This Southwest Quinoa Salad is a must! Great for meal prep, lunch, dinner, cookout sides… Tossed in a cilantro lime dressing for a delicious flavor boost. Gluten free and vegan.
Quinoa salad recipes are perfect in so many ways!
- They’re a great way to add more plants into your diet.
- They’re flavorful.
- Easy to customize
- So easy to make.
Hot or Cold Quinoa Salad
This salad was soooo good I ate it for both lunch and dinner the following the days after photographing.
Adding chicken one day, as well as warming it up and adding a sprinkle of cheese on the next day.
I couldn’t get enough and I have a feeling it’s going to be my new go-to. Whether you’re looking for a side dish for a backyard cookout or an easy meal prep lunch or dinner recipe.
Salad Ingredients
- quinoa – white, tri-color, red quinoa all work. Whatever you have on hand really.
- black beans – I used canned black beans, low sodium and rinsed.
- corn – fresh or canned is best here.
- bell peppers – diced or chopped, depending on how much texture you want. Red and orange are my favorite varieties for this recipe.
- red onion – adds a good bite, and I love the way the purple color balances the colors out too.
- cilantro – we’re using cilantro in the dressing but I like to add finely chopped cilantro into the salad as well. You could always omit if you’re not a huge cilantro fan.
Cilantro Lime Dressing
This dressing is SO good. You just need cilantro, olive oil (or avocado oil), limes, garlic, onion powder plus salt and pepper.
It’s simple, doesn’t have any added sugar and I like to add a bit of spice in there as well with cumin and chili powder. If you want extra heat, you can add in some cayenne pepper.
Perfect for Meal Prep
Who doesn’t love already having lunch or dinner ready to go? Quinoa salads make the best meal prep salads.
Just a Few Steps
- Make the quinoa and let cool.
- Prep the veggies.
- Make the dressing.
- Mix everything together.
Canned Veggies
Use canned black beans and corn to cut down on meal prep time. Most of the work comes from chopping the veggies, making the quinoa and blending up the dressing.
Instant Pot Quinoa
I used my Instant Pot to prep the quinoa, which not only saves some time but now you get bonus points for the pot of quinoa not boiling over while attending to the veggies. Seriously I swear it happens every time and the Instant Pot saves me.
TO COOK: Place 1 cup rinsed quinoa in Instant Pot with 1 1/2 cups water or broth. Cook on high for one minute, natural release pressure for 10 minutes. Unlock lid, stir and done!
Ways to Enjoy
You can eat this quinoa salad chilled if you’ve made it ahead of time.
You can also warm it up and add some cheese (dairy-free if vegan).
It would also make a great filler for tacos, or added into a bowl of greens for more of a salad quinoa bowl recipe.
Storing
Quinoa salads are one of my go-to healthy meal prep recipes because they last a full week in the fridge. The flavors from the salad dressing soak in and just get better with time.
This recipe keeps best refrigerated in an airtight container in the fridge, best used within 7 days.
I hope you enjoy this Southwest Quinoa Salad as much as we did!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! Comment below with a review – it helps others learn more about the recipe too!
How to Make…
Southwest Quinoa Salad
The perfect Southwest Quinoa Salad for any occasion – meal prep, lunch, dinner, cookout sides, you name it. Tossed in a cilantro chili lime dressing for a delicious flavor boost. This recipe is gluten-free, vegan and packed with goodness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Scale:
Ingredients
for the salad
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water or vegetable broth
- 15oz canned low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked or canned corn (drain if canned)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- avocado for topping
Cilantro Chili Lime Dressing
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cook quinoa: place 1 cup rinsed quinoa with 2 cups water or broth in medium pot; bring to boil then cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat once cooked, fluff with fork and transfer to large bowl to cool.
- Meanwhile prepare the veggies: drain black beans, corn, chop bell peppers, dice onion and chop fresh cilantro.
- Add veggies to bowl with quinoa and gently toss together
- Make the dressing: add all dressing ingredients in medium bowl or blend in small food processor (I used the Nutri Bullet.)
- Combine dressing and salad bowl: Create a well in the center of salad bowl and pour half of dressing into bottom of bowl. Stir gently and then add remaining dressing, tossing again to combine.
- Serve salad over bed of salad greens and top with avocado if desired. Enjoy!
Recipes Notes:
Salad would be also great with an additional source of protein like crock pot chicken. This salad is meant to be served cold but I also warmed up a couple of different times for leftovers.
Instant Pot Quinoa Cooking: Place 1 cup rinsed quinoa in Instant Pot with 1 1/2 cups broth or water. Pressure cook on HIGH for 1 Minute. Natural release pressure for 10 minutes. Unlock lid, stir and done!
Nutrition Information:
- Serving Size: 1/8th
- Calories: 229
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 346
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 32
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 7
- Cholesterol: 0
Kelly says
I loved this recipe!
I cooked the quinoa in vegetable broth, added 2 fresh diced Roma tomatoes, one seeded and finely chopped jalapeño.
I only used 1 1/2 limes in the dressing, and added a packet of Chi Chi’s restaurante style seasoning mix.
★★★★★
Maeghan says
This recipe is just what i needed to transition into spring and summer themed meal prep! The cilantro lime dressing really brings the whole thing together. I added rotisserie chicken for a protein packed lunch meal prep!
★★★★★
Courtney says
We had this on a hiking picnic. Was perfect, but didn’t add the avocado just so that it would transport well.
★★★★★
Meg says
I made this last night and everyone loved it. Some of us are vegetarians and it worked well as a main meal for those who didn’t eat the grilled chicken. I am eating leftovers now for lunch sprinkled with some feta, which is a nice addition. Will definitely be making this again! Thank you!
★★★★★
Erin says
One of the BEST bowl recipes we’ve ever had! Even the kids said to keep this recipe! We added chopped up grilled chicken thighs for added protein.
★★★★★
Ashley says
So happy to hear that, Erin! Thanks so much for sharing your review 😀
Addie says
Holy cow, this is delicious! I prepared it for a family gathering for tomorrow, and I want to eat all of it tonight. Love it!
★★★★★
Kristie says
I’m trying to experience with new flavors for my baby and would love to try this but I’d need to saute the green peppers and onion to make soft. Do you think that would work with this recipe?
Ashley says
Yes I think that’s a great idea! Just make sure they’re cooled before combining with everything.
Kristie says
I sauted the onions and peppers and this turned out amazingly! This will be on repeat! Thank you for the recipe!
LIsa says
I have made this recipe 3 times and it is my favorite. I have even eaten it for breakfast. I roast the peppers so they are not raw and add more garlic. I love the dressing!