Make this light and refreshing Mexican quinoa salad made with cooked quinoa, plump cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, and a limey vinaigrette.
If you are looking for quinoa salad recipes, this flavorful quinoa salad recipe is vegan and gluten-free and the perfect vegetarian meal to add to your rotation
Looking for a healthy mean idea that is high-protein, veggie-packed, and easy to make? Meet –> the quinoa salad!
Favorite Quinoa Salad
Quinoa salad is one of those meals that I have been making for years. They are some of the first recipes we ever published on Fit Foodie Finds way back in the day circa 2010.
This Mexican Quinoa Salad has to be my favorite because it’s so fresh, flavorful, and healthy! I how the black beans pair with the sweet corn and the lime vinaigrette dressing is so light and yummy.
What is quinoa salad? Quinoa salad is a cold salad made with a quinoa base and other add-ins such as veggies, beans, and dressing.
Why make this Mexican quinoa salad?
Vegetarian: quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it’s perfect for those that don’t eat meat! This quinoa recipe is both vegan and vegetarian.
Meal-Prep: make a batch (or two) of this quinoa salad and it will last up to 5 days in the fridge, making it perfect for meal prep.
High-Protein: per serving, this Mexican quinoa salad will get you 9g protein/serving.
Fresh Flavors: if you’re a fan of lime and cilantro, you are going to love this recipe!
Is quinoa salad healthy?
Quinoa salad is a healthy meal idea because quinoa is high-protein and naturally gluten-free and vegan.
Tutorial
How to Cook Quinoa
Looking for a foolproof method on u003cstrongu003ehow to cook quinoa?u003c/strongu003e In this post, we’ll teach you all about the superfood called quinoa, the different ways to make it, and how to incorporate it into your meals!
Mexican Quinoa Salad – What You Need
In addition to an easy vinaigrette dressing, you only need 6 ingredients for this recipe! Check it out:
- Quinoa – the star of the show is obviously quinoa. Feel free to make stovetop quinoa, Instant Pot quinoa, or quinoa in the microwave.
- Black beans – black beans not only add more protein to this quinoa salad but fiber, too.
- Sweet corn – sweet corn adds a pop of color and sweetness.
- Cherry tomatoes – feel free to use any kind of tomato. Just cut them up into bite-sized pieces.
- Red onion – a little onion goes a long way!
- Avocados – serve this Mexican quinoa salad with fresh avocado to add healthy fat and some creaminess.
- Lime Vinaigrette Dressing – this delicious vinaigrette really pulls all of the quinoa salad ingredients together. Plus, it’s what adds the Mexican flare!
Easy Mexican Dressing
Mix up this easy Mexican vinaigrette and toss your quinoa salad in it! Here’s what you need:
- olive oil
- fresh cilantro
- apple cider vinegar
- lime juice
- honey
- spices: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt
More Quinoa Salad Recipes
Strawberry Quinoa Salad: This is the most delicious Strawberry Quinoa Salad made with massaged kale, fresh strawberries, quinoa, cucumber, feta cheese, and a delicious creamy balsamic dressing.
Fresh Caprese Quinoa Salad: This Fresh Caprese Quinoa Salad is packed with protein, veggies, and all of your favorite summer flavors. All you need are cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, quinoa, and a healthy homemade dressing!
Moroccan Quinoa Salad: This Moroccan quinoa salad with crispy chickpeas is protein packed and full of veggies! Make it today for a healthy meal prep lunch idea for the week!
Golden Cauliflower Quinoa Salad: This Golden Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad is a healthy, satisfying, and delicious salad that everyone in your family will love. It is great for a quick meal-prep lunch or a light quinoa salad for dinner.
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad: Looking for quinoa recipes? Look no further than this delicious Mediterranean Quinoa Salad recipe. It’s made with white quinoa and all of your favorite Mediterranean veggies plus a homemade hummus dressing!
