40 minutes

Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Name: Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup quinoa ((uncooked)); 2 bell peppers (chopped); 2 carrots (shredded); 2 stalks celery (chopped); 11 oz can of corn kernels (drained & rinsed); 19 oz canned black beans (drained & rinsed); 1/3 cup olive oil; 1/3 cup white wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons honey; zest from 1 lime; juice from 1 lime; 1/2 teaspoon dijon; 1/4 teaspoon salt

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free Vegan Vegan Vegetarian Vegetarian Meal Prep Meal Prep

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By: Denise Bustard25 Comments
Posted: 5/28/18 Updated: 9/1/20

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Refreshing quinoa black bean salad is a big batch salad you can prep ahead. Perfect for a picnic, pot luck, or meal prep lunch! Gluten-free, vegetarian (vegan-friendly!), and clean eating.

Another black bean recipe! I shared the recipe for this 5 Minute Black Bean Hummus the other day and now here we are with a quinoa black bean salad!

Ben and I are trying to incorporate more vegetarian meals into our life, ever since I wrote out a meal plan that literally had seven chicken recipes in one week. Gah.

Incorporating more vegetarian meals into our lives not only gives us some more variety, but vegetarian proteins are so much more affordable! Also? I love that they are better for the environment as well.

This salad has been on rotation this month...it is a great main dish (load up your plate!), but can work as a healthy side salad or a meal prep lunch as well.

Don't forget to pin this recipe to save it for later!

How to make quinoa black bean salad

This salad recipe has four main components:

black beans- you can either use a 15 or 19 oz can, or you can cook your own! Stay tuned for a tutorial on how to cook your own black beans from scratch (hint- they are so much tastier this way!)
quinoa- I love cooking my quinoa in the rice cooker so I can focus my attention on the rest of the salad.
veggies- I used corn, celery, shredded carrots, and a couple of bell peppers. Switch it up for whatever you have in the fridge, but make sure it will hold up for a few days if you want your salad to keep (ie: stay away from watery ingredients like cucumber)
citrus lime vinaigrette- this simple vinaigrette adds so much life to the salad! You could use the bottled stuff, but I highly recommend making this lime vinaigrette.

How long does this salad last? The best part about this salad is that it actually tastes better after it sits overnight in the fridge. I would leave it for no longer than 4 days, because I've found beans to get a little funky after four days. Your bell peppers may start to lose their crunch by then as well.

What can I serve with this salad? We enjoyed it as a main course, but it would also make a great side salad for a summer barbecue! I would serve it will some grilled chicken or portobello mushrooms. As a meal prep lunch, I served it with some crackers and cheese as well as my favorite No Bake Healthy Snack Bars.

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this black bean quinoa salad. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

Looking for more quinoa salad recipes?

Recipe tips

you can use canned or freshly cooked black beans, but I prefer the flavor of home cooked black beans in this salad recipe!
check out my 3 compartment meal prep containers, they are perfect for serving this black bean quinoa salad as a meal prep lunch.
swap the honey for maple syrup to make this vegan
if you have the time, I highly recommend letting this black bean quinoa salad sit overnight for the flavors to meld

Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.