The most delicious Mexican Quinoa Salad of all time. Healthy avocado, protein-rich black beans, a boatload of cilantro, and a little heat make this Mexican quinoa recipe more than a complete meal.
So let’s start this with “yes, I know quinoa isn’t Mexican”. I’m half Peruvian, believe me, I know where quinoa comes from.
I’m still going to call this Mexican Quinoa Salad because it’s prepared Mexican-style ;) For non-Mexican-style quinoa recipes check out this Instant Pot Quinoa Bowl or this Turmeric Quinoa Salad. If there is one ingredient that I use A LOT in my kitchen, it’s hands down quinoa. If you are new to this grain/seed dive into all the details on how to cook quinoa all the different ways.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Quinoa — I find quinoa to be the BEST grain/seed for this salad but literally any other grain works perfectly well of course. Farro, barley, buckwheat, brown rice, anything.
- Corn — I love fresh corn but canned or frozen works perfectly well, too of course. If you’re not a fan of corn simply replace by peas or omit it completely.
- Avocado — nothing beats the creaminess of avocado. By adding avocado we can omit oil when dressing the quinoa salad. If you’re leaving out avocado I recommend adding a few tablespoons of olive oil to the salad so it’s not too dry.
- Red onion — the color contrast of the purple-colored onion and the mildness of the onion is why it’s the best choice but scallions or white onion work well, too.
- Tomato — juicy tomatoes are super important. Make sure you use very ripe tomatoes on the vine. The more flavorful and juicy the better.
- Cilantro — this quinoa salad couldn’t possibly be called Mexican if it was without cilantro. However, I know some simply can’t stand cilantro. I recommend using parsley in this case as a replacement.
- Jalapeño — most jalapeños are fairly mild so if you want more heat in your salad use Serrano chilis instead. If you don’t want it spicy at all use just a little green bell pepper for crunch.
- Black beans — use either home-cooked black beans or canned. Both work perfectly.
- Seasoning — I keep it super simple with this salad and only add sea salt, pepper, and lime juice but of course the sky is the limit. Get creative and add any and all spices you like to this.
How to make Mexican Quinoa Salad
It’s super easy. Only 3 simple steps and you’re done.
1 >> Cook Quinoa & Corn
Stove: To cook the quinoa and corn you can either add 1 cup of quinoa and 1.5 cups water + sea salt and pepper and a cob of corn on a trivet into a pot. Bring to a boil and once boiling immediately cover and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer/steam for 12-15 minutes and you’re done!
Alternatively, you can use an Instant Pot or any other electric pressure cooker for that. I prefer this method because it’s a more hands-off approach AND I prefer the texture of the quinoa this way.
Instant Pot: Add a cup of quinoa and a cup of water + sea salt and pepper and a cob of corn on a trivet to the Instant Pot. Seal, set the valve is in the sealing position, and set it to 1 minute on high pressure. Then let the pressure release naturally until the pin drops. In other words, walk away and don’t even think about the quinoa.
2 >> Chop All Ingredients
While quinoa and corn are cooking away you can take advantage of that time and chop all ingredients: red onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeño…
…once the corn is cooked cut off all the kernels and lastly cube the avocado. Do this last so it doesn’t brown as quickly.
3 >> Season And Mix
Now all left to do for the best Mexican Quinoa Salad is assembly. Add fluffed quinoa, all the chopped things, and black beans to a bowl. Season everything with sea salt, pepper, and pleeeeenty of lime juice. Now mix and serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
You bet! It’s full of protein, complex carbohydrates, and a boatload of fruits and vegetables. You can serve it as a side dish or as a well-balanced main dish.
Because of the avocado, this Mexican quinoa salad only lasts 2 days in the fridge in an airtight container. However, if you leave out the avocado and add each day you plan on eating the salad you can store it for up to 4 days.
If you want to eat this salad as a side dish I recommend serving it with anything you cook on the grill OR with baked chicken breasts.
Mexican Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1-1.5 cups water
- 1 cob corn - or 1/2 cup cooked kernels
- 1/4 red onion
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 avocado - (ripe but firm)
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 limes
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Add quiona, water, and sea salt to the Instant Pot. Place the trivet inside and place the cob of corn on top. Seal and set to 1 minutes on high pressure. Wait for full natural pressure release. For stove-top instructions see above in blog post.
- In the meantime, finely chop red onion, dice tomato, chop cilantro, deseed and finely chop jalapeño, and set everything aside.
- Cut off kernels of cooked cob of corn and set aside.
- Cut avocado in half, pit and peel, and then dice. Do this last right before assembling the salad to keep fresh longer.
- Assemble the salad by fluffing the quinoa and adding to a large salad bowl, then add chopped vegetables and fruits as well as black beans. Season with sea salt, pepper, and lime juice, then mix and serve.
Farro Recipes
Creamy Potato Leek Soup
The best Broccoli Slaw Dressing
Maggie Unzueta says
This looks incredibly delicious. Yum!
