Home » Best Black Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe
by Emily Dingmannn 28 Comments
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5 from 4 reviews
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Meet my favorite quinoa salad (for 10+ years!). This black bean quinoa salad recipe should be on the top of your recipes-to-make list! It’s light and bright, satisfying and nutritious, and loaded with plant-based protein and fiber, all with tons of layered flavor. Because it can be made ahead, it’s a great salad for everything from picnics to summer cookouts to healthy meal prep salads to get you through the week.
Back when quinoa salads were all the rage (2010s?) this recipe was really popular, and while it’s super old, it’s one that I (and you!) keep coming back to for a reason. It’s a delicious salad. It’s an easy salad. And it’s a nutritious salad. So it was time for a refresh and new pictures to better show off how pretty it is. 😉 If you love quinoa salads, be sure to try my quinoa arugula salad next time, it’s another go-to quinoa salad recipe!
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Table Of Contents
- What You'll Love About Black Bean Quinoa Salad
- Ingredients
- How to Make Quinoa Salad
- FAQs
- Is quinoa salad healthy?
- Is quinoa a carb or a protein?
- Storage Instructions
- How to prep quinoa and black bean salad ahead
- What to Serve with Quinoa Black Bean Salad
- How to Feed Quinoa Salad to the Whole Family
- Want More?
- More Summer Salad Recipes
- Let me Meal Plan for you!
- In a dinner time rut? Overwhelmed with the task of meal planning? It's time to hand over meal planning to a pro!
What You’ll Love About Black Bean Quinoa Salad
- Incredibly delicious with layered flavors
- Satisfying and filling salad
- Naturally vegetarian, gluten-free, and easily vegan
- Made with simple ingredients
- Perfect for summer dinners or picnics
Ingredients
- Quinoa – Use uncooked quinoa. If you prefer to use a shortcut, you could use frozen quinoa that you microwave.
- Broth – I like cooking quinoa in vegetable broth for a little deeper flavor (plus, I don’t love the flavor of plain quinoa), but it’s totally optional. You could also use chicken broth or bone broth if you prefer.
- Black beans – I’ve used canned beans, but you can also make your own if you prefer. You’ll want about 3 cups of cooked black beans.
- Green onions – This adds great, mild onion flavor to the salad. You could also use chives if you prefer or use minced red onion or white onion if you want a stronger onion flavor.
- Cilantro – The fresh cilantro adds really great, fresh flavor.
- Cotija cheese – Cotija is a crumbly and flavorful cheese similar to feta, so if you can’t find it, you can swap feta cheese for the cotija. PRO TIP: Cotija stores really well in the freezer, so I always store in the freezer.
- Quinoa salad dressing – Fresh lime, olive oil, shallot, honey, sea salt, black pepper
How to Make Quinoa Salad
This is an overview on how to make quinoa salad, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
Cook quinoa. Cook quinoa according to package directions for perfectly fluffy quinoa. Let sit before fluffing with a fork.
Mix dressing. In a small bowl or jar, add lime juice, olive oil, shallot, honey, sea salt, and black pepper. Whisk or shake until emulsified.
Prep ingredients. Drain and rinse beans, chop cilantro, and crumble cotija.
Assemble black bean quinoa salad. Fluff quinoa and add to a large serving bowl. Add black beans, green onion, cilantro, and cotija cheese. Drizzle with dressing and toss together. Season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
Is quinoa salad healthy?
Well I say everything is healthy. 🙂 Some foods are more nutritious than others, but all food serves a purpose. This quinoa and black bean salad recipe has a lot of nutritious components and provides protein, carbs, fiber, and produce. OH, and FLAVOR. So I would say, yes, it’s incredibly delicious AND nutritious.
Is quinoa a carb or a protein?
It’s BOTH! This is a great example of needing to lean into the grey area a bit when it comes to nutrition as so much of it is not a simple black and white answer.
One cup of cooked quinoa has approximately 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and 39 grams of carbohydrates.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover easy quinoa salad with black beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
How to prep quinoa and black bean salad ahead
To meal prep this cilantro lime quinoa salad recipe, simply divide the quinoa salad into glass or plastic containers and store in the fridge. You could divide the salad into anywhere from 4-6 servings, depending on appetites/nutritional needs.
The day you are going to eat it, top the quinoa with a few handfuls of fresh salad greens and a small drizzle of dressing, olive oil, or lime juice. Toss together and dig in!
What to Serve with Quinoa Black Bean Salad
This healthy quinoa salad is certainly filling enough to be a main dish, but if you want to serve it alongside some additional protein, try one of these easy grilled recipes:
- Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
- Grilled Greek Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers
How to Feed Quinoa Salad to the Whole Family
I get it, feeding kids can be tough! But following theDivision of Responsibilityand knowing your job and your child’s job makes it SO much more enjoyable. You’ll be able to feed your kids any meal, which will help ensure that they are eating a variety of nutritious foods – with plenty of play food sprinkled in.
I would recommend serving the cold quinoa salad in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter.
More Summer Salad Recipes
If you like this recipe for quinoa salad, you might also like some of these other summer salads:
- Mediterranean Tortellini Salad
- German Cucumber Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Tomato Salad with Roasted Corn
- Arugula and Watermelon Salad
- Napa Cabbage Slaw
Let me Meal Plan for you!
In a dinner time rut? Overwhelmed with the task of meal planning? It’s time to hand over meal planning to a pro!
This done-for-you plan can easily be customized and your grocery list is made with the click of a button – all while you sit in the school pick up line.
