Southwest Quinoa Salad

This quinoa salad with black beans, jalapeños, and bell peppers has a little kick and a ton of flavor. It’s fresh, filling, and perfect for meal prep.

I love keeping a batch of this in the fridge for easy lunches or quick dinners. Just grab a bowl and you’re good to go. It’s super flexible too – serve it as a side or add chicken to make it a full meal.

The jalapeño adds a little heat, but you can easily adjust it to your taste. Bonus: it gets even better after a day or two, so it’s perfect for making ahead.

Step-by-step photos and instructions are below. Jump to the recipe card if you wish!

Why you’ll love this

• Filling. Quinoa is a super food, and add black beans and veggies? It’s a total winner!
• Make Ahead. Make this on the weekend and eat it all week long!
• Easy. You really do not need a culinary degree to make this recipe (or any recipe on this site).

• Quinoa. I use a rainbow quinoa in this recipe, but plain will do just fine. Check out more info on how to cook quinoa. It will take about 15 minutes to cook.
• Black Beans. I use canned beans. Drain them and rinse well before using.
• Vegetable Stock. You can use chicken stock or vegetable stock, depending on your dietary needs!
• Bell Peppers. we use both yellow and red peppers. because they’re so pretty! Red peppers are sweeter and balance the flavor of the spicy jalapeno.
• Arugula, Cilantro, Red Onion, Jalapeno, Garlic
• Olive Oil. I use extra virgin olive oil. You can use a light olive oil if you prefer the flavor.
• Lime Juice. I use lime juice as the acid in the dressing, but lemon juice, red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar are great substitutes.
• Salt And Pepper, Cumin, Ground Coriander

How to make this recipe

Make the dressing. Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Cook the quinoa. Heat the broth into a small saucepan until boiling, add rinsed quinoa and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, add the cooled quinoa, beans, arugula, bell peppers, cilantro, onion and jalapeno (if using).

Pour the dressing over the top of the salad ingredients, and mix well until fully combined. Set aside in the refrigerator until serving time. Devour. 

More recipes to love

Some of our favorite salad recipes:

• Easy Southwest Pasta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette Dressing. Black beans, corn, red peppers, jalapenos, cilantro and red onions feature in this easy to make pasta salad. With the addition of the lime vinaigrette… oh, myyyyyyy. 
• Grilled Vegetable Salad with Tarragon Dressing. A spectacular, smoky charcoal-grilled vegetable salad, bursting with flavor, this is an easy side that you can make ahead or make with the family!
• Kale Salad (with Honey Dijon Vinaigrette). Simple ingredients and simple instructions (including how to massage kale) make this Kale Salad Recipe an absolute keeper!

5 from 8 votes

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Author Kylee Ayotte

Servings 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

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This Quinoa Salad is made Southwestern style, with black beans, jalapenos, bell peppers with a touch of spice, and a ton of flavor. Make ahead for a great lunch or dinner! 

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Ingredients

 

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For quinoa:

• ▢ 1 cup vegetable stock can sub chicken stock
• ▢ 1/2 cup rainbow quinoa rinsed

For dressing:

• ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lime zest
• ▢ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground coriander

For Salad

• ▢ 2 cans black beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 2 cups baby arugula
• ▢ 1/2 red bell peppers diced
• ▢ 1/2 yellow bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 cup cilantro washed and roughly chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup red onion diced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons jalapeno diced
• ▢ 1 avocado diced or sliced

Instructions

Cook the quinoa

• Heat 1 cup vegetable stock into a small saucepan until boiling, add 1/2 cup rainbow quinoa and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Make the dressing

• Whisk dressing ingredients together and set aside.
  1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon lime zest, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cracked pepper, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander

Assemble the salad

• Add cooled quinoa, 2 cans black beans, 2 cups baby arugula, 1/2 red bell peppers, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup red onion and 2 teaspoons jalapeno and 1 avocado (diced).
  2 cans black beans, 2 cups baby arugula, 1/2 red bell peppers, 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1 cup cilantro, 1/4 cup red onion, 2 teaspoons jalapeno, 1 avocado
• Pour the dressing over the top, and mix well until fully combined.
• Set aside in the refrigerator until serving time.
• Devour. 

Notes

Prepping

Mince the garlic and the jalapeno very small. Dice the onion, and bell peppers in similar sizes, about the size of a pea.

Substitutions/Additions

Any color quinoa can be used. I think the rainbow one is pretty, but the plain white quinoa is fine too.

Black beans are great in this, but white beans will do just as well if that is what you have.

Check out more info on how to cook quinoa.

What to do with leftovers

Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Don’t use the dressing until ready to eat.

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Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 1412mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1264IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Did you make this recipe?

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Update: This recipe was originally published in June of 2017. It was republished with updated photos in January of 2022.

About Kylee Ayotte

I am a born and raised New Zealander (a Kiwi), now living in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m happily married to the love of my life – a hot American boy I met while traveling the world. I’m a mama to 2 awesome little boys and love red things, rugby, cheesecake, and bacon. Mmmmm. Bacon. Meet Kylee