This Quinoa & Black Bean Salad recipe is hearty, full of protein, loaded with fresh vegetables, and tossed in a lime vinaigrette. It's vegan, gluten-free, and comes together in less than 20 minutes.
Being a Vegetarian, Quinoa is my favorite superfood as it contains so much nutrition. It is gluten-free, whole-grain carbohydrate, and a whole protein (meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids).
This dish is very easy to make and an amazing make-ahead salad. So make it in advance as meal prep and use it for lunch, dinner, picnics, and potlucks. Enjoy!
Quinoa Black Bean Salad Ingredients
- Quinoa: I have used white quinoa here. Make sure to rinse it under cold water to remove the natural coating, called saponin, to avoid any bitterness before adding. You can also use tri-color quinoa.
- Beans: use canned or freshly cooked beans. I have used black beans, you can also use pinto beans or red kidney beans. When I have time, I cook black beans in an Instant Pot Pressure cooker. Set the pot to “BEAN/CHILI” Mode and set the timer to 35 minutes OR (20 minutes for beans soaked overnight) and natural pressure release.
- Vegetables: I have used onions, tomatoes, and red bell pepper.
- Cilantro: I have used freshly chopped cilantro.
- Jalapeno: Finely chopped with seeds and membrane. Use as per your spice level.
- Dressing: I have prepared homemade dressing by using extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and seasonings like ground cumin, salt, and pepper.
How to Make Quinoa Black Bean Salad
For the Dressing
Add all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk well for a few seconds.
For the Salad
Instant Pot Pressure cooker: I generally cook the Quinoa in an Instant Pot as it is very easy, and every time we get a perfect fluffy separated grain. Pressure cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 ¼ cups of water (vegetable broth) on High pressure for 1 minute and let the pressure release naturally.
In Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook the rinsed quinoa with 1.5 cups of water for two whistles on medium-low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.
On Stovetop in a Vessel: Cook the rinsed quinoa with 2 cups of water on medium-low heat until cooked, and let it cool.
Add the cooled quinoa, black beans, red bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro to a large mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss well!
Serve Quinoa Bean Salad at room temperature or chilled.
What to Serve with Quinoa Bean Salad?
Serve Healthy Quinoa Black Bean Salad recipe as a main dish for lunch or as a side with burritos or tacos.
Tips & Variations
- Feel free to use any kind of beans you have in hand. Pinto or Red kidney beans work great too.
- Be sure to use cool quinoa before adding your raw vegetables.
- You can also add boiled corn, edamame, diced avocado, and mango to the salad.
- For a lighter salad, reduce the olive oil and use more lime juice instead.
- The salad keeps well up to two days in the fridge.
More Quinoa Recipes
More Salad Recipes
- Chickpea Salad with Yogurt dressing
- Boiled Peanut Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Chickpea Cucumber Salad
- Southwestern Salad with Avocado dressing
Quinoa Black Bean Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Measuring cup used 1 cup = 250 ml
For Salad
- 1 cup dry quinoa rinsed
- 1 ¼ cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 15.5 ounce can black beans rinsed & drained (1.5 cups)
- 2 large tomatoes deseeded and diced (about 1 cup)
- ¼ cup red onion
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno seeded and minced
For Dressing
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar, optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Dressing
- Add all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk well for few seconds.
For the Salad
- Instant Pot Pressure cooker: I generally cook the Quinoa in an Instant Pot as it very easy and every time we get a perfect fluffy separated grain. Pressure cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 ¼ cups of water (vegetable broth) on High pressure for 1 minute and let the pressure release naturally.In Traditional Stovetop Pressure Cooker: Pressure cook the rinsed quinoa with 1.5 cups of water for 2 whistles on medium-low heat. Let the pressure release naturally.On Stovetop in a Vessel: Cook the rinsed quinoa with 2 cups of water on medium-low heat until cooked and let it cool a bit.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled quinoa, black beans, red bell pepper, onions, tomatoes, jalapeno, and cilantro. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss well! Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Tips & Variations
- Feel free to use any kind of beans you have in hand. Pinto or Red kidney beans work great too.
- Be sure to use cool quinoa before adding your raw vegetables.
- You can also add cooked corn, edamame, diced avocado to the salad.
- For a lighter salad, reduce the olive oil and use more lime juice instead.
- The salad keeps well up to two days in the fridge.
Nutrition
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