This Mexican Quinoa Salad with southwestern dressing is bursting with flavour and makes the perfect healthy main dish or side! It comes together in less than 30 minutes and is a great option for meatless Monday! {Gluten-free, dairy-free & vegan}
I absolutely love quinoa and I’m always looking for new ways to spruce it up. A while back, I posted this Asian quinoa salad, which we eat on a regular basis, but decided that it was time to experiment with some new quinoa salad recipes since we eat it so frequently.
This Mexican quinoa salad is filling enough to be served as a main dish and also makes for a great side to accompany weeknight meals. Full of your favourite Southwestern flavours, this easy quinoa salad also happens to be a super tasty make-ahead option!
For more Mexican quinoa recipes, be sure to try my Beef Quinoa Chili and Ground Beef and Quinoa Taco Bowls.
Table of Contents
Why make this recipe
- Great for meal prep: This is one of those recipes that you can make up in a large batch and eat for several days, which is a huge time saving strategy and can also help keep you on track with your healthy eating goals. By having a healthy meal already prepped, you’re less likely to grab for the not-so- healthy convenience foods. Perfect for an easy lunch or dinner!
- Healthy: This southwest quinoa salad is packed full of fibre, protein and healthy fats in addition to lots of vitamins and minerals. It’s also a naturally gluten-free option for those with intolerances.
- Plant based: For overall heart health, it’s recommended that you try to incorporate at least one meatless meal into the week. This vegan salad will make the perfect meatless meal option!
- Quick and easy: You only need a few simple ingredients and this salad is ready to serve up in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredient notes
- Quinoa: Quinoa is super nutritious and packed with vitamins and minerals in addition to being gluten-free. It’s a good source of fibre and protein and is low on the glycemic index. As an added bonus, it cooks up in just 12-15 minutes!
- Broth: I like to use a low sodium vegetable broth to infuse more flavour into the quinoa when it’s cooking. If you don’t require it to be plant-based, you can use a chicken broth if you prefer.
- Black beans: A rich source of plant-based protein and fibre. You can also sub in another type of bean if you prefer. We used no salt added canned black beans to keep it super simple, but you can also cook the beans from scratch.
- Vegetables: Tomatoes, corn, avocado, and red onion are used to provide a burst of nutrients and colour. Diced red, orange or yellow pepper would also taste great in this salad.
- Cilantro: Cilantro adds great freshness. You can swap in parsley if you don’t like the taste of cilantro.
- Southwestern dressing: Olive oil, lime juice, cumin, chili, cayenne, salt and pepper are used to incorporate lots of flavour into this cold quinoa salad. For optimum flavour, pour the dressing on a few hours before serving to allow the quinoa salad to sit in the dressing for a while and absorb all of those delicious flavours.
Step by step instructions
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In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil; add quinoa. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.
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Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the southwestern dressing.
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In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, beans, tomatoes, corn kernels, avocado, red onion and cilantro.
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Pour dressing over top and toss well to combine. Cover and refrigerate the quinoa salad for at least one hour to allow flavours to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Recipe Tips
- Rinse the quinoa using a fine wire mesh prior to cooking to reduce the bitterness.
- I recommend cooking the quinoa in reduced sodium broth instead of water to incorporate more flavour into the quinoa while it cooks.
- For super fast prep, cook up a batch of quinoa in advance so that all you have to do is assemble when meal time rolls around!
- Like many quinoa salad recipes, this salad tends to taste best after it’s had a chance to sit for a few hours to allow all of those delicious flavours mingle.
Recipe FAQs
How to store
Once you’ve made this quinoa salad, transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for up to four days.
Can this salad be made in advance?
Yes! This Southwestern quinoa salad is great for meal prep. It travels well, so it’s great for packed lunches and picnics. As an added bonus, because it doesn’t contain mayo, it can be kept at room temperature for several hours if you don’t have access to a fridge.
Can I add more vegetables?
Of course! Diced peppers and cucumbers would also taste great in this salad. Feel free to toss in whatever you have on hand in your fridge.
Serving suggestions
You can serve this quinoa salad up as a side dish or a main. If you want to make it more of a complete meal, you can add any of the following:
- Diced chicken breast
- Ground beef or turkey (we like to mix ours with Homemade Taco Seasoning and mix it in with the quinoa salad)
- Cheese (try feta, cubed cheddar, mozzarella or Monterey Jack)
Alternatively, you can serve it up as a side with some of these favourite mains:
- Blackened Cod
- Black Bean Burgers
- Chicken Avocado Poppers
- Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Chili Lime Shrimp
- Easy Pulled Pork
More similar recipes
- Spinach Quinoa Salad with Grapes and Almonds
- Greek Quinoa Salad
- Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Bites
- Quinoa Salad with cranberries, pomegranate and butternut squash
- Corn Tomato Avocado Salad
- Healthy Black Bean Burrito Bowls
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Mexican Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup black beans
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cups corn kernels
- 1 avocado peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 large handful cilantro finely chopped
For the southwestern dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil; add quinoa. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the southwestern dressing.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, beans, tomatoes, corn kernels, avocado, red onion and cilantro. Pour dressing over top and toss well to combine. Cover and refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour to allow flavours to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Rinse the quinoa prior to cooking to reduce the bitterness.
- I recommend cooking the quinoa in reduced sodium broth instead of water to incorporate more flavour into the quinoa while it cooks.
- For super fast prep, cook up a batch of quinoa in advance so that all you have to do is assemble when meal time rolls around!
- Like many quinoa salad recipes, this salad tends to taste best after it's had a chance to sit for a few hours to allow all of those delicious flavours to mingle.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted May 2016 and was updated February 2021 to include better tips and photos.
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Loving the flavours in this salad! Looks amazing
Thanks Abbey — makes a great summer salad!