This Southwestern quinoa salad recipe is one of my favorite light meals, and it’s also the best side dish next to a Tex-Mex dinner or tacos! It starts with a bed of fluffy quinoa that’s loaded with avocado, black beans, corn, and tomatoes, and tossed with a creamy chipotle dressing.
I’m a sucker for anything with a Tex-Mex spin on it, from fiesta chicken casserole to carne asada fries. This Southwestern-inspired quinoa salad is another firm favorite!
Believe it or not, despite the “Cookies” in the blog title, salads are one of my favorite foods. I’ve been making this Southwestern quinoa salad recipe for years. It’s a simple recipe with easy ingredients, but it packs in SO much flavor! With fluffy quinoa, veggies, corn, and beans, it’s the kind of salad that I’ll top with chicken for a light lunch, then enjoy leftovers as a side salad with dinner. All that zest and freshness never gets old.
Why You’ll Love This Southwest Quinoa Salad Recipe
- Fresh Southwestern flavors. This quinoa recipe has avocados and tomatoes tossed with sweet corn, black beans, and cilantro in a light, mayo-based dressing with chipotle and lime. I love the creamy smokiness of the dressing next to the freshness of the veggies and quinoa crunch.
- Hearty. Quinoa is technically a seed, but in most circles, it’s considered a grain. It makes this Southwest salad extra hearty and satisfying. I find quinoa is a great alternative to a pasta salad and more filling than a green salad.
- Make it ahead. One more reason to love a quinoa salad? It’s even better if you make it ahead of time. This salad stores great in the fridge and the flavors only get better with time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ready to get zesty? These are the ingredients you’ll need to take a bowl of quinoa from “OK” to “Olé!”. I’ve included some notes here. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full recipe amounts and details.
- Broth – I cook my quinoa in vegetable broth for more flavor. You could also boil it in chicken stock, or salted water if you prefer.
- Quinoa – Common types of quinoa you’ll find in stores are white, red, and black. You’ll also find tri-colored blends, which contain all three. Any uncooked quinoa will work in this recipe.
- Corn and Black Beans – Be sure to rinse and drain the canned corn and beans before adding them to the salad. You can use black beans or pinto beans. Instead of canned corn, you can also shave the kernels from leftover corn on the cob if you prefer.
- Avocado – Diced into bite-sized chunks. Look for ripe avocados with dark skin that are slightly soft, but not mushy, to the touch.
- Tomato – Also diced. Any kind of tomato works well here. Smaller varieties like cherry tomatoes have a sweeter flavor (in this case, you can halve the tomatoes rather than dice them).
- Cilantro – Freshly chopped.
What Dressing Should I Use?
I make a quick, easy chili lime dressing from Hellmann’s mayonnaise mixed with freshly squeezed lime juice and adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, plus garlic powder, cumin, and salt to taste. It’s similar to the dressing I use for my spicy frito corn salad. If you don’t have chipotles in adobo, you can swap in your choice of hot sauce instead.
Of course, feel free to swap out the dressing for any recipe you’d like. For something lighter, try the cilantro lime vinaigrette from my Southwestern Cobb salad. You also can’t go wrong with good old ranch dressing.
How to Make a Southwestern Quinoa Salad
While some quinoa comes already rinsed, I always like to do a quick rinse in a mesh sieve under cold water anyway, to help take away some of the bitterness. Afterward, I put together this Southwest quinoa salad following the steps below. Scroll to the recipe card for the printable recipe instructions.
- Cook the quinoa. First, bring the broth and quinoa to a boil in a small pot. Then, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. Most of the liquid should be absorbed.
- Mix the dressing. Set the quinoa aside to cool while you make the dressing. In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, adobo sauce, and spices.
- Put it all together. Add the cooled quinoa to a large salad bowl along with the black beans, avocado, tomato, and fresh cilantro. Drizzle the dressing over top, toss, and serve!
Make It Ahead of Time
When time allows, I like to refrigerate this quinoa salad before serving, the same as I would a potato salad or pasta salad. It’s a great excuse to make it ahead of time and it gives the flavors a chance to come together.
What Else Can I Add to a Southwestern Salad?
There are so many ways to adapt this quinoa salad recipe with even more Southwestern-inspired ingredients. These are just a handful of easy ones you can try:
- Greens. I suggest only adding delicate greens like lettuce if you’re serving this salad right away (otherwise the leaves tend to wilt and become soggy with time). Good options are chopped romaine, baby spinach, kale, and arugula.
- Chilies. Pickled or fresh jalapeños or poblano peppers add some nice, smoky flavor. You could also chop up some of the chipotles in adobo to mix in for extra heat.
- Cheese. Add shredded or chopped Monterey Jack, cheddar, or Oaxaca cheese, or crumble in Cotija cheese or feta.
- Protein. Add cooked diced bacon, pork carnitas, or shredded chicken.
- Tortilla chips. Toss in some crushed Fritos corn chips or tortilla chips for extra crunch.
- More add-ons. Diced bell peppers, red onions, olives, chickpeas, and sun-dried tomatoes.
Serving Suggestions
I love topping this Southwestern quinoa salad with leftover baked chicken breasts to turn it into more of a main meal. It’s also great with salsa verde chicken or tequila lime chicken. If you’re serving this salad as a side, try zesty beergarita pulled chicken tacos, Mexican-style flautas, or sour cream enchiladas as a main. My family also likes these juicy chipotle meatballs or a Tex-Mex casserole, like my Doritos casserole or King Ranch chicken. And don’t miss a slice of Texas sheet cake for dessert.
How to Store Leftovers
This Southwestern quinoa salad tastes even better after an hour or two in the fridge! After that, it’ll stay fresh for 1-2 days when stored in an airtight container.
If you plan on storing this salad for longer, I recommend leaving out fresh ingredients like tomatoes and avocado until you’re ready to serve. You could also store the dressing separately and add it to the salad before serving.
More Salad Recipes
Southwestern Quinoa Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Southwestern quinoa salad recipe is an easy light meal or side dish, with a bed of fluffy quinoa loaded with black beans, corn, avocado, and tomatoes, tossed with a creamy chipotle lime dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- juice of one lime
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle in adobo)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup canned corn, drained
- 1 can (15-ounce) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/2 cup diced tomato
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a small sauce pot bring broth and quinoa to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, adobo sauce, salt, garlic powder, and cumin. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the cooled quinoa, black beans, avocado, tomato, and cilantro. Pour the mayonnaise dressing on top and stir to combine.
- Serve immediately or allow to chill for the flavors to com together.
Do you know how much protein is in this salad?
Is there corn in the recipe? I see corn in the picture, but not in the ingredients.
There is corn in the recipe 🙂 1 cup. It’s listed right above the black beans.
This is REALLY tasty! Thanks for sharing.
Chicken stock is still in the directions.
Looks like a great recipe but it isn’t Vegan using chicken stock. It will need to be a vegetable stock to make it vegan.
you are correct! I get so used to typing chicken stock I mis-typed here! All fixed!
still says chicken stock in the directions. you only fixed in the ingredients list. just an fyi
Please check the directions. It still says chicken stock.
This salad looks diffrent from others that I have tasted. I can try this and tell you what will I like or not about it.