This Mexican Quinoa Salad is the ultimate quick and easy grain salad. Featuring fluffy quinoa, earthy black beans, bright tomatoes, and a tangy lime dressing, this flavorful make-ahead quinoa salad is packed with protein and Mexican flavor!
![Mexican Quinoa Salad Gluten Free Mexican Quinoa Salad in white bowl topped with feta and cherry tomatoes.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mexican-Quinoa-Salad-1-683x1024.jpg)
While I love Instant Pot Refried Beans and I will never turn down chips and homemade salsa or guacamole, this Mexican quinoa salad is one of my favorite side dishes for entrees like chicken tacos, and veggie fajitas.
From the fluffy quinoa to the bright lime dressing to the sweet tomatoes to the hearty beans, this Mexican Quinoa Salad is not only delicious but it is also loaded with protein and nutrients. In fact, it is hearty enough to be served as a Vegetarian main course!
Reasons to Love Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Easy Recipe. Whether you start with Instant Pot Quinoa or prepare the quinoa on the stovetop, this quinoa salad recipe is ridiculously simple to prepare.
- Complex Flavors. The lime dressing is tangy, bright, and slightly smokey and helps to marry together the earthy flavor from the quinoa and beans with the fresh tomatoes and cilantro.
- Wholesome Recipe. Mexican Quinoa Salad is full of protein, complex carbohydrates, and tons of fiber and nutrients.
- Versatile Dish. This protein-packed Mexican Quinoa Salad is hearty enough to stand alone as a Vegetarian entree, but also makes a delicious side dish for Beef Tacos, Honey Lime Chicken Fajitas, or Sweet Potato Tacos.
- Allergy-Friendly. Mexican Quinoa is gluten-free, egg-free, and nut-free, and can easily be made dairy-free by omitting the feta cheese.
- Party-Favorite. This Mexican Quinoa Salad is an unexpected, welcomed dish that is always devoured at potlucks and parties.
Notes on Ingredients
![Mexican Quinoa Recipe Ingredients for quinoa salad on white counter.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mexican-Quinoa-Ingredients-1024x791.jpg)
- For the Quinoa: Use with white quinoa, red quinoa, or multi-colored quinoa and to cook the quinoa, use either store-bought or homemade vegetable broth or chicken stock, which will flavor the grain more than using water alone.
- Lime Dressing: Olive oil, lime zest, lime juice, smoked paprika, garlic, and cumin combine to add irresistible smokey undertones and bright, acidic flavor to the Mexican Quinoa Salad.
- Additions: To add flavor and texture to this Mexican Quinoa Salad, add in a combination of beans (black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans), diced tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, corn, diced avocado, and or/ crumbled Queso Fresco or feta cheese.
How to Make Mexican Quinoa Salad
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prepare Quinoa
The first step to making this salad is to prepare the quinoa. You can simmer the quinoa on the stovetop per the directions, or you can opt to use my recipe for Instant Pot Quinoa.
Prepare Dressing
The Lime Dressing is the perfect way to add a pop of flavor to this salad and is as easy as mixing together the olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic, lime zest, and lime juice until well combined.
![Mexican Quinoa Salad Recipe Ingredients for lime dressing in glass bowl.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Cumin-Lime-Juice-Dressing.jpg)
Dress the Quinoa While Warm
Just like I do for my Greek Quinoa Salad, I highly recommend adding half the lime dressing to the quinoa while it is still warm. This will allow the quinoa to absorb the dressing as it cools, creating the most flavorful base for the salad.
Assemble Salad
Once the quinoa has reached room temperature, add in the remaining dressing, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and corn if desired. Gently fold together to combine everything.
![Quinoa Salad with beans Ingredients for quinoa salad in mixing bowl.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Cold-Quinoa-Salad-Recipe.jpg)
Chill Before Serving
In order to have the best flavor in this Mexican Quinoa Salad possible, it is best to chill the dish for at least 30 minutes before digging into it! This will allow the quinoa to absorb the flavor of the dressing and become an irresistibly good dish.
![Southwestern Quinoa Salad Mexican Quinoa Salad in a white bowl.](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tex-Mex-Quinoa-Salad.jpg)
Serving Suggestions
One of the many things I love about this Mexican Quinoa Salad is that it is so versatile. Below are some of my favorite ways to enjoy this flavorful dish.
- As a Meatless Entree: Thanks to the heartiness of the quinoa and beans, this Quinoa Salad is substantial enough to be served as a meatless main course.
- As a Taco Filling: Use this Mexican Quinoa as a unique, vegetarian filling for tacos served in corn or flour tortillas.
- As a Side Dish: You can't go wrong pairing Mexican Quinoa with a side for dishes like Instant Pot Steak Fajitas, Cauliflower Tacos, or Grilled Shrimp.
More Tex-Mex Side Dishes
- Corn Salad
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
- Instant Pot Mexican Rice
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Instant Pot Refried Beans
If you enjoyed this Mexican Quinoa Salad, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
![Quinoa Mexican Salad with Feta, Beans and Tomatoes in white bowl](https://amindfullmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Quinoa-Salad-with-Lime-Juice-360x360.jpg)
Mexican Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa any variety
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ red onion, minced
- 2 cups black beans
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- ⅓ cup minced cilantro optional
- 2 cups corn kernels optional
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or feta optional
- 1 large avocado, peeled and diced optional
Lime Dressing
- 2 large limes zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
For the Quinoa
- Bring the broth to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, stir in the quinoa and ½ teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid, and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed the liquid and puffed up. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
For the Lime Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk the oil with the lime zest, lime juice, paprika, cumin, minced garlic, and salt.
For the Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Once the quinoa is cooled slightly (about 10 minutes), pour half the dressing over the cooked quinoa and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- After the quinoa has reached room temperature, add the remaining dressing, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, beans, and corn (if using) and toss to evenly combine.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
- Right before serving, toss the salad again. Add cheese and avocado if desired and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in 2016 but has been updated in 2020 with new photos and a video.
Stephanie
Such a great salad and the dressing was incredible! Loved it!
Toni
This salad is so amazing! My family loved it!
Lauren Kelly
This is one of my favorite recipes. I love it even better the next day, if I ever have leftovers!
Christina
What a delicious recipe! I'll be making this again and again!
Kristen Chidsey
YAY!!! I love hearing that! Thank you so much Christina for taking the time to share.
Shiho
I made this for my daughter she just came back from Mexico. She loved it. Thank you for the recipe!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed!! Thank you for taking the time to share!
Jillian
This was just the recipe to shake things up for taco night at my house. Even my picky 5-year-old love it!
Kristen Chidsey
I love when the picky kids even enjoy 😉
Claire
I made this for a potluck....it was so well received 😀
Like you suggested I added some charred corn, also extra cilantro as it is my favorite
thank you for a great recipe
Kristen Chidsey
Oh YAY!!!! I love hearing this Claire! It makes me so happy to know that is was so well received by so many.
Liz
YUM!! I'm vegetarian so I love anything that uses quinoa. This is my kind of salad!
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, this is the PERFECT protein-rich, vegetarian meal.