This Southwest Quinoa Salad is hearty, wholesome, and packed with familiar Southwestern flavors, including black beans, tomato, bell pepper, and an oil-free cilantro-lime dressing. Grain-free, gluten-free, vegan, and a delicious, versatile meal-prep main! Once your quinoa is cooked, it'll just take 10 minutes to put all together!
Here at PBOAB, we love quinoa salads. They’re hearty, healthy, flavorful, and super easy to customize. Plus, since quinoa is packed with fiber and contains all the essential amino acids, it makes for a complete protein, excellent for adding to meat-free meals. So, having shared a Mediterranean quinoa salad and Tanzanian grapefruit quinoa salad, now it’s the turn of this Southwest quinoa salad (also called Mexican quinoa salad).
With ingredients including black beans, tomato, bell pepper, lime, and cilantro, this black bean quinoa salad is loaded with typical Southwestern/Mexican flavors and ready to impress as a side or main at potlucks, picnics, BBQs, or even for a nutritious meal-prep meal.
Plus, since the zesty lime-cilantro dressing is oil free, this Mexican quinoa salad also cuts down on calories and fat found in many other recipes. Luckily, with the combination of fresh flavors, nutrients, and colors, this is a vegan quinoa salad that we happily return to time and time again! We’ve even included a list of further recipe add-ins and variations below for those who enjoy even more choice.
Looking for more ways to enjoy quinoa? You might enjoy this cheesy quinoa bowls, artichoke quinoa salad, quinoa tater tots, or even cinnamon-orange quinoa porridge!
There are several ways to boost the ‘dressing.’ Add a pinch of cumin and chili powder for extra flavor. You could also make an oil-based dressing using light and fruity extra-virgin olive oil (use 2 tablespoon in a 1:1 ratio with lime juice). You could add a drizzle of maple, too, if preferred.
There are several ways to boost the flavor and customize this Southwest quinoa salad, including:
First, you’ll need to cook the quinoa. Follow our instructions here on how to cook quinoa on the stove or in an Instant Pot. Make sure to rinse it first and allow it to thoroughly cool before moving on to the below steps.
You can enjoy the Southwestern quinoa immediately, though it’s even better to leave it for 20-30 minutes chilling in the fridge to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust any of the elements before serving!
You could use several grains instead of quinoa, such as wild rice, couscous, farro, etc. However, the cooking methods and times will vary.
The quinoa needs to be chilled before mixing with the fresh veggies; otherwise, it can cause them to wilt. Leave at least an hour or two for it to cool down. To speed up the process, spread it across a large tray in a thin layer and transfer it to the fridge/freezer.
Parsley could work as a substitute for those that are not a fan of cliantro.
You can cook the quinoa up to 2 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Likewise, the vegetables can be chopped up to a day in advance.
Store any leftover Southwest quinoa salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
You can also freeze the quinoa bean mixture (minus the fresh vegetables). Store in portions either in Ziplock/Stasher bags or airtight containers for 3-4 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight before adding the fresh veggies and seasoning, then mix and enjoy.
There are several ways to enjoy this Mexican quinoa salad, whether as an appetizer, side, or main.
This Southwest quinoa salad is also a great option for taking to potlucks, BBQs, and other large gatherings. You could even enjoy it warm with a sprinkle of your favorite melty vegan cheese.
Or browse through our entire list of budget-friendly vegan quinoa recipes!
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
Jay says
Looks so good!!
Andrea White says
So refreshing!
Michelle Cehn says
Simple and delicious. What more could you want? Oh yeah, HEALHY!
Andrea White says
Right?! Fresh and delicious!
Tina G says
Such a fresh and delicious recipe!
Andrea White says
Fresh and tasty!
Teodora Grujic says
Perfect recipefor lunch at work!
Andrea White says
Definitely so!
Amanda Meth says
Such a protein-packed meal!
Andrea White says
Love it!
Gina House says
Fantastic recipe! Quinoa has such a great texture and is so satisfying.
Andrea White says
Love a good quinoa dish!
Andrea White says
So fresh and wholesome!
Nancy Wu says
this quinoa salad is perfect. we make this all the time !
Andrea White says
Light, fluffy, and so nutritious!