal prep, potlucks, BBQs, and summer get-togethers!
Ingredients for Mexican Quinoa Salad
For this recipe you will toss together in a large bowl:
- White quinoa: You'll cook the quinoa on the stovetop, but feel free to do this ahead of time for faster prep.
- Black beans: I like black beans best in this salad, but you can substitute pinto beans or red kidney beans if desired.
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes: I use these because they are so flavorful and sweet. Feel free to substitute roma tomatoes or other garden tomato however.
- Orange bell pepper: Or you can use red bell pepper or yellow instead.
- Sweet corn: Either cooked fresh corn, canned corn, fire-roasted, or you can thaw frozen corn kernels.
- Green onion: Or substitute finely diced red onion for a stronger flavor.
- Fresh cilantro
- Ground cumin, garlic clove, lime juice: These are for the simple oil-free dressing. (But you can whisk in a teaspoon or tablespoon of good quality extra-virgin olive oil if you wish.)
Customizing
Avocado: Top your bowl with creamy avocado right before serving if desired.
Make it spicy: Add jalapeno, chili powder, or cayenne pepper to taste.
Sweetness: Add a teaspoon of maple syrup, agave nectar, or your own favorite sweetener to the dressing if desired.
Serving & Storing
Either serve this dish immediately, or let it chill in the refrigerator first to let flavors further combine.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. I find it keeps well for about 4-5 days.
Make ahead! This is a great dish to prepare in advance because the flavors intensify and blend together by the next day.
For more inspiration, also browse all quinoa recipes or Mexican-inspired recipes.
Mexican Quinoa Salad with Cumin-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup white quinoa (uncooked)
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 8 oz. grape/cherry tomatoes
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cooked sweet corn (canned, cooked fresh, frozen, or fire-roasted)
- 4 green onions
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- Optional: avocado for serving
For the cumin-lime dressing:
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp. lime juice (about 1 lime, or more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- Optional: lime zest
Instructions
- Rinse and cook quinoa according to package directions.*
- Meanwhile, make the dressing: In a small bowl, add all dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Rinse and drain beans. Dice the tomatoes and bell pepper. Slice the green onions and chop cilantro. Place in a large bowl.
- Add the cooked quinoa. Then pour dressing on top and toss well to combine. Salt to taste if needed.
- Can serve immediately or chill in the fridge first to let flavors blend.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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D
I make this all the time and have for a few years now. It's great for camping. People always love it when I bring it out with some chips. The rainbow makes me happy.
Kaitlin
Fantastic! That's so great to hear, and I love that you take it camping. Awesome idea. Thanks for the kind feedback!
Pam
How do I tell serving size for the posted calorie count and other nutritional information? Great recipe!!
Kaitlin McGinn
Hi Pam! I estimated this recipe to yield about 6 medium bowls (so the posted nutritional content would be per bowl.) Feel free to adjust the counts as necessary for bigger/smaller bowls. Hope that helps - have a beautiful week!
Lindsey Brophy
I made this and added a jalapeno pepper, it was really tasty! Next time I would juice 2 limes instead of one for the dressing for some extra citrus flavor.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great! Thank you for sharing!
Sierra Hunter
I loved it!!
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
Myriam Melendez
I have made this salad several times - absolutely delicious every time. I have people asking for the recipe.
Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer
So great to hear!