Aideen says
Hi great recipe! How long will his keep for in the fridge? Thanks
Lorena says
Hi Aideen, typically all proteins (animal and plant) last 3-4 days in the fridge. From an FDA safety standpoint of view 3 days should be totally safe. That being said, I store meal prepped meals of all kinds for up to 5 days. On the 5th I might sniff it before eating (just in case) but I almost always eat it ;) Now, the avocado will get pretty gross after only 1 day so you may want to add that on the day of only, not in advance.
Sharda says
Excellent. Will try it !!
Ajay says
Great stuff. very impressive.
Would love to have some reciepes.
Lee says
Omg!! Just made this salad without the corn and replaced with red and yellow bell peppers .. yummy.. This will be great for lunch and I will add the avocados last before I eat it!! Thank You, Thank You!!
Lisa says
What type of red Chili do you use? Is it red jalapeño?
Lorena says
No, I used a Thai red chili. It doesn’t really matter. You can choose which ever one is your favorite. I chose red mostly for color contrast. I like green jalapeño and green serrano a lot though.
Linda says
Can you serve this cold? Since all ingredients are put in without cooling the quinoa I’m wondering about the best way to bring it to a pot luck?
Lorena says
Yes!! It’s supposed to be cold. I always let the quinoa cool down.
Ju says
Hi,
I don’t have an instant pot..can I use a crrock pot or something else?
Thank you!
-Julie
Lorena says
Not a crockpot but a regular pot to cook the quinoa. You just cook 1 cup of quinoa in 1.5 cups of broth the way you cook rice and that’s it :)
It's Me says
It seems like the fat count is wrong in this. With half an avocado it must be more fat than 3 grams. The recipe looks fantastic though.
Lorena says
Yes, you’re right. Thanks for catching that. My program got confused with the “small” and thus didn’t calculate the avocado at all. Just corrected the mistake.
Meg says
Avocados are a good fat, so I am not going to worry about that. Looks delicious, can’t wait to try this recipe.
Rosemary Perrett says
Is it necessary to rinse quinoa before cooking?
Lorena says
I never do. I don’t believe it’s necessary. Some will argue that but in the end it’s your decision.
Cynthie says
Looks amazing but as a diabetic, 43 grams of carbs per serving is high (30 should be my goal). What might I substitute to reduce the carb count?
Lorena says
All legumes are a high-carb protein. I recommend not adding beans but an animal protein like chicken instead for protein :)
Jodie says
Carbs with high amounts of fiber like these are totally different from empty carbs like sugar and white bread. This kind of diet can actually help reverse diabetes and not cause it to get worse. This recipe should not spike your blood sugar 💕
Sherry says
Regardless of the “type” of carbs, diabetics have to strictly limit intake of this macronutrient, and keep within the guidelines for max grams per meal as set by their doctors and nutrition counselors. Replacing the beans with an animal protein – or simply leaving that ingredient out – is a good option to get the total carb number down.
Patty says
I have diabetes, and went on a plant-based diet. I could never get my blood sugar below 150, now my numbers average 105 to sometimes below 100, which hasn’t happened in 14 years. I eat grains, legumes, and even bread. I take two BS lowering medications, but I was able to give up my nightly insulin, all with my doctors supervision. It doesn’t seem like it ought to work, but it does, and I have more energy! It’s life changing.
Lorena says
I love your story!! Eating real food can man all the difference!
LeighAnne says
Cauliflower rice?
Lorena says
Yes, cauliflower rice works well for this recipe if you want to eat grain free
Cheryl says
For a diabetic, the Carb count is actually 43 -3-8 for a total of 32. It’s perfect. Plus everything thing is healthy carbs, not sugar or floor based. As a type 1 diabetic myself, is perfectly acceptable for a meal.
Caitlynn says
You can try cauliflower rice
Joyce says
Hi, sounds and looks fab but I have 1 question before I try it….If I use an ordinary pot to cook the quinoa is this the absorption method or will I still have to drain it afterwards? (I’ve only cooked quinoa twice and it’s turned out really soggy so I’m looking a foolproof method before I waste anymore). Thank you. X
Lorena says
Use a small pot for less heat surface (mine is 7″) with a tight sitting lid without any holes in it. Add 1 cup quinoa and 1.5 cups water (or broth) and bring to a boil. Stand right in front of your pot so you don’t miss the moment. Right when it starts bubbling reduce the heat to low, add the lid and let simmer for 15 minutes. Then remove from heat, remove lid and immediately fluff up with a fork and let the steam release. Perfect quinoa! :)
Iruka says
Love Love LOVE!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Love your page already!
I’m going to be trying this as soon as possible~!
Lorena says
Thank you Iruka!!!!
Gloria Kersh says
This sounds delicious and simple. Which for this time of year I appreciate. I’m making it for myself and a coworker this week for lunch.
Thanks!
Lorena says
So happy to read that Gloria :)
Marilou says
Hi there. I’m thinking of making this for my summer party but some people don’t like cilantro. Can I omit it?
Thanks!
Lorena says
Yes, Marilou, you can either omit or replace with basil, just as yummy.