Quinoa Black Bean Salad

Quinoa Black Bean Salad with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, red bell pepper, and a delicious cilantro dressing makes a delicious meal, great weekly meal prep, or side dish.

Check out these other black bean recipes you’ll love: Vegetarian Burrito Bowls, Cilantro Lime Shrimp bowls, or Vegetarian Tacos.

Quinoa Black Bean Salad

I’ve shared a lot of quinoa salad recipes over the years, and for good reason, too! They’re filling, packed with good ingredients, and most importantly- they taste great! Over the years, there have been two contenders for “most popular”quinoa salads – either this lemony Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad or this avocado, cucumber, and tomato Quinoa Salad. Have you tried them?!

I hope this salad is just as loved because it might be my boys’ new favorite. It’s loaded with protein and veggies and dressed in a delicious cilantro dressing.

Let’s talk process for making this Quinoa Black Bean Salad first:

How do you cook black beans and quinoa?

• Sweet potato and red bell pepper: Peel and cube the sweet potato, toss it in olive oil with seasonings, and roast it in the oven, along with the bell pepper.
• Black beans: Next, you’ll toss the drained and rinsed (canned) black beans and corn to add to the pan to get some seasoning on them.
• Cook the quinoa: I made a step-by-step guide on how to cook quinoa here. You’ll notice in the guide I suggest adding 1 teaspoon seasoning to the quinoa, but since we’re adding the quinoa to a (seasoned) salad, you don’t need to add any additional seasonings beyond salt and pepper.
• Make the dressing: This dressing is so simple — add all the ingredients to a blender or food processor and pulse until combined. That’s it!
• Assemble: Top the cooled quinoa with the roasted sweet potato, roasted red pepper, black beans, and corn. Add any additional desired toppings (like avocado and/or cilantro) and coat them in the dressing. Add a squeeze of fresh lime and enjoy!

To meal prep (or make ahead):

• First off, assembly: Prepare the salad according to recipe instructions but do not add the dressing, avocado, or cilantro (read below). Toss the quinoa with sweet potato, red bell pepper, black beans, and corn. Separate this mixture into 4 separate meal prepping containers (meal prep) or one large plastic storage container (for make ahead).
• Store dressing separately: This salad lasts a good 3-5 days WITHOUT the dressing.
  • To meal prep, add dressing to individual containers and store separately with the salad. Shake the dressing container before adding.
  • To make ahead: The dressing can be made 1-2 days in advance and stores well for about 4-5 days in the fridge. Again, shake dressing before adding/tossing with salad.
• Add fresh salad toppings daily: The avocado and cilantro don’t sit/store well with the salad. If you want to add either to the salad, add on a daily basis, preferably right before eating. The avocado will last a few hours in a meal prep container–just make sure to squeeze some fresh lime or lemon juice over it first.

How to customize Quinoa Black Bean Salad:

While we love this salad just how it is, the great thing about quinoa salads is how easy they are to adjust to personal preference.

• To make this quinoa salad with chicken and black beans: Use this grilled chicken marinade recipe to cook some chicken. Chop and add it to this salad (or on the side).
• To make a chickpea black bean quinoa salad: Add in some roasted chickpeas alongside the black beans! I highly recommend the seasoning and roasting process on this Chickpea Salad– it will go well with this salad.
• To make a quinoa kidney bean salad: Either replace the black beans with kidney beans or add both (lots of protein!).
• To make red quinoa and black bean salad: Easy! Use red quinoa in place of the white/regular quinoa I’m showing in these pictures. You can really use any variety of quinoa for this salad.
• To make a quinoa black bean avocado salad: Just make sure to add in the avocado! You can also add in a heaping spoonful of guacamole if you prefer.
• Other additions: Tomatoes (halved cherry or diced Roma), different varieties of peppers, a diced jalapeño for some heat, and a few tablespoons of diced red onion all work nicely.

More Healthy Recipes:

• Additional Quinoa Recipes (and a detox Quinoa Salad)
• Greek Couscous Salad
• Healthy Italian Salad
• Cucumber Salad (Reader Favorite!)

Helpful Visual Guide: check out how to cut a bell pepper

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5 from 5 votes

Black Bean Quinoa Salad

By Chelsea Lords

Quinoa Black Bean Salad with roasted sweet potatoes, corn, red pepper, and a zesty cilantro dressing is perfect as a meal, meal prep, or side dish!

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Small blender

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Salad

• ▢ 1 cup quinoa measured when dry
• ▢ 2 large sweet potatoes 4 cups
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 large red pepper chopped
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted corn drained
• ▢ Toppings as desired see note 1

Dressing

• ▢ 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• ▢ 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1 garlic clove
• ▢ 1/3 cup sour cream fat-free

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Start by cooking the quinoa (see note 2). Allow to cool before assembling the salad.
• Peel the sweet potatoes and chop into bite-sized chunks. Toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper (adjust salt and pepper to taste).
• Roast potatoes in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and add the chopped peppers; toss around with remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Return to oven and cook another 10–20 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender and potatoes are tender. (Big variance depending on the cut size of vegetables and differences in ovens.)
• Remove from oven and toss with drained and rinsed (but completely dried) black beans and corn. Set aside to allow to come to room temperature.
• Assemble the salad: Add quinoa to a bowl with the sweet potato, pepper, black bean, and corn mixture. If enjoying immediately, add avocado, a squeeze or two of lime juice, and cilantro.
• Dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a powerful small blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pulse to blend until smooth. I do not recommend adding dressing to any salad you want to have leftover—this salad doesn’t sit well after being dressed. Add dressing to individual plates/bowls and enjoy! You may not use all the dressing depending on how much you like your salads dressed. (To make this dressing vegan, see note 3.)

Meal Prep/Make Ahead

• Make ahead: This salad can be prepped several hours in advance. Store the dressing and avocado (if using) separately, and add just before enjoying.

  Meal prep: Prepare salad and divide equally into your meal prep containers. Separate dressing into individual containers. If using avocado, add daily, preferably right before eating. Add dressing right before enjoying.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Optional toppings: 1 large avocado (diced), 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, and fresh lime juice.

Note 2: Guide on cooking quinoa here.

Note 3: For vegan: Use dairy-free sour cream, and swap agave nectar for the honey.

Storage: Store leftover dressing for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 11962IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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