Quinoa Black Bean Salad (Print)

Protein-rich quinoa with black beans, fresh veggies, and a zesty lime dressing in a cold salad.

# What You Need:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa (uncooked, rinsed)

→ Legumes

02 - 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1 small cucumber, diced
06 - 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
07 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
08 - 1 avocado, diced

→ Dressing

09 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 - Juice of 2 limes
11 - 1 clove garlic, minced
12 - 1 tsp ground cumin
13 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
14 - 1/2 tsp sea salt
15 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer 12–15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat, fluff with fork, and cool to room temperature.
02 - Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until combined.
03 - In a large bowl, mix cooled quinoa, black beans, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, and cilantro.
04 - Pour dressing over salad mixture and toss gently to evenly coat ingredients.
05 - Fold in diced avocado just before serving to prevent browning.
06 - Taste salad, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • It sits happily in the fridge for days, making weekday lunches feel effortless and intentional.
  • The lime dressing is bright enough to make you taste every vegetable, no dull bites hiding in a bowl.
  • Eating this feels nourishing rather than like you're restricting yourself, which is the real secret.
02 -
  • Don't add the avocado until you're ready to eat—it browns quickly and changes the whole look of the dish.
  • The dressing soaks into the quinoa as it sits, so if you're eating this tomorrow, you might want to toss in a little extra lime juice and oil when you serve it.
03 -
  • Toast the cumin in a dry pan for thirty seconds before whisking the dressing if you want the spice to taste deeper and more intentional.
  • Make the dressing first and let it sit while you prepare everything else—the flavors deepen and marry together.
Go back