Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Quinoa Black Bean Salad is one of my favorite quinoa salad recipes. This quinoa and black bean salad is made with quinoa, canned black beans, frozen corn, black olives, red pepper, onion, cilantro and avocado all tossed in an amazing honey lime quinoa salad dressing. This vegan quinoa salad is a healthy side dish to serve with grilled chicken or fish or serve it as a satisfying vegan main.

One of my favorite things to make are big beautiful salads cluttered with fresh organic produce, and I in particular love a good quinoa salad with avocado. 

This quinoa salad is rich with fresh Mexican flavors and has a delicious mix of healthy ingredients, including plenty of avocado,  all tossed in an incredible honey lime quinoa salad dressing.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad Recipe

This vegan quinoa salad is one of my favorite quinoa salad recipes and it comes together in about 30 minutes start-to-finish.  It’s similar to my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, which is also a family favorite!  

• Cooked quinoa
• Cucumber
• Red pepper
• Onion
• Heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes
• Canned black beans
• Cooked frozen corn
• Black olives
• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Quinoa salad dressing 

How to Make Mexican Quinoa Salad

1. Mix salad dressing ingredients. Combine ingredients in a mason jar and shake well.  Refrigerate before serving.
2. Cook quinoa. Add water and quinoa to saucepan and bring to a boil. Place lid on saucepan and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool in pan.
3. Prepare vegetables. While the quinoa cooks, chop the ingredients, and place in a large bowl with rinsed and drained black beans.
4. Toss ingredients. Toss cooled quinoa, cucumber, red pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, black olives, avocado and fresh cilantro together in a large bowl.
5. Add dressing. Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the salad ingredients. Chill before serving.
6. Enjoy. Serve with extra vinaigrette if desired.

Quinoa Salad Dressing Recipe

I love this honey lime vinaigrette!  I’ve made it with lime juice and with orange juice – depending on what I had on hand.  They both work just fine for this dressing.  I’ve kept things on the mild side here, so if you like a wee bit of heat, then add another 1/2 teaspoon or so of finely minced  jalapeno to the mix.  

• Fresh lime juice (or orange juice)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Honey (you can use pure maple syrup instead of honey to make this vegan quinoa salad)
• Fresh cilantro
• Garlic 
• Fresh jalapeno
• Ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

How to Make Quinoa Salad Dressing

1. Using a wire whisk, mix the ingredients in a small bowl or add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal lid tightly, and shake 
2. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

How to Cook Quinoa

1. Rinse. Pour quinoa in a fine mesh colander and rinse under cold running water for about 30 seconds.
2. Cook. Add it to saucepan and pour water or broth over it and stir.Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover with lid and simmer 15-20 minutes.  Don’t remove the lid.
3. Remove from heat. As soon as the water is absorbed, remove from heat and set aside for 8-10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Tips for Making it Perfect and Fluffy

• Rinsing it before cooking will help remove the natural coating on it called saponin which makes it taste bitter and can cause foam.. And it will also make the texture softer softer.
• Be sure to set aside for 8-10 minutes after cooking before you fluff with a fork.

Is Quinoa Healthy

In case you’re wondering – is quinoa healthy – the answer is, yes! Quinoa is very nutritious. Quinoa is a gluten-free seed that’s rich with plant protein and all nine essential amino acids. It’s considered an ancient grain. Ancient grains include a variety of wheat (spelt, Kamut, freekeh, bulgur, farro, and grains such as millet, barley, oats, teff  and soghum, as well as pseudocereals (which are seeds that are consumed like grains) such as quinoa, armaranth, buckwheat and chia.  Ancient grains tend to provide more vitamins, minerals and fiber than other grains like rice, wheat and corn. (1)  

• Anti-inflammatory.  Quinoa is rich with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, which are called flavonoids (quercetin and kaempfero).
• Gluten-free. It’s a seed not a grain …so it’s gluten-free.
• Protein. It’s a complete source of protein, providing 8-9 grams of protein per cooked cup (it’s one of the most protein rich foods we can eat), making it an excellent source of protein for vegetarians and vegans, weight loss diets or anyone wanting to add more plant protein to their diet. It’s also a good source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, iron, manganese and magnesium (2)   
• Carbs. It contains about 39.4 grams of carbs per cup (cooked).  Carbs make up 21% (cooked), and about 83% of these carbs are starches with the rest consisting mostly of fiber.  (3)
• Weight Loss. It’s relatively low in calories with one cup of cooked quinoa containing only approximately 222 calories.(4)  It’s a smart choice to add it to your wellness and weight loss program, as it’s high in protein which can increase metabolism and reduce appetite. (5)  Also, being a good source of fiber, consuming it may also increase feelings of fullness, so we may eat fewer calories (6) 

Looking for more healthy quinoa salads to serve?

• Best Quinoa Salad
• Black Bean and Corn Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Crunchy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
• Kale Quinoa Salad
• Quinoa Beet Salad
• Beet Kale Quinoa Salad

Want more ideas? Check out all my healthy quinoa recipes.

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Quinoa Black Bean Salad is a delicious Mexican quinoa salad that's made with quinoa, canned black beans, frozen corn, black olives, red pepper, onion, cilantro and avocado all tossed in an amazing honey lime quinoa salad dressing.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dried quinoa and 2 cups water)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup red onion, peeled and cut into quarters then thinly sliced
• 12-14 heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup cooked frozen corn
• 1/4 cup black olives, cut in half
• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup quinoa salad dressing 

QUINOA SALAD DRESSING

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (or orange juice)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped 
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced jalapeño pepper 
• ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Instructions

1. Place 1 cup dried quinoa in a sieve and rinse under cold water for just a minute.
2. Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 15 - 18 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let set in the pan for about 5 minutes then fluff with a fork or spoon.
5. Place cooled cooked quinoa to a large bowl.
6. Mix together the quinoa, black beans, corn, cucumber, red pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, black olives, avocado and fresh cilantro.
7. Toss the salad with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the salad ingredients.
8. Chill before serving.
9. Serve with extra quinoa salad dressing if desired.

QUINOA SALAD DRESSING

1. Add the ingredients to a mason jar and seal the lid tightly and shake to blend ingredients. Or add the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk using a wire whisk or fork.
2. Chill in the refrigerator before using.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 565mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 10gSugar: 10gProtein: 11g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.