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.
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Michelle says
We love this recipe and it’s a spring/summer favorite. We do spice it up a little with a few splashes or cholula or Tabasco sauce and sometimes top with diced chicken if we want more protein. Delicious!
Lori says
Terrific recipe! I made double duty out of my instant pot by cooking my corn on the cob at the same time as the quinoa. Just put them on a rack and did the same cooking time. My family like this topped with a cilantro lime dressing. Thanks!
Cassandra Archer says
Forgot my stars!!
Cassandra Archer says
My best friends mom made this for her wedding and it is so perfect! Fresh, healthy, and the flavors blend amazingly! You could call it colored stuff in a bowl and I’d eat it again and again! Thank you!
Lorena Grater says
How amazing!!! :D
Mercedes says
I saw your recipe on Pinterest tonight and it just so happens that I have all the ingredients especially the 2 cobs of corn that I didnt know what to do. My husband and I loves this dish! My husband doesnt like cilantro and beans, but he ate a bowl of this! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I will be making this again for sure.
Lorena Grater says
This comment makes me so so happy. Thank you for coming back and commenting and rating :)
Meg says
Has anyone measured how many cups you get for the entire recipe?
Wondering how many cups is in one serving.
Lorena Graeter says
I’m sorry, no I didn’t measure the finished product. A serving would basically be 1/4th of the whole dish.
Rachelle says
Delicious!
This salad came together so easily and it’s delicious!
I did use parboiled quinoa because it’s what I had. I love cilantro and lime. This is so fresh. Thank you!
Lindsey says
Awesome!!
alex vigil says
just because you put avocado in something does not mean it’s Mexican! #culturalappropriation
Alexa B. says
What is your point? What about the cilantro, corn, chiles, lime, tomatoes and black beans used in this? Do they not make it “Mexican enough” for you? Mexican food, just like its people, is not monolithic. There are as many kinds of Mexican as there are regions; Baja, Jalisco, Oaxacan, Yucatán, Veracuz, Tex-Mex Border cuisine, etc. Most recipes nowadays are fusion; an appreciation of the cultures from which they borrow. Why hashtag-shame something so harmless as a recipe generously shared with others? Be brave, go create something, share it, and try hard to stay within your self-drawn lines. Stop looking for ways to be offended.
Lorena says
I love your reply Alexa. Thank you. Gracias de todo corazón….
Laura says
Love your reply – especially the line, “stop looking for ways to be offended”.
It seems so many people need to be victims – so tired of this!l
Vera says
Who cares what it’s called, it’s Delicious 😋
Lorena Grater says
🥰
Cyndi says
I have actually had good luck adding the avocado all at once – the lime juice seems to keep it from browning. I’ve made this numerous times and I divide it into 5 containers for my lunches for the work week :)
Lorena says
Wow!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I would never have thought avocado can last 5 days once cut open.
Carla says
How long does this keep for? If you add the avocado each time you serve it that is?
Lorena says
4 days in the fridge. Almost all protein (plant and animal based) lasts for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Terrah says
My husband doesn’t care for cilantro, what could I substitute ?
Lorena says
Basil, parsley or dill :)
culinarylab says
This salad has 390 calories? For the components I thought should be more than 500. Thanks for the reply.
Lorena says
Hi, “one serving” has 390 calories according to my nutrition calculation app. Since I calculated this salad as a side dish for 4 people one serving is 1/4th of the whole salad. Take all the nutritional information offered here with a grain of salt though please. I am not a nutritionist and not trained to make such calculations. I rely on my plugin and on common sense when something is way off I go and recalculate using other websites to corroborate numbers.
Susan Fox says
Im making this tonight! One question, though – what is the serving size? I’m tracking my macros these days and want to get it right. Thanks for breaking them all down, but I’m not sure if your numbers are for the entire recipe or for single serving (and how much is a single serving). Thanks!!
Lorena says
Hi Susan, 1 serving is a quarter of the whole salad. The nutritional values in the box are for 1/4 of the salad. However, I am not a registered dietitian and I use a plug-in to calculate nutritional values, which is why you should only take them as an estimate or use your own trusted calculator.
Jeanne says
This has become a staple in our home. We love it!
Lorena says
I am so so happy to hear that Jeanne!!!