Mexican Quinoa Salad

Name: Mexican Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa ((uncooked)); 1 cup corn (fresh or canned); 15 ounce can black beans; 2 green onions, chopped; 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded; 1 tomatoes, diced; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 tablespoon taco seasoning ((like McCormicks)); ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 lime, zested and juiced

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Mexican Quinoa Salad is a super healthy and flavorful quinoa recipe that’s easy to make. It’s a great for meal prep and ready in just 20 minutes!

Mexican Quinoa Salad in a white bowl on a countertop.

Mexican Quinoa Salad is a kid-friendly salad filled with delicious toppings like tomatoes, corn, black beans, and cheddar cheese. It’s a dish that’s fun to eat and serve for any occasion.

I personally love having a quinoa salad in the fridge for the week. Some of my other quinoa salads include Red Quinoa Beet Salad which uses store-bought vacuum sealed beets. I also love simple and quick Easy Vegetable Quinoa Salad that incorporates the veggies and beans of your choice. For another easy and delicious side, don’t miss this 5-ingredient Pesto Pasta Salad with store-bought pesto sauce.

Why this recipe works!

What makes this Mexican Quinoa Salad so special is the combination of flavors and textures. Plus, the southwest spices from the seasoning blend gives the salad so much flavor.

Quinoa salads are great to have on hand for meal prep or get togethers. The quinoa serves as a neutral flavor base and works great adding whatever toppings and dressings you want.

This salad is also very forgiving. If you need to make a substitution or leave something out, you can without compromising the dish.

Mexican Quinoa Salad is a great dish to get kids eating quinoa too! They are going to love the flavors and textures here, combined with the cheddar cheese and corn.

Overhead photo of Mexican quinoa Salad in a bowl on a wood countertop with veggies next to it.

Ingredients

Just a few ingredients are needed to make Mexican Quinoa Salad: quinoa, corn, tomatoes, black beans, green onions, cheddar cheese, olive oil, taco seasoning, and lime juice.

Quinoa: this grain is a great base for any salad or side. If you don’t have quinoa, you could substitute brown rice, barley, or any grain you like.
Black beans: other canned beans can be used here like pinto beans or garbanzo beans. Just be sure to drain and rinse the beans before using.
Green onions: I like to use green onions in this dish because they are milder and more kid-friendly. However, you can substitute red onion.
Cheddar cheese: the cheddar in this dish is another kid-friendly add in. You can substitute your favorite cheese like cotija, pepper jack, or even feta would work here.

Read on to see how easy it is to make this recipe!

How to Make Mexican Quinoa Salad

The quinoa salad comes together in minutes. You can dice the veggies while the quinoa cooks and then toss it all together once the quinoa cools. All in 20 minutes or less!

To start, you will need to cook the quinoa. To do this, simply combine one cup of dried quinoa with two cups of water in a pot. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 12-15 minutes.

Let the quinoa cool slightly before adding the remaining ingredients. I like to pop it in the fridge or spread it out in a bowl so that it cools quicker.

overhead photo of ingredients in a glass bowl including tomatoes, black beans, corn, and onions.

Place the cooked cooled quinoa is a large bowl. Add in the corn kernels, black beans, green onions, diced tomatoes, and cheddar cheese.

To the bowl add the olive oil, taco seasoning, lime juice, and kosher salt. Toss the salad together and taste for seasoning. Add more salt or taco seasoning if needed.

Mexican Quinoa Salad can be eaten immediately or refrigerated for later use. Keep it fresh covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

To make the best Mexican Quinoa Salad, follow these tips and tricks:

Don’t overcook the quinoa. You need one part quinoa to two parts water. Only cook until al dente and let the quinoa steam before removing it from the pot.
Cool the quinoa slightly before adding the remaining ingredients. If the quinoa is too warm, it could melt the cheese.
No limes, no problem. I’ve also made this many times with lemon juice and had great results.

What can I add to quinoa salad?

Quinoa is a blank slate and you can add whatever veggies and dressing you want to flavor it up. It’s excellent tossed with diced onion, celery, avocado, whatever veggies you have on hand. To dress it, add a drizzle of good olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, and some kosher salt.

How long does Quinoa Salad last?

Quinoa Salad can last up to a week in the refrigerator as long as it is stored in an airtight container. If you add things like avocado or a soft mozzarella, you’ll want to eat it within a day or two.

What goes into Mexican Quinoa Salad?

Mexican Quinoa Salad start with a bed of cooked and cooled quinoa. To it you can add typical Southwestern flavors such as black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, onions, cheese, avocado, or jalepenos. Garnish the salad with a Mexican seasoning blend, olive oil, and a squeeze of lime juice.

overhead photo of recipe in a bowl on a countertop with green onions and lemon next to it.

What to serve with Mexican Quinoa Salad

This recipe is great on it’s own or served with your favorite Mexican-inspired entree. Here are some of my favorite things to serve with it.

For more delicious and healthy make-ahead side dishes, check out my Farro Tabbouleh Salad (goes great with grilled chicken) or my Mediterranean-Style Curried Couscous. For another salad with black beans, try my Mango Black Bean Salad recipe!

overhead photo of mexican quinoa salad on a plate with cheese quesadillas.

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