Mexican Quinoa is a simple “dump it and forget about it” slow cooker meal. We add uncooked quinoa, vegetables, beans, and seasonings, then let it cook. Serve with toppings like cheese, sour cream, avocado, and lime for a delicious and hearty meal.
Mexican Quinoa
These Quinoa Tacos are wildly popular in my home and truthfully, I don’t think meal prep gets much easier than that recipe. Everything gets thrown in the slow cooker (no advance prep) and you’re left with an ultra-tasty, meatless, taco filling that is hearty and keeps you full.
I wanted to take the idea of having loads of flavor with easy prep time from those tacos and apply it to another nutritious and vegetarian meal. Enter: Mexican Quinoa. Just as easy, filling, and packed with good-for-you ingredients.
This dish does pack a bit of a spicy punch, but nothing too overwhelming. You can adjust the seasonings to your preference, and with some cheese, sour cream, and/or avocado topping the bowl, the spice isn’t bad. Even my two-year-old can’t get enough of this dish!
Mexican Quinoa Ingredients
The three main ingredients that impact the spiciness level of this dish are the enchilada sauce, taco seasoning packet, and jalapeño peppers.
- Butternut Squash: Chop into small pieces for even cooking. If the squash pieces are too large they won’t get tender in time.
- Quinoa: This is the base of the dish, absorbing flavors and adding protein. Rinse it first to get rid of any bitter taste.
- Black Beans: Rinse canned black beans before adding. If you want to make your own black beans follow this recipe.
- Corn: I like using frozen corn for it’s flavor and freshness but canned works great here as well.
- Fire-roasted Diced Tomatoes: Include the juice for more sauce to cook everything in.
- Enchilada Sauce & Taco Seasoning: Create the signature Mexican taste. Use mild varieties if you prefer less heat. I love and recommend Old El Paso’s® mild red enchilada sauce.
- Vegetable or Chicken Stock: You can use vegetable or chicken broth, for a vegetarian option use the vegetable stock. Quality stock improves flavor.
- Jalapeños: Add a mild kick but are optional. For less heat, remove the seeds and ribs before dicing, or use poblano pepper for milder flavor.
Quick Tip
If you’d prefer to make your own taco seasoning blend instead of using a store-bought mix, here’s my go-to taco seasoning blend (this mix perfectly replaces the store-bought mix)
Topping Suggestions
Mexican Quinoa is good by itself, but adding toppings makes it even better. You should definitely try it with sharp Cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cut-up avocado. Here are more topping ideas:
- Grated sharp (or extra-sharp) Cheddar cheese
- Chopped cherry tomatoes
- Fresh chopped cilantro or thinly sliced green onions
- A squeeze of fresh lime
- A large scoop of sour cream (we use fat-free to keep these on the light side); you can also use Greek yogurt.
- Sliced avocado or scoop of guacamole
- Pickled red onions (I share a quick pickled red onion recipe on these Chicken Tinga Tacos.)
How To Make Mexican Quinoa
- Prep Slow Cooker: Spray with nonstick spray. A liner can make cleanup easier.
- Chop Squash: Peel and cube butternut squash. Small, even pieces cook more consistently.
- Add Ingredients: Combine quinoa, beans, corn, tomatoes, jalapeño, sauce, and stock in the cooker.
- Season: Mix in taco seasoning. Adjust seasoning to taste preference.
- Cook: Set on high for 4 hours until quinoa and squash are tender. Check at 3.5 hours to prevent overcooking.
- Adjust Consistency: Let stand if too liquidy; quinoa absorbs extra water. Stirring helps evenly absorb the liquid.
- Serve: Top with cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime.
Shortcut Suggestions
- Buy pre-peeled and cubed squash. Although it is a bit more spendy, buying prepared squash basically removes any prep time on this Mexican quinoa. Cubed squash can be found in the produce section of many grocery stores.
- Use frozen, cubed squash for this recipe; it works well. Just check that the squash pieces are small, about 1/2-inch cubes. If they’re too big, they might not cook fully with the rest of the ingredients.
