Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad

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 refreshing quinoa black bean 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 black bean quinoa salad last?  The best part about this black bean quinoa 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 quinoa black bean 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.

Looking for more quinoa salad recipes?

• Pomegranate Fennel Quinoa Salad
• Strawberry Quinoa Caprese Salad
• Charred Corn Salad with Feta, Mint & Quinoa
• Caprese Chicken Salad Meal Prep Bowls

Tips for the BEST black bean quinoa salad

• 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 glass 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

5 from 2 votes

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Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

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.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: southwestern

Keyword: quinoa, salad

Servings: 8

Calories: 291 kcal

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

Citrus Lime Vinaigrette

• 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

Instructions

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions and set aside to cool.

2. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Shake together all vinaigrette ingredients and toss the salad in the vinaigrette.

4. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Refreshing Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 /8 of batch)

Calories 291 Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11g 17%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Sodium 357mg 15%

Potassium 549mg 16%

Total Carbohydrates 40g 13%

Dietary Fiber 8g 32%

Sugars 8g

Protein 8g 16%

Vitamin A 72.5%

Vitamin C 52.3%

Calcium 4.5%

Iron 15%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.