Black Bean Quinoa Salad
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This Black Bean Quinoa Salad is filled with crunchy veggies, a light lime dressing, black beans and chilled quinoa. The perfect lunch or dinner!
I am coming off the most gnarly cold and am craving all of the veggies…and just healthy stuff in general. The first thing on my list was this Black Bean Quinoa Salad. It requires minimal work to make, is packed with veggies & plant protein, and is super tasty! The dressing is light and has the perfect tang from lime juice. The prep time for this recipe is super quick since we are going to use leftover quinoa. And the veggies add the perfect crunch. This is my dream meal prep salad!
Step One: Make the Dressing
I love the dressing for this Black Bean Quinoa Salad! It is super light, but has so much flavor! For the dressing you need:
- avocado oil
- garlic
- lime juice
- apple cider vinegar
- maple syrup
- salt & pepper
Add everything to a bowl and mix to combine. I recommend adding the lime juice & apple cider vinegar a little at a time. This will allow you to control the acidity and have the dressing taste exactly how you want it.
Step Two: Assemble
I used leftover quinoa to keep this recipe super simple. If you don’t have any leftover quinoa see the recipe notes to see how I cook mine.
To a VERY large bowl add the chilled quinoa, red cabbage, red onion, jalapeño, green onion, cilantro and black beans. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is coated and combined.
Step Three: Serve
You can serve the salad right away (at room temp) or pop it in the fridge to chill for an hour or two. It is delicious both ways!
This is also great for meal prep. Make the salad, transfer to individual containers and keep in the fridge for easy lunches or dinners.
This salad has everything – protein, grains, veggies. It’s a complete meal, easy to make and super delicious. A win-win-win!
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups leftover quinoa chilled – see notes
- 1/2 small head red cabbage chopped, about 4 cups
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 jalapeño diced
- 3 green onions diced
- 1 15-ounce can black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 limes juiced, to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine – add lime juice & vinegar a little at a time to find your right balance. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Set aside.
- Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Video
Notes
- If making the quinoa same day, prepare it ahead of time to give it enough time to chill. Add 1 cup (rinsed) dry white quinoa to a sauce pan with 2 cups broth (or water). Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Allow to cool to room temperature before adding to the salad. Place in the fridge to speed up the process.
- This makes 4 dinner servings or 6-8 side dish servings.
- This can be prepped ahead of time and kept in the fridge. It will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
This salad is fresh and light. Perfect to take to a summer BBQ or Pot Luck. I had all the ingredients in my fridge already and it was easy to put together! Thank you 🙂
Thanks Shauna! Definitely a great party recipe!