This Easy Vegan Mexican Quinoa Salad is full of delicious flavor and a variety of textures while offering nutritious ingredients. It is simple to prepare and uses mostly pantry ingredients you likely have on hand like dry quinoa and canned black beans. It has a Southwestern flavored dressing that makes this quinoa salad so addictive. This quinoa salad holds up well in the refrigerator making it an excellent meal prep option.
Easy Vegan Mexican Quinoa Salad
This Easy Vegan Mexican Quinoa Salad seems so simple and yet every time I make it I'm so amazed and how good it is! All you need to prepare this salad is quinoa, black beans, green onions, red bell pepper, red onion and cilantro. The quinoa and black beans provide plant-based protein while the red bell pepper offers immune-boosting vitamin C. The dressing is simple too: olive oil, lime juice, maple syrup, cumin, garlic and salt. Boom! You are done!
How to Make Easy Vegan Mexican Quinoa Salad
I make the quinoa using my Perfectly Cooked Quinoa Method: Stovetop or Instant Pot. While the quinoa cooks I whisk the dressing together in the serving bowl. Then, I chop up my veggies and herbs. When the quinoa is done I toss everything together and enjoy immediately or store for meal prep.
Health Benefits of Quinoa
Quinoa is one of my favorite pantry staples. It is light and absorbs flavor wonderfully. It adds great texture to salads. It is so easy to prepare and offers such amazing health benefits. It is loaded with fiber (one serving has over 5 grams) and is considered a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids. This makes it a great source of plant-based protein for vegans. In fact, it has more protein than any other grain. Quinoa is a good source of folate, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and many phytochemicals. It also offers important minerals such as calcium, potassium, copper and zinc.
For a complete guide on quinoa, see my post on Quinoa Benefits for Vegans (+ Recipes).
Looking for more quinoa recipes?
These are all vegan and gluten-free recipes with quinoa:
Mango-Avocado Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pepitas
Roasted Veggies & Crispy Chickpeas over Quinoa with Garlic Maple Tahini Drizzle
Roasted Beet Noodles Over Quinoa with Parsley Pesto
Quick & Easy One-Pot Curried Quinoa & Chickpeas
Crispy Quinoa and Avocado Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
One-Pot Sweet & Spiced Quinoa Lentil Salad
Berry-Cherry Quinoa Salad with Candied Walnuts and Balsamic-Shallot Vinaigrette
Easy Vegan Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Easy Vegan Mexican Quinoa Salad is full of delicious flavor and a variety of textures while offering nutritious ingredients. It is simple to prepare and uses mostly pantry ingredients you likely have on hand like dry quinoa and canned black beans. It has a Southwestern flavored dressing that makes this quinoa salad so addictive. This quinoa salad holds up well in the refrigerator making it an excellent meal prep option.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (cooked in the Instant Pot with 1 cup of water)*
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, diced
- 4 green onions, diced
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro, large stems removed, leaves chopped
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa in the Instant Pot*. While the quinoa cooks prepare your dressing and other ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked quinoa with the black beans, red bell pepper, onions and cilantro. Whisk the dressing well and pour overtop the salad. Stir well to combine. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container (or separate smaller airtight containers for lunch on-the-go). Salad lasts in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
*Use two cups of water if using the stovetop to cook the quinoa. Use my stovetop method for perfectly cooked quinoa. Either way this yields about 3 cups of tightly packed cooked quinoa. The cooked quinoa measures 4 cups when fluffed with a fork and not packed tightly into the measuring cup. This recipe uses 1 cup of uncooked quinoa which for me yields 4 cups of fluffy unpacked cooked quinoa.
In the Instant Pot put the quinoa and water in the pot and cook on Manual high pressure for one minute. Then, press off and allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Allow to slightly cool before adding to the salad.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Side Dish or Entree
- Method: Instant Pot or Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Mexican quinoa salad
Recipe lightly adapted from Detoxinista.
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Jamie says
5 stars 5 stars 5 stars! I made this salad recently for a get together and everyone LOVED it and asked for the recipe. I added avocado and it was just perfect! Thanks for sharing with us!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you SO much! I'm so happy to hear you love it so much and it was such a hit at your gathering! I love adding avocado to it too!
Hannah says
This recipe is on my weekly meal rotation and has been made by many friends after trying it at my house. It’s a hit with everyone! So refreshing and delicious
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much for letting me know, Hannah! So great to hear! This is on my weekly meal rotation as well. Everyone is always pleasantly surprised by this one!
Myriam says
Love this salad! As one person said I add avo and switched out the red peppers for cherry tomatoes. Also leave out the maple syrup from the dressing. The cumin salad dressing is the cherry on top!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Myriam! It is my favorite and I make it a couple times a month for meal prep. Love to hear about substitutions and what works so thank you for sharing and taking the time to comment/rate!
Natalie Bench says
I love this salad!! So good and fresh, thank you so much. Definitely will make it again soon. Makes a good amount too and isn't hard to put together.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Natalie! It is one of my absolute favorites and I make it a couple times a month. It definitely makes a good amount, I agree! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it and it was easy to pull together! Happy New Year!
Katia says
One of our favorite recipes ever! This salad is a complete meal for me and it’s so delicious!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Katia! I'm so happy you love it too! 🙂
Shanna says
Perfect side dish! Easy to make! Stays fresh for days! Add to lettuce and you have a salad!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you SO much, Shanna! So happy you enjoy this one! I love the idea of adding to lettuce - I surprisingly haven't tried that yet!
Stephanie says
Loved this recipe and dressing and can see how versatile it will be with switching out ingredients as well! Definitely adding this into rotation right now 🙂
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Stephanie! Yes, very adaptable recipe to what you have on hand. And the dressing is one of my faves :). We make this dish pretty much weekly over here! So glad you enjoyed! Thank you again! Best, Elaine
Kathryn says
I love this salad! I make it once a week in warm weather. My favorite lunch!
Just made it today.
Elaine Gordon says
Yay! So happy to hear that, Kathryn! I make it all the time here too! it is always so nice to have on hand for a quick and easy lunch that satisfies! So glad you enjoy this one too! Best, Elaine
Danielle M says
I love this recipe! It is so easy and delicious, and a perfect lunch for a busy week. The dressing is a perfect balance of flavors. I add cheddar cheese and diced jalapeño to my mix, and alternate between warming it in the microwave or eating it straight from the fridge. If you’re looking for a work week lunch, don’t hesitate to make this one!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Danielle! So happy you enjoy this one too! I love it for during busy work weeks too! I also sometimes like it warm vs cold depending on my mood! Thank you again! Best, Elaine
Summer says
Wonderful flavor and beautiful colors - I could eat this everyday! Stores well in fridge love to have it prepped ahead of time and I usually make a double batch. If you don't have limes use lemons I love it both ways. Super simple meal prep by just adding one can of tuna.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Summer! I'm so happy you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Best, Elaine
Karen says
This is a summer staple in our home!! We love it and it’s sooo good!!
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you, Karen! I'm so happy to hear you and your household enjoy this one! Best, Elaine