Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Black Bean Quinoa Salad is the PERFECT summer salad made with canned black beans, quinoa, cucumber, corn, avocado, and more veggies in a lime vinaigrette dressing!

Black Bean Quinoa Salad is one of my favorite meal prep recipes, made with cooked quinoa mixed with a ton of fresh veggies and herbs. I like to top this will grilled chicken and serve it with a handful of tortilla chips on the side!

If you loved this recipe, you’ll also love my Kale Quinoa Salad, and my Creamy Cucumber Salad!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Fresh Flavors – This salad has a ton of fresh veggies and herbs for a bright and light texture and flavor.

Minimal Cooking – The only thing you need to cook is the quinoa, everything else is just chopped and tossed in! It’s a healthy meal without a ton of time and energy in the kitchen.

Perfect for Meal Prep – I like to make this at the beginning of the week for a perfect easy lunch prep, or as a side dish with dinner throughout the week!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Quinoa. You can use any type of quinoa for this recipe, it just has to be cooked before adding it to the salad.

If you’re gluten free, quinoa is similar to oats because it can be cross-contaminated with other grains at the farm level. Make sure you choose a package that is certified gluten free.

Veggies. This salad is perfect for using up veggies at the end of the week, so feel free to add more or less of what I used here.

I like to throw in some Roma tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), bell peppers, english cucumber, green onions, and red onion!

Black Beans. We’re using canned black beans (drained and rinsed) because they’re already fully cooked. If you want to use dried beans, you have to prep them beforehand.

Corn. You can use canned corn (drained and rinsed), or cut sweet corn on the cob if it’s in season. Or frozen corn that’s defrosted and drained.

Avocado. I like to use avocado because it has a nice flavor and texture.

Add this right before you eat the salad if you’re meal prepping, because it browns just like an apple when it hits the air.

Onion. I used red onion for this recipe. If you want it to have less of a bite, you can soak the chopped onion in cold water for a few minutes, then drain before adding to the salad.

Herbs. I’m using fresh cilantro, but you can also use fresh parsley.

Pumpkin Seeds. I like to add these for a really nice crunch. You can also use other nuts like pistachios, cashews, or walnuts.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is the base of the vinaigrette dressing. You can substitute with canola oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil instead of olive oil.

Lime Juice. This adds a really nice flavor and acidity to the dressing that compliments the black beans really well. If you really like lime flavor, try adding lime zest as well.

You can also use lemon juice for a lemon dressing instead.

Sugar. A small amount of sugar will balance out the savory notes of the dressing without being too sweet. Instead of sugar, you can also add a little bit of honey or maple syrup.

Vinegar. This adds acidity to the vinaigrette. I like to use apple cider vinegar for its flavor. You can also use white vinegar or red wine vinegar.

If you use balsamic vinegar, it would pair with lemon juice instead of lime juice.

Spices. I use fresh garlic for this recipe, but you can also use 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder per clove of garlic.

Otherwise, we’re just using a dash of ground cumin, onion powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Kitchen Tools

For this recipe you’ll need a saucepan, and a large mixing bowl.

How to Make Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Recipe Variations

• For more protein, try adding some grilled chicken, shrimp, or steak.
• For a low carb version, swap the quinoa with cauliflower rice.
• Try adding other beans like white beans or chickpeas.
• For a spicy version, add some roughly chopped pickled jalapeños to the salad. Or try a dash of cayenne pepper, chili powder, or red pepper flakes in the dressing. Balance it with a touch of dijon mustard.
• Add some sweet ingredients like pineapple chunks, cubed cooked sweet potatoes, sliced grapes, or chopped mango.
• Add some shredded cheddar cheese or feta cheese for more flavor.
• Try serving this with tortilla chips and chopped chicken!
• Add other veggies like chopped broccoli, English peas, asparagus, or hearts of palm.

Recipe Tip! Make sure the quinoa has cooled before adding it to the salad, or it can wilt the veggies. To speed this up, pour the cooked quinoa onto a baking sheet and spread it out as much as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe Tip! I recommend rinsing the canned black beans to help reduce the sodium. A lot of the sodium is in the liquid in the can, so rinsing them well can reduce it pretty significantly.

More Salad Recipes

• Orange Strawberry Salad
• Rotisserie Chicken Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Tuna Pasta Salad

Storage

Refrigerate leftover black bean quinoa salad in an airtight storage container for 3-4 days.

This will not freeze well.

Cooking Tips

• Try to chop the veggies to about the same size. It keeps the texture of the salad uniform, which helps balance the flavors nicely.
• You can cook the quinoa in water, but for even more flavor, try cooking it in vegetable or chicken broth.
• You can also toast the quinoa in the pan for 2-3 minutes before adding the liquid to give it a more nutty flavor.
• For the best flavor, use fresh lime juice. You can also serve this with fresh lime wedges for extra flavor.
• It doesn’t matter which color of bell pepper you use, but if you want the salad to be more aesthetic, use a mixture of different colors.
• This recipe will work with fresh, canned or frozen corn. Just drain any liquids beforehand.

Tried this recipe? ⭐ Leave a review and share what worked best for you—your tips help other home cooks get the same delicious results!

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