This Mexican Quinoa Salad with Avocado has it all. Creamy avocado, black beans, corn, tomato, red onion and a kick from pickled jalapeño. Top it off with a tangy Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette and crunchy oven baked corn tortillas and you have got a healthy vegan quinoa salad recipe that feels like anything but a sacrifice! This recipe is perfect to make on the weekend for meal prep.
This post was originally published April 2017.
Last Updated
Lunch Just Got Tastier with this Mexican Quinoa Salad Recipe!
Raise your hand if you love Mexican food!
If I had to pick a favorite kind of food, it would be a toss-up between Mexican and Italian.
Generally neither of these are typically the most wholesome options.
When I am craving Mexican flavors but am also wanting to keep things light, this Mexican Quinoa Salad is my go-to solution.
I love the crunch of the tortillas and the punchy kick of the dressing that has just the right amount of heat.
It is no surprise that this recipe has become a year-round staple in my make-ahead lunch rotation. I think you will love the yumminess of it all too.
How to Make Mexican Quinoa Salad with Avocado
1. First, preheat your oven to 300 degrees.
2. Next, put the corn, black beans, and quinoa in a large bowl and toss to combine.
3. After that, add in the tomato, red onion, and pickled jalapeno.
4. Then, slice the tortillas into thin strips.
5. Spray your baking sheet with oil and arrange the tortilla strips in a single layer. Spray the top of the tortillas and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Bake the tortillas for between 10 and 15 minutes, until crispy. Set yourself a timer to check them after about 7 minutes and keep an eye on them for the rest of the time. They can burn quickly!
7. While the tortillas are cooking, make the dressing by combining the lime juice together with chipotle chili, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, honey, cumin, and salt to a blender. Process until smooth.
8. Next, toss the desired amount of dressing with the vegetable mixture.
9. Finally, transfer to serving dishes and top with avocado and tortilla chips.
Tools to Make This Mexican Quinoa Salad:
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Variations for This Recipe:
- Instead of toasting tortillas, serve with organic Blue Corn Tortillas.
- Add in 4 ounces shredded cheddar. (Traditional or Vegan work!)
- Serve over a bed of shredded romaine lettuce.
- Top with Avocado Cream or Avocado Hummus.
What Should I Serve With This?
- Beef Tacos
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Chicken with Avocado Sauce
- Wrap in a gluten-free tortilla and add guacamole instead of avocado for an easy meal.
Tips for Making Cold Mexican Quinoa Salad
- Be sure to keep a close eye on the tortilla strips. They go from perfect to burnt very quickly!
- If you are making this quinoa salad recipe ahead of time, wait until you are ready to serve to add the avocado. The rest of the salad may be made and stored in the refrigerator for four to five days. It is perfect to take to work for lunch!
Cold Mexican Quinoa Salad
This vibrant quinoa salad recipe is oh so nutritious and manages to be filling but light at the same time. I like to save a little bit of dressing in the fridge to lift up leftovers. This dish makes a great weekday lunch, and also works well as a wholesome side. (I’ve even been known to eat it for breakfast.) I love keeping this in the fridge for those times when I don’t have a moment to spare.
Mexican Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans drained and rinsed (1 can)
- 1 cup organic frozen corn thawed
- 1 tomato seeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño diced
- 4 organic corn tortillas
Dressing
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 – 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce The dish will be HOT if you use 1
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 avocado diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa, black beans, corn, tomato, red onion and pickled jalapeño.
- Slice corn tortillas into thin strips.
- Spray a baking sheet with olive oil and add tortilla strips.
- Spray again.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.
- Bake for 10-15 minute, until crispy. (Check often to make sure the tortillas don’t burn – I was using homemade tortillas and they took closer to 15 minutes. I’m guessing store bought may not take as long.)
- Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, chipotle Chile, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, honey or agave nectar, cumin and sea salt. Process until mixture is smooth.
- Toss desired amount of dressing with the quinoa mixture.
- Plate quinoa and top with avocado and tortilla strips. (If making ahead, wait to put avocado and tortilla strips on at the last minute. Store leftover tortilla strips in an air tight bag, and return to oven to crisp if desired prior to serving.)
Notes
Tips for Making This Recipe:
- Be sure to keep a close eye on the tortilla strips. They go from perfect to burnt very quickly!
- If you are making this recipe ahead of time, wait until you are ready to serve to add the avocado. The rest of the salad (minus the tortillas) may be made and stored in the refrigerator for four to five days. It is perfect to take to work for lunch!
Variations for This Recipe:
- Instead of toasting tortillas, serve with organic Blue Corn Tortillas.
- Add in 4 ounces shredded cheddar. (Traditional or Vegan work!)
- Serve over a bed of shredded romaine lettuce.
- Top with Avocado Cream or Avocado Hummus.
I love this! It sounds so good, and it’s a regular super salad. All of those ingredients are so good for you, especially quinoa.
Thanks Stacie!
I don’t usually like quinoa that much, but this salad looks so colorful and tasty I just might try it out!
Let me know how it goes if you try it!
This looks amazing, I like to fix light dinners throughout the week because we eat so much on the weekends! Thanks, for sharing.
I love the idea of lightening up during the week to make room for the weekends. Especially this time of year.
Oh my gosh does that looks awesome!! I need something like this to give me the flavors I crave and still not kill my diet!
Thanks so much Jeanette! This is a great way to get those Mexican flavors and not get off track with your diet.
Ok, now this recipe looks amazing! I used to be so intimidated my quinoa but now I love it! I need to make this!!
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it!
Wow that looks amazing! I so gotta make this for lunch! Love me some quinoa salad!
Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy it.
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
That looks so amazing! I’m always looking for a good salad. I’ll have to give this one a try.
Thanks Kathy! I hope you enjoy it.
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
This looks so delicious and easy to make. My family is going to love this recipe. I am always looking for new things to make.
Thanks so much Ann! I hope you enjoy it.
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
This looks so good. I bought some quinoa and still haven’t tried it. I guess I should make this salad.
Thanks so much! Enjoy!
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
Thanks so much! I am a quinoa fan myself. 🙂
*Wendy Polisi*
*https://wendypolisi.com *
We went on a big quinoa kick a few months ago. My wife made a chicken quinoa soup that was amazing. It’s a great way to add some serious nutrition to almost any dish.
I wish I had the time to re-work some of my early photography, investing in a DSLR was the best investment for my blog by far!
Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
To me, those hunks of avocado make the wholeeeeee dish!! YUM 🙂
I make a very similar quinoa taco salad and I also have the recipe on my blog! It’s so fun to see the differences.
This just looks super delicious, and it’s vegan and healthy too! I often find it hard to get something to be healthy and delicious at the same time. I will give this a try.. 🙂
It looks tasty! I am a salad lover. I guess I should make this salad.
I have felt like I haven’t mastered the art of making quinoa, but this recipe looks like a keeper and winner to me!
This looks absolutely delicious. And I’m not a huge fan of quinoa but this looks so refreshing and filling.
OH how awesome is this?? I love mexican salads. I definitely have to try this recipe out! Thanks so much!
This salad looks so delicious and full of flavor. I also love the bright colors which make it perfect for spring and summer.
Hi Wendy-
This looks like an updated version of your former southwestern quinoa salad with black beans and avocado. In that recipe, you had a suggestion to pickle the onions by putting them in a half cup of red wine vinegar that had been brought to a boil and then removed from the stove. I love that addition! And would highly recommend it to your readers.