- Choose pre-minced garlic from a jar to save time. You can also use a garlic press with fresh garlic cloves to save time.
- Buy pre-rinsed quinoa to save time. Quinoa has a bitter outer layer that usually needs washing off, but pre-rinsed quinoa is already cleaned for you.
Dietary Concerns
- Vegan: As written, this recipe is vegan. Keep toppings, such as sour cream and Cheddar cheese off, or use vegan alternatives.
- Vegetarian: As written this recipe is also vegetarian. Be sure to use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock to keep it vegetarian.
- Gluten-free: Check ingredient labels for gluten-free processing. Many enchilada sauces and seasonings contain gluten, but Old El Paso enchilada sauce is usually safe—still, make sure by checking the label. You can lessen gluten risk by using homemade taco seasoning instead of store-bought.
- Dairy-Free: Use a dairy-free cheese and/or sour cream for toppings.
Storage
- Store: Put leftover Mexican quinoa in an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Place leftovers in an air tight freezer friendly container or gallon sized bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
More Simple Quinoa Recipes
- Quinoa Enchilada Bake with sweet potatoes and black beans
- Quinoa Salad with avocados and a lemon dressing
- Tex Mex Quinoa easy slow cooker recipe
- Quinoa Chili with lots of veggies and black beans
- Quinoa Black Bean Salad with a cilantro dressing
Mexican Quinoa
Mexican Quinoa is an easy slow cooker meal—just toss in quinoa, veggies, beans, and spices, then let it cook! Pile on your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, avocado, and lime for a hearty, delicious dish.
Equipment
- Crock-Pot 6-quart
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1-1/4 pounds peeled and cubed butternut squash cut into 1/2-inch pieces, about 4 cups
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 small diced jalapeño about 2 tablespoons, optional, see note 1
- 2 (19-ounce) cans mild red enchilada sauce see note 2
- 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock, or broth; I love Swanson’s vegetable stock best
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet taco seasoning see note 3 for homemade
- Toppings as desired see note 4
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray generously or use a liner.
- Peel, seed, and cut butternut squash into small 1/2-inch cubes to ensure even cooking. Add to slow cooker.
- Combine corn, black beans, rinsed quinoa (I rinse in a fine-mesh sieve), minced garlic, tomatoes, optional jalapeño, enchilada sauce, stock/broth, and taco seasoning.
- Stir well, cover, and cook on high for 3.5–4.5 hours until quinoa pops and squash is tender. Uncover, stir, and set to low, letting it stand for 15–25 minutes until liquid absorbs, stirring occasionally. Prepare toppings and sides during this time.
- Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve Mexican Quinoa in bowls, topped with Cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Jalapeños add a nice kick but are optional. For less heat, remove the ribs and seeds before dicing, or use milder poblano peppers instead.
Note 2: Make sure you pick the right-sized can of enchilada sauce—these are the slightly larger cans. Taste the sauce before use; if too spicy, use 1 can and replace the other with chicken or vegetable broth.
Note 3: Taco seasoning packets differ in spice and flavor; McCormick’s Mild is a favorite. For homemade, whisk 1 tablespoon mild chili powder, 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, fine sea salt, and pepper.
Note 4: Optional toppings: freshly shredded sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, fresh lime juice, sour cream, chopped cilantro, and/or diced avocado, etc.
Storage: Keep leftover Mexican quinoa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, store leftovers in an airtight freezer-friendly container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.5g | Protein: 9.8g | Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 0.9mg | Sodium: 1198.1mg | Fiber: 8.7g | Sugar: 9.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! I made this and it turned out too soupy/gloppy – but it did have great flavor. I’d recommend maybe try using ONE 28-oz can of red enchilada sauce. Also it did take a solid nearly 5 hours to cook everything on high. But it was very easy and tasty, and I will try it again! 🙂
Hi Krista! Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately quinoa tends to cooks differently depending on your slow cooker, so some people might need the 2 cans of enchilada sauce or it will be too dry, I think it really depends on how hot your slow cooker cooks and how long you cook it for. Also letting the mixture sit without the lid helps absorb any extra liquid. Hope that helps!
