This refreshing and vibrant Mexican quinoa salad is tossed with crunchy vegetables like tomatoes, cucumber, and black beans, and brightened with lime and coriander.
Vibrant and Refreshing: Mexican Quinoa Salad with Zesty Dressing
This colourful and satisfying Mexican quinoa salad is packed with protein, fibre, and a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs, making it a perfect choice for a light lunch or side dish. It is tossed in a zingy lime dressing, flavoured with cumin and cayenne pepper. For an extra touch of (mild) spiciness, I have also added some pickled jalapeños.
To give this salad some added heartiness, I am using a mixture of quinoa and bulgur wheat like in my Quinoa & Edamame Salad with Lime Ginger Dressing from my cookbook “Less Meat, More Plants“
You can enjoy this Mexican quinoa salad on its own with some warm pitta bread, or as a side dish with soup, grilled tofu or tempeh, roasted vegetables, as well as tacos or quesadillas.
For something a bit different but equally delicious, try my Tortellini Pasta Salad.
Favourite Mexican-inspired recipes on the blog
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- One-Pot Mexican Rice Casserole
- Mexican Quinoa Stew
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Mexican Casserole
- Air Fryer Nachos
- Jackfruit Enchilada
Watch how to make this Mexican quinoa salad
In this post
How to make this Mexican quinoa salad
Ingredients needed
To make this Mexican quinoa salad recipe you will need:
- tri-colour quinoa
- bulgur wheat
- can black beans
- pepper
- can corn
- red onion
- cherry tomatoes
- cucumber
- coriander
- pickled jalapeños (optional)
FOR THE DRESSING
- Dijon mustard
- extra-virgin olive oil
- fresh lime juice
- garlic
- salt
- ground cumin
- cayenne pepper
- sugar
Step 1: Cook quinoa and bulgur wheat
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt.
Add the quinoa and bulgur wheat to the boiling water, and cook until soft (do not overcook or they will become mushy), about 10 to 12 minutes. When done, drain the quinoa and bulgur wheat well and leave to cool down completely.
Step 2: Prepare the vegetables
Cut and slice all the vegetables and herbs. Rinse and drain the black beans.
Step 3: Make the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lime juice, garlic, salt, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper. Sweeten to taste with sugar.
Step 4: Build the salad and serve
In a large salad bowl combine the quinoa and bulgur wheat with the rest on the ingredients. Toss everything in the salad dressing until well combined and serve.
Common questions about this Mexican quinoa salad
I like to use tri-colour quinoa because it makes this salad extra colourful. However, you can also use white quinoa. Keep in mind that white quinoa is softer that red and black quinoa so the texture of the salad will be slightly different.
Yes you can make this salad up to a day in advance and keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. Leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes and give it a good toss before serving it.
I hope you enjoy this Mexican quinoa salad recipe as much as I do. If you do make it, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
Mexican Quinoa Salad
Equipment
Disclaimer: the equipment list above includes affiliate links to products I use and like.
Ingredients
- ½ tsp salt
- 90 g tri-colour quinoa
- 50 g bulgur wheat
- 400 g can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 orange pepper cut into small dice
- 150 g can corn rinsed and drained
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
- 125 g cherry tomatoes quartered
- ½ cucumber finely diced
- 30 g coriander finely chopped
- 25 g pickled jalapeños chopped (optional)
DRESSING:
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp sugar, honey, or pure maple syrup according to taste
Instructions
- Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season with ½ teaspoon of salt.½ tsp salt
- Add the quinoa and bulgur wheat to the boiling water, and cook until soft (do not overcook or they will become mushy), about 10 to 12 minutes. When done, drain the quinoa and bulgur wheat well and leave to cool down completely.90 g tri-colour quinoa, 50 g bulgur wheat
- In the meantime, make the dressing: Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl.1 tsp Dijon mustard, 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil, 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ tsp salt, ¾ tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp sugar, honey, or pure maple syrup
- In a large salad bowl combine the quinoa and bulgur wheat with the rest on the ingredients.400 g can black beans, 1 orange pepper, 150 g can corn, 1 medium red onion, 125 g cherry tomatoes, ½ cucumber, 30 g coriander, 25 g pickled jalapeños
- Toss everything in the salad dressing until well combined and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Find this recipe online:
https://theflexitarian.co.uk/recipe-items/mexican-quinoa-salad/
I cannot wait to see your posts!
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This bright, colorful goodness is a nutritious, flavor-packed fiesta!
Thank you. It really is! So glad you enjoyed this salad. Annabelle x
I made this for a dinner party and every spec was eaten… a huge hit. I did sub couscous for bulghur and it worked out fine. I live in Italy and the bulghur was a bit hard to locate. But the couscous was a good sub
Thank Margaret. Great sub suggestion and I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe. If you can add a start rating I would really appreciate it. Many thanks in advance. Annabelle