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Quinoa Black Bean Salad is an easy meal prep lunch idea that you’ll crave. You can eat it straight from the fridge and it’s loaded with flavor.
Quinoa is a complete source of plant-based protein, containing all of the essential amino acids your body needs. It’s a great gluten-free and vegan option when you’re trying to reach your protein and fiber goals, especially paired with hearty black beans.
Tossed in a simple lime dressing, this quinoa salad recipe is impressive enough to bring to a party, but also easy enough to make every week.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can use any variety of quinoa you like for this recipe, including white, red, or black. I have a full tutorial on how to cook quinoa here. (White quinoa has the most tender texture if that matters to you.)
The veggies are easy to customize, but the combination of corn, tomatoes, red bell pepper, red onion, and cilantro is, dare I say, perfect. I also like to add green onion for extra flavor, plus some creamy avocado on top.
Feel free to add any other toppings you love, like baked chicken, crumbled feta cheese, or cotija cheese.
How to Make Black Bean Quinoa Salad
To get started, place the dry quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it under running water. This will make it taste better later. Then transfer it to a saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 cups of water.
Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat on the stovetop, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the pan from the heat but do NOT remove the lid. Let it rest for 5 more minutes covered. This will let the quinoa finish cooking without burning to the bottom of the pot.
Alternatively, you can cook quinoa in the Instant Pot for a more hands-off method.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing in a large bowl. Add in the extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt, then stir well.
When the quinoa is done cooking, you can add it to the bowl of dressing. Then add in the corn, tomatoes, red bell pepper, green onion, and red onion. Stir well to make sure everything is well coated in the dressing.
Next, add in a can of drained and rinsed black beans, along with fresh cilantro. (Use as much or as little cilantro as you like.) Stir again, then season to taste with extra salt.
This dish tastes best when you let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Because of that, you may want to be heavy-handed with the salt, because the flavor will mellow significantly when you serve this chilled. But, you can always add more to taste later, too.
Serve this quinoa salad recipe chilled with any toppings you love, like sliced avocado. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
It’s perfect for a packed lunch idea and is also an easy side dish to bring to a party.
Looking for more easy side dishes? Try Refried Bean Dip, the Best Lentil Salad, or Cowboy Caviar for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa , rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt , plus more to taste
- 1 red bell pepper , seeded and chopped
- 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or thawed from frozen)
- ½ red onion , finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes , sliced
- 3 green onions , chopped
- ½ cup freshly chopped cilantro , or more to taste
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans , drained and rinsed
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa, rinse it in a fine mesh sieve under running water. (This helps to remove its bitter flavor.) Add the drained quinoa to a saucepan and cover it with 1 ½ cups of fresh water. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Then lower the heat, cover the pot with a lid, and let it gently simmer for 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, remove the pot from the heat but keep the lid on for 5 more minutes. Then fluff it with a fork and set aside to cool.
- While the quinoa is cooking, add the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir well.
- Once the quinoa is done, add it to the bowl of dressing, along with the bell pepper, corn, red onion, tomatoes, and green onion. Stir well.
- Next, add the drained beans and fresh cilantro. Stir again, then adjust the seasoning to taste. (I usually add another ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt at this point and sometimes another tablespoon of lime juice. The flavor will mellow when chilled in the fridge.) Transfer the salad to a storage container and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Feel free to add any extra toppings you love, like sliced avocado or crumbled cheese.
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Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Quinoa Black Bean Salad recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
I have never loved quinoa, but in my quest to have more nutrient dense food, I made this salad, and I blew me away! It’s so delicious, it almost didn’t make it to the fridge to chill! I like a zestier dressing so used 1.5-2x the amount of lime juice but otherwise everything about this salad is beautiful!
This checks all the boxes: it’s colorful, flavorful, healthy, filling, and definitely my new favorite and go-to! Thanks so much for this delicious recipe! I will be making this all spring and summer
Very delicious! Thanks 🤩