Mexican Quinoa Salad

Hunger-busting quinoa becomes completely craveable when topped with creamy black beans, sweet corn kernels, tangy tomatoes, and rich avocado! The whole thing is tossed in a light lime dressing and finished with citrusy fresh cilantro.  

As much as I love traditional soft corn tortilla tacos, I also love piling all of my favorite Mexican flavors into one bowl, ready to be devoured by the spoonful. 

After coming up with other quinoa salads like my Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad, I thought this would be a great way to give my Mexican bowl a new twist. 

Instead of rice, the fluffy quinoa base gives this meal a super nutty flavor and lots of great texture. The flavor gets better as it sits, making this an excellent meal prep option too. 

Plus, this Mexican quinoa salad is a great fridge clean-out opportunity! Go ahead and use up odds and ends of onions, tomatoes, cooked corn, and avocados that always seem to be ripening before you’re ready for them. 

Mexican Quinoa Salad Ingredients

• Uncooked quinoa – A nutty whole grain that makes for a super hearty salad base! I typically use white quinoa but there are other choices too–black quinoa and red quinoa each have their own nuances of flavor and different textures. 
• Tomatoes – Sweet and tangy, fresh tomatoes are a must for any Mexican-inspired meal in my house! 
• Red onion – I like the sharp flavor and pop of color given by red onion in these quinoa bowls, but white onion will work too if you already have it on hand. 
• Jalapeño pepper – For the all important spice! If you don’t care for the heat, use green bell pepper instead. 
• Cooked corn kernels – If it’s summer, I usually have leftover corn on the cob hanging out in the fridge, so I’ll simply slice some of that off the cob to use in this salad. You can of course use frozen corn too or canned sweet corn. 
• Avocado – Necessary! Not only is avocado just so good that I want another excuse to eat it, but–unlike most of my homemade dressings–I actually don’t put any olive oil on this salad. Once it gets all tossed together, the rich avocado starts breaking down a little bit and balances out the acidity perfectly. 
• Fresh limes – Fresh lime juice is a must here! Bottled lime juice just doesn’t have the same brightness and we really need it here as it is a key flavor in this Mexican quinoa salad. 
• Cooked black beans – Use homemade cooked black beans if you have them or your favorite canned option. 
• Salt + Black pepper – With all the inherently delicious veggies in this salad, you don’t need any special seasonings. Good ol’ salt and pepp are just enough! 
• Fresh cilantro – A few leaves of cilantro finish off each bowl with a dose of freshness and pop of color. If you don’t care for it, go with fresh parsley or thinly sliced green onions.