Long time lurker, first time commenter… 🙂 Impressive space you’ve created here!
Question – do you think I could use couscous instead of quinoa? (I love quinoa, but my darling doesn’t.)
Hi Aida!! Thank you very much 🙂 I’ve actually never tried couscous in the slow cooker, but you could perhaps cook everything else in the slow cooker, cook the couscous separately, and then mix it all together. If you tried that, the enchilada sauce would likely need to be reduced since the quinoa absorbs a lot of that. Sorry to not be of more help!
Hi there,
Tried this recipe yesterday. I will say it’s flavorful but i think it is a bit too spicy. The 36oz of enchilada sauce may have been the kicker – it was almost too spicy to eat.
It was however, awesome to finally be able to try to cook quinoa in the slow cooker. I think for next time I’d just use less enchilada sauce.
I used Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce, FYI.
Hi Molly! Glad to hear you tried this! I have never tried Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce, but that may be the reason it was too spicy. I used a mild red enchilada sauce when making this and my little one year old baby ate more than I did, so I don’t think the mild enchilada sauce made it too spicy for him to eat it :). If you end up trying this again maybe try a milder enchilada sauce or replace some of the sauce with water or chicken broth; hope that helps!
I am planning to make this recipe this week, and I was also concerned about the spice. Could I substitute one of the cans of the enchilada sauce with something else? I don’t like spicy, but i do like the healthy ingredients in this recipe.
I also never keep taco seasoning around because i just don’t use it often enough to make purchasing it worthwhile, only to have it get thrown away. Are there are few other spices i could substitute instead?
You can substitute one of the cans and use chicken or vegetable broth instead. For the taco seasoning, you could quickly whip up your own if you have the spices on hand.
Loved the dish! I cooked it on the stove top for about an hour (my slow cooker is missing…..) on low heat and it worked well. Needed to be stirred often. I will be making the Sweet Potato Enchiladas this week. Love your site!
So glad to hear this worked on the stovetop and you liked it!! (I’m sure this comment will be very helpful to people without a slow cooker!!) Thanks so much Donna, I truly appreciate your comments and trying out the recipes! 🙂
I have a bunch of squash that i cooked and frozen awhile back, would you decrease the time on the stove top if the squash is already cooked?
Yay for crockpot recipes! Especially if they include Mexican flavors and butternut squash. 😀 I am about to make your sweet potato skillet again this week but NOW I’m wondering if I should switch it out for this quinoa! What a perfect weeknight meal, Chelsea. 😀
I have never made a quinoa casserole before, let alone one in a slow cooker. This looks delicious Chelsea, I need to get my hands on the ingredients so I can make the recipe tonight!
This is a five star! I made this tonight and used garnet yams instead of the butternut squash and yum!!! I used water in place of the chicken broth since it was for a Vegetarian friend. It was so good!! I used your suggestion of store brand mild enchilada sauce and it was not too spicy!!
I’m so thrilled to hear this was a hit and got a 5 star rating! 🙂 Thank you so much Melanie 🙂
Can you add Chicken breasts to this? I was looking at your quinoa soup recipe which has chicken breasts and wondered if you could make this a chicken dish? My teenagers do not consider it a meal unless there is some meat in it! It looks so good I really want to try….
Yes, I definitely think you could add chicken to this! Let me know how it works if you try it out 🙂
I browned up some sliced turkey breast with a little of the taco seasoning and added it to the pot. Very good!
I’m a new butternut convert. I’ve always loved it in ravioli and soup but we’ve been roasting it and it’s so good! This quinoa is the perfect dinner!
I have been dying to try quinoa in the slow cooker. You’ve convinced me!
I truly love all of your recipes. They seem so simple and easy. Can I sub rice or farro for the quinoa?
Thanks so much Christine! That means a lot to me 🙂 I’ve never tried either in the slow cooker, so I’m really not sure how they’d fare. Wish I could be of more help