This easy quinoa black bean salad is a hearty and refreshing salad that comes together in just 30 minutes! Quinoa and black beans are tossed with fresh vegetables like cucumber, bell pepper and carrot and topped with a zesty chili lime dressing. Perfect for meal prep, potlucks and as a side during grilling season!
Prep time: PT20M
Total time: PT30M
Rating
5 stars (12 reviews)
Keywords
chili lime dressing, quinoa black bean salad
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1 15-oz can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 ½ cups English cucumber, quartered and sliced
1 bell pepper, small dice (red, yellow or orange)
1 cup carrot, small dice (about 2 medium)
¼ cup sliced green onion (white and light green part only)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 lime)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or to taste)
⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Categories
Salad
Cuisine
American
Steps
In a medium sauce pan, cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl to cool. See note 1 for Instant Pot instructions.
While the quinoa is cooking, drain and rinse the black beans, then prepare the cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, green onion, and cilantro.
Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar.
Add the vegetables, cilantro and black beans to the large bowl with the quinoa, then pour the dressing on top and stir until well combined.
If you have time: let the salad marinate for about 30 minutes before serving to let the flavours blend. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator and eat within 4 days.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 262 kcal
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 11 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Sodium: 475 mg
Sugar: 3 g
Reviews
Heather on 2026-05-23 (5 stars): One of my favorites for summer! Great for a picnic or a healthy meal option. Love all the veggies!
Deb on 2025-10-05 (5 stars): Great recipe! I never actually follow just the recipe. So to this one, I added 3/4 cup of corn kernels and some chopped rotisserie chicken. I also made a little extra on the dressing and instead of cayenne peppers. I added a small sprinkle of crushed red peppers. Definitely a keeper.
Mary on 2025-08-27 (5 stars): I prepared this Easy Quinoa Black Bean Salad today and it is absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Jan on 2025-07-31 (5 stars): Delicious! I used black pepper because I didn't have cayenne. It's a keeper !
Lola on 2024-02-07 (5 stars): This was really good, a tad higher in carbs so I will look for something to add to this recipe to up the fiber.
Virginia on 2023-07-11 (5 stars): Very simple and yummy. Going to use this to slim down before heading to the beach. Thank you!
Joy G. on 2023-06-21 (5 stars): Daughter says it tastes just like Chipotle lol…She has an obsession with the place, so I’m flattered. Not a carrot fan so I replaced with guacamole instead. Chef’s kiss! Thanks for this recipe!
Erin on 2022-10-04 (5 stars): I love making this for my lunches! I used Vegetable broth with my quinoa and it turns out delicious!
Alayna on 2022-05-25 (5 stars): Very yummy and fresh-tasting healthy dinner. It comes together quickly and all the ingredients are cheap. Win all around! I added a couple cloves of garlic and some pepper to my dressing. I also halved the salt because I cooked my own beans, which I salted, and I added salt with chicken broth to the quinoa for extra flavor. Turned out delicious!
