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Quinoa Black Bean Salad Recipe | Best Mexican Quinoa as a meal or side or for lunchbox.
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5 from 20 votes

Quinoa Black Bean Salad | Mexican Quinoa 

Black Bean Quinoa Salad (Mexican Quinoa) is an easy, protein-packed, and make-ahead recipe for a quick meal or a side. It is vegan and gluten-free, prepared in less than 30 minutes, and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
Servings: 4
Calories: 394kcal
Author: Kushi

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Quinoa
  • 2 tablespoon Oil Coconut or Olive oil
  • 5 to 6 Garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 Onion finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
  • ¾ teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Red chili powder
  • 2 cups Water
  • 2 cups Black beans cooked or canned
  • 1 Bell pepper finely chopped
  • 1 cup Sweet corn frozen
  • 2 tablespoon Cilantro
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  • Rinse quinoa in a strainer with water several times and keep it aside.
    1 cup Quinoa
  • Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic cloves and onion and saute until lightly golden.
    2 tablespoon Oil, 1 Onion, 5 to 6 Garlic cloves
  • Add drained quinoa, pepper powder, cumin, salt, chile powder, and water and mix well.
    ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon Cumin powder, ¾ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Red chili powder, 2 cups Water
  • Bring this to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed completely.
  • Now add the black beans, bell pepper, corn, cilantro, and lemon juice and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until heated through.
    2 cups Black beans, 1 Bell pepper, 1 cup Sweet corn, 2 tablespoon Cilantro, Juice of 1 lemon
  • Serve and enjoy.

Instant pot Mexican quinoa

  • Turn on the SAUTE mode of your IP. Add oil.
  • To this, add garlic and onion and saute until lightly golden.
  • Add quinoa, pepper powder, cumin, salt, and chile powder with 1.5 cups of water and stir.
  • Secure the lid by making sure the steam valve is in a sealed position. Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes.
  • Once it beeps or the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
  • Remove the lid.
  • Add black beans, bell pepper, corn, cilantro, lemon juice and stir. Turn on the saute mode and stir until everything is heated through if needed.

Video

Notes

  • To make it colorful, you can combine black, white, and red quinoa, avocado, red or yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage, cotija or, feta cheese, etc. 
  • You can store this salad in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can even freeze it for upto 3 months. Defrost in fridge overnight and serve. 
  • I have cooked dried beans and added them. You can check my post on how to cook black beans. Canned beans also work perfectly for this recipe.
  • You can cook the quinoa in your favorite broth instead of water for better flavor. 
  • This quinoa salad can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature. 
  • For heat, you can add jalapenos; corn can be substituted with pineapple or fresh mangoes.
  • If there is excess liquid after 20 minutes, cook uncovered for another 5 minutes. 
  • Instead of black beans, you can even use chickpeas or kidney beans. 

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 459mg | Potassium: 797mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1109IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 5mg