You’ll save time, save money, waste less food, and go into meals calm instead of stressed. Your dinner is planned and your grocery list is made and everything is conveniently delivered to an app so you can print it out, access from your phone, or computer.
START YOUR FREE TRIAL
Black Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe
5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star5 from 4 reviews
- Author: Emily Dingmann of myeverydaytable.com
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This popular black bean quinoa salad recipe is delicious, nutritious, and easy to make! It’s great for summer dinners and picnics.
Ingredients
UnitsScale
For Dressing:
- 1/4 cup lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1/4 cup olive oil + 1 Tbsp.
- 1 shallot (about 3 Tbsp. minced)
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
For Salad:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth (optional, can use water)
- 2 15–oz. cans black beans
- 1/2 cup sliced green onion
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
Instructions
- Cook quinoa. Add quinoa and 2 cups of broth and cook according to package instructions. Remove quinoa from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
- While quinoa is cooking, make vinaigrette. Add lime juice, olive oil, minced shallot, honey, sea salt, and black pepper to a large bowl. Whisk until emulsified.
- Prep other ingredients:
Drain and rinse black beans.
Chop cilantro.
Crumble cotija. - Fluff quinoa with a fork and add to large bowl with vinaigrette. Add beans, cilantro, and cotija cheese to bowl and toss together until incorporated.
- Chill for at least an hour before serving.
Notes
- Serving size: 1 1/4 cup.Makes about 8 cups.
- You can easily swap feta for the cotijia cheese if that’s what you have or if it’s easier to find.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup for a vegan salad.
- Use microwavable quinoa (in the freezer section) to cut off 15 minutes of cooking time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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Comments
Alright I clearly need to pick up some cojita cheese! This looks like the perfect side dish to any dinner and I love that quinoa feels like eating a carb, but it has all of that protein!
Reply
Quinoa salad is the best – True Food Kitchen has a Mediterranean quinoa salad that I can’t get enough of.
I like how you added in black beans for extra protein!
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Emily
Can you believe that I’ve never been to True Food?! I think I’ve had take out/catering but I need to get there ASAP.
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i love quinoa & black beans together..but never add cheese. i’ll have to remedy that soon!
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I’m late on the quinoa train, too! I really should work it into my regular rotation, but it’s still a couple-times-a-year type of thing. I love this recipe, though!
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Emily
Same, but then once I started I couldn’t stop! 🙂
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Thinking I’m going to sub feta for the cheese, and this will be a great 4th of July weekend, hot weather treat!
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Emily
Feta would be a great sub (they are so similar)!
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Looks like a delicious salad that is versatile enough to satifsy most allergies. Your photos are fabulous.
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Emily
Thanks so much Judee!
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Fantastic photos! I haven’t had a quinoa salad in a long time – need to remedy that. Addition of cheese is brilliant!
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I agree with you on behind behind on the quinoa salad trend. I’ve been eating and enjoying them for plenty of time but only recently started making it and thinking: “what can I actually do what this?”
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Elizabeth
Thank you for posting this! I made a huge batch of it for lunches for me and my husband, and also to send along as a meal for a vegetarian coworker who is going through a rough time right now. It has been a hit all around!
One quick edit, though: It’s cotija cheese, not cojita. That threw me for a loop at the grocery store. 🙂
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Emily
Ahhhh! Thank you so much for letting me know, I’m so sorry for the confusion. So glad you like it. 🙂
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Hey Emily! Thanks for the recipe…I tried it and gave it a review on my blog, check it out at http://www.thatssojacob.wordpress.com Have a good one!
Best
That’s So JacobReply
Amber
Made this tonight & added grilled chicken. Sooooo yummy! Thanks.
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Emily
Great addition! So glad you enjoyed, thanks for letting me know!
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Evelyn
I have made this twice now and love it! The first time, I followed the recipe’s ingredients list and the second time, I had to improvise with what I had available. I didn’t have a shallot and cilantro, but I did add well-shredded kale and used 1 can of black beans and 1 can of garbanzo beans along with some diced grape tomatoes. Both versions are great! Thanks so much for this recipe!
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Emily
That sounds like an amazing twist!
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Evelyn
Oops! I forgot to mention I added some red onion too 🙂 Thanks again! 🙂
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Colin
Tasted like a healthy chipotle bowl. Very easy and delicious recipe. Added some tomatoes I had to use and it was a nice touch.
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Emily Dingmannn
Hi Colin, so glad you enjoyed it and tomatoes sound like a delicious addition.
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Tut Gramling
Last night we ate the best summer dinner! It was this salad, with grilled chicken thighs (using your grilled chicken drumstick marinade) and a fresh cob of corn. OMGosh, we both remarked that the dinner was beyond satisfying, it was perfect! Thank you Emily.
Reply
Emily Dingmannn
Perfect summer meal! 🙂
Reply
Trackbacks
[…] Lunch– Serve with aGreek cucumber salad,strawberry spinach goat cheese salad,kale apple slaw,simple green salad, orblack bean quinoa salad. […]
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[…] Black Bean Quinoa Salad – Great for parties or lunch meal prep. It’s filling and flavorful and vegetarian and gluten-free. […]
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[…] Lunch – Serve with a Greek cucumber salad, kale salad, or black bean quinoa salad. […]
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[…] This black bean quinoa salad recipe should be on the top of your recipes-to-make list! It’s light and bright, satisfying and nutritious, and loaded with plant-based protein and fiber, all with tons of layered flavor. Because it can be made ahead, it’s a great salad for everything from picnics to summer cookouts to healthy meal prep salads to get you through the week.Get the recipe: Best Black Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe […]
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