How to Store Quinoa Salad
Transfer your quinoa salad into an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Mexican Quinoa Salad (+ More Quinoa Salad Recipes)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 2 cups water
- 15 oz. can of black beans rinsed
- 15 oz can sweet corn
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/4 large red onion minced
- 2 large avocados sliced (for serving)
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro fresh
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 lime juiced (1/4 cup lime juice)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- pinch of smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
- Once quinoa is cooked, place in a large Tupperware and let chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Prepare dressing by placing all ingredients into a mason jar. Put cap on and shake until combined.
- Prepare salad, by mixing together cooked quinoa, black beans, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. Mix until combined. Then, pour on dressing and mix again.
A friend of mine made this for me after I had a baby in 2020, and since then it’s been a go to meal! It’s always the recipe I bring to gatherings with friends and everyone is always obsessed. Sometimes instead of the Cherry tomatoes, I substitute for roasted sweet potatoes or just add them in and it’s delicious! I’ve made this recipe a millions times by now so I thought it was time to leave my raving review!!!
Ohhh roasted sweet taters sounds like such a delish add in! And so glad to hear you’ve loved this recipe for so many years 😀
Excellent recipe!! Thank you very much for sharing it!
Love this quinoa salad. Healthy and light. Perfect for Sunday morning. Thanks for sharing.
This is a frequent lunch item in my house — easy for me to make, travels well and everyone loves it! Can you please tell me what serving size you used for your nutritional data? I’m thinking it’s 1/2 cup as a side dish, but not sure. Thanks!
I’m not sure what the measurements are, but all you have to do is divide it into 6 equal portions!
Delicious! I make a big batch and have it for lunch all week with no changes made. Healthy, delicious, and easy to make. Thank you for all of your amazing dishes. You are my go-to for healthy delicious recipes!
This makes so sooo happy! Glad you love this quinoa salad recipe!
Love this recipe,! Has been on repeat all summer!
Made this today and loved it! I subbed a couple of the spices for what I had on hand for the dressing. And adding taco seasoning to the quinoa takes it to a new level! I also added a bit of feta on top and it was amazing. It takes under 30 minutes to make and my whole family was happy eating it.
Just a note that the recipe isn’t vegan because it has honey in it however. But it is a great vegetarian option!
This looks amazing, can’t wait to try. I noticed it said it was a vegan recipe but uses honey? I’m guessing it’s all good to use a vegan substitute?
Many thanks for all of your amazing recipes 🙂
Just swap it with maple syrup or omit all together!
Very delicious!!!
Why wouldn’t it be awesome! No left overs at my party on this recipe…
So, so, SO good. Man I can’t stop eating this!
This salad was delicious! Easy to prepare using simple ingredients. This has become my new summer favorite.
I made this salad as a side dish for a bbq we were having, as one of the guests was a vegetarian and I wanted her to have several vegetarian options to choose from. This salad was a huge hit with everyone! I will definitely be making this again. It would be a perfect salad to make and have for lunches during the week also.
YAY!! I love this salad too!
This has become one of my go-to recipes! I love everything about it – it is perfect to make for dinner and eat the next day out of the fridge.
Thoughts on adding chicken to this recipe?!
That sounds amazing! This recipe already makes a LOT of food, so if you can finish it all you can totally add chicken!
Love this!!! I made a big batch so I can have it for lunches when I’m home with my kiddos. My Mom was just diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and I can bring this salad to our cabin and she can eat it without worrying too much about carbs.
Yum! I’ve been looking for more meatless meals to try. I will definitely add this to the list!
Quinoa works FAR too well in Southwestern recipes. The marriage of quinoa, black beans, corn, and tomatoes taste glorious. Oh yes, and you can never forget the spices and avocado! YUMMY!
I like Mexican food and all spicy food
it should be very tasty
Mine was kind of a pintrist fail. The balsalmic vinegar turned it dark, so it didn’t look like your oictures! I added red peppers for a little more flavor and some chipolte hot sauce for the smokiness. Any suggestions for next time? I will definitely eat it for dinner tonight, but glad I am not having guests over because it doesnt look pretty!!