Southwest Quinoa Salad

This Southwest Quinoa Salad is hearty, flavorful, bold, and delicious. Loaded with chunky vegetables and tender bites of quinoa, and coated in a tangy homemade sweet lime dressing, this dish is perfect for summer cookouts and casual dinners at home. Plus, it's quick and easy to make from scratch in 30 minutes!

It's a perfect salad recipe to toss together for a last-minute addition to practically any meal — or make a big batch to meal prep for lunches all week. All you need to do to make this southwest salad with quinoa is cook the quinoa, made the dressing, and toss the ingredients together. So easy!

Why You'll Love this Southwest Quinoa Salad Recipe

• Loaded with veggies. Sweet corn? Check. Red bell pepper? Check. Avocado and cilantro? Double check. This quinoa salad is stuffed to the brim with whole foods and tastes just as good as it looks.
• Quick and easy. This vegetarian southwest salad is ready in just 30 minutes — and even less if you are using leftover cooked quinoa! Serve it for a healthy lunch or potluck, or as a side dish for dinner this summer.
• So flavorful. This southwest quinoa salad recipe is simple but delivers incredible flavor. This recipe transforms plain quinoa into a symphony of bold, smoky, earthy flavors that the American Southwest is known and loved for.
• Fresh lime dressing. The zesty, citrusy lime dressing adds the perfect balance to the bright greens and earthy quinoa. With just a touch of sweetness and a few smokey spices, it transforms this Southwest salad into a full landscape of flavors.
• Vegan-friendly. This plant-based salad is perfect for diners that stay away from animal products. It’s a great meatless meal that’s perfect for all kinds of diets, and tastes great whether you’re vegan or not!

Ingredient Notes

To make this delicious Southwest Quinoa Salad, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• quinoa - use your favorite quinoa blend, like golden, tri-color, or red quinoa. You can cook it from scratch or use 3 cups of leftover cooked quinoa if you have it on hand!
• water - optionally, you can also cook the quinoa using a broth or stock of your choice, just know that using animal-based stocks will no longer make this salad vegan or vegetarian.
• olive oil - you can also use avocado oil or other vegetable oil.
• black beans - pinto beans or red kidney beans can be swapped for the black beans in this recipe.
• sweet corn - you can use canned corn (drained), fresh cooked corn, or thaw frozen sweet corn.
• red bell pepper - orange or yellow bell peppers can also be sued.
• red onions - shallots or yellow onions would also work, but may be a little stronger in taste than the red onions would be.
• avocado - use the ripest avocado you can to ensure it’s soft and buttery.
• cilantro - or any soft herb, like dill, parsley, or basil.
• lime juice - squeeze it fresh from the lime if you can, but if you don’t have time, you can try lime juice concentrate.
• honey - to make this salad vegan, use agave nectar or maple syrup instead. Note that the taste may change slightly depending on what you choose.
• chili powder - you can also use paprika or cayenne pepper to taste.
• ground cumin - coriander or taco seasoning can be used in place of the ground cumin if you don’t have any on hand.
• salt and pepper

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, fine-mesh colander, cooking pot, small mixing bowl, and serving dish.

How to Make the Best Southwest Quinoa Salad

First, cook the quinoa.

1. Rinse. In a large fine-mesh colander, rinse the quinoa thoroughly under cold running water for 1 minute and drain well. (This helps remove the bitter taste in the quinoa).
2. Cook. In a medium cooking pot, add quinoa, water, and olive oil. Bring it to boil over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Close the lid and reduce the heat to low. Let the quinoa simmer for 15 minutes until tender and the water is absorbed.
3. Fluff. Remove from heat and let the cooked quinoa rest for another 5 minutes. You will notice the grains have popped open. Fluff with a fork.

Next, prepare the sweet lime dressing.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, honey, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Finally, assemble the salad.

1. Assemble ingredients. Add cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, bell pepper, red onion, avocado, and cilantro in a large serving bowl.

2. Add dressing. Drizzle with lime dressing and toss well to coat, and serve immediately.

How to Serve

This Southwest Quinoa Salad is delicious served on its own, or paired with some delicious dishes including:

• Mexican Chicken Breast
• Cheese Quesadilla
• One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
• Garlic Shrimp Skewers
• Homemade Taquitos
• Sheet Pan Nachos
• Homemade Lemonade

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Place leftover salad in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. For the best results, refrigerate the salad separately from the dressing and toss just before serving.

How to Freeze

It’s not recommended to freeze this salad unless you plan on using the leftovers in a cooked dish like stir-fries or omelettes. You can transfer the leftovers into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months.

More Salad Recipes

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