Crunchy, colorful, and packed with flavor, much like my other quinoa salad recipes, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Lentil and Quinoa Salad, and Mexican Quinoa, it is packed with healthy ingredients like protein-packed quinoa, black beans, bell peppers, green onions, and cilantro. Similar to my Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad, it’s a wonderful, fresh, and easy quinoa salad recipe that easily feeds a crowd. Served warm or cold, this salad is naturally Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and with one small adjustment, Vegan, too! Make a big batch as a part of your weekly prep (for a light lunch throughout the week), or serve it as a great side dish for potlucks or picnics.
Ingredients to Make The Quinoa
Quinoa starts off this eye-catching colorful salad. The Whole Foods version used red quinoa, but you can make it with any color of quinoa you have in the pantry. I have a detailed post on How To Cook Perfect Quinoa on the Stovetop if you need more information, but below is my easy method:
Uncooked white, red or tri-color (rainbow) quinoa – One cup of uncooked quinoa makes 3-4 cups cooked, and the tiny seeds make a hearty base to soak up the dressing. Use any variety you have on hand. Note the flavor of white quinoa is milder, whereas red quinoa is a little bit stronger and chewier in texture. Water – My favorite ratio for quinoa to water is 1 to 2 in other words, cook 1 cup of quinoa in 2 cups of water. Salt – A small pinch of kosher salt enhances the earthy quinoa flavor and it is the easiest way to flavor quinoa.
Alternatively, you can cook quinoa in the microwave, in a rice cooker, or in a pressure cooker using my Instant Pot Quinoa recipe.
Ingredients for the salad:
Colorful, crunchy, and delicious, a mix of both canned and fresh vegetables with vibrant colors makes this salad convenient and easy.
Black Beans – Two 15oz can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed provide a protein-boost and starchy goodness to this salad. Don’t have black beans? Use kidney beans instead. Canned Corn – During the summer months, I use fresh sweet corn kernels from grilling corn on the cob. When it is not in season, I buy one small 10 oz can of whole kernel corn, but you can also use frozen corn, as it has already been blanched and shocked. Simply drain and rinse the canned corn or thaw the frozen corn to room temperature. Bell Peppers – The recipe specifies yellow or red bell pepper, but I actually found the mini bell peppers that day in the produce aisle and ended up using quite a bit of them since I like the color and crunch the peppers provide. Jalapeno – I feel like this salad wouldn’t be southwestern without jalapeno. Use the entire pepper, including the seeds and ribs, if you want a spicy kick in your salad. Cherry Tomatoes – Bright red and somehow always in season, tomatoes add a nice acidity. Quarter or chop to your desired size. Scallions + Red Onion – Scallions (aka green onions) are a nice, mild onion flavor that pair well with sweet red onion. I even made a version without the red onion and just used scallions – yum! Avocado – The soft and creamy texture of avocado adds richness. Cut it into small cubes to ensure there is avocado in every bite. Cilantro – It is optional, but the fresh cilantro makes all the difference. If you don’t like cilantro, an equal amount of flat-leaf parsley will do.
The Dressing
For the dressing, I used my Chili Lime Vinaigrette. With its tangy and spicy flavors, it helped me enhance the Southwestern flavors and took this salad recipe to a whole other level. Think you don’t like the flavor of cilantro? Try a little trick from Southwestern and Mexican cooks by cutting it with mint. Rather than 1 cup cilantro, use ½ cup cilantro and ½ cup mint. The cooling sensation of mint helps tone down the strong (sometimes referred to as soapy) flavor of cilantro.
How To Make This Southwest Quinoa Salad Recipe
To make this southwest-inspired quinoa salad, simply:
How To Serve
This recipe for quinoa salad easily serves 6 people. It makes a healthy make-ahead side dish to bring to your next get-together, as it can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold. I actually like to make this southwest quinoa lime salad bowl one day in advance, cover it and store it in the fridge overnight. The quinoa soaks up more of that delicious dressing, while all the other ingredients have a better chance to blend together with an overnight rest in the fridge on the next day.
How Long Does It Last In the Fridge
As long as it is stored in an airtight container, this Southwestern quinoa salad will last for up to 5 days in the fridge. If I know I have a busy week ahead of me, I make it on Sunday, portion it into 5-6 individual meal prep containers (affiliate link), and store them separately in the fridge. That way, I have a healthy, colorful, and protein-packed lunch ready and waiting for me!
Other Quinoa Salad Recipes You Might Like:
If you enjoyed this Southwest Salad and are always looking for the perfect side dish to serve with you main dish recipes, I’ve got you covered! Below are a few favorites from the archives:
Rinse the quinoa. Quinoa has a bitter outer layer called saponin that can be washed away by rinsing the quinoa under cool running water. Simply place in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse for 1-2 minutes. To save you a step, certain manufacturers sell pre-rinsed quinoa – just look for the note on the package. To learn more about rinsing quinoa, be sure to read my post about why do you need to rinse quinoa. Add a bit of smokey flavor. When making the vinaigrette, substitute the chili powder for an equal amount of sweet smoked paprika instead. Toss the ingredients and dressing with the quinoa while still warm. Warm quinoa soaks up the dressing much more efficiently and warms up the remaining ingredients so that they can soak up more of the dressing, too! Allow the mixed salad to cool for a few minutes, and then add the finishing touch of the avocado and cilantro. Serve it warm, room temperature or chill it down in the fridge for a cold quinoa salad. Top it off with a dollop of Creamy Avocado Dressing to take it to another level. Want to add in some crunch? Serve it with some tortilla chips on the side or on top.
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If you make this Southwestern Quinoa Salad, please take a minute to leave a review and/or a star rating. Doing so helps others who are thinking about making the recipe. Also, if you have taken photos, be sure to share them on social media using #foolproofeats so that I can see and share your creations. This recipe was originally shared on March 2020. It has been updated with additional helpful information with no changes to the originally published recipe on February 2023.
