Quinoa Salad with Black Beans Recipe (High Protein, Vegan)

This Quinoa Salad with Black Beans recipe is a fresh and tasty lunch or side dish, loaded with vegetables, and high in fiber and plant based protein! This is a great recipe for hearty meal prep during the week and is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free.

This Quinoa Salad with Black Beans is a fantastic lunch recipe, made with all the vegetables and smothered in a tangy lime vinaigrette dressing. 

Packed with red pepper, carrots, fresh kale, black beans, and corn – this salad is the perfect side dish for a party, BBQ, or dinner.  Its perfect to make ahead, meal prep, or batch cook too!

This Black Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe Is:

• Bright
• Fresh
• Flavorful
• Loaded with Vegetables
• Inexpensive
• Versatile
• Vegetarian, Gluten Free, and Vegan

High Protein Party Salads

This Rainbow Quinoa Salad was always my favorite dish to bring to a pot luck or a party when I lived in California!  Its a great summer salad packed with tons of fresh vegetables and a light citrus-y dressing. Even after about 10 years, this is still my favorite quinoa salad to make as a quick lunch or party food! 

Its perfect to make ahead for a party or BBQ as the flavors only get better with a day or two in the fridge.

What’s In This Quinoa Salad with Black Beans Recipe?

I cook with fresh produce from my garden and from Misfits Market– they sell fantastic fruit, vegetables, & pantry staples at a discounted price. We get Misfit boxes every other week and love picking out favorite produce for delivery. Get $10 off your first box here!

• Bell Pepper, Corn, Carrots, Kale 
• White Quinoa: I used this fantastic white quinoa, but you can use red or multicolored. You can cook quinoa on the stove top, in the Instant Pot (my preferred method), in the rice cooker.   This quinoa is a fantastic addition to salads, soups, or wraps.
• Black Beans: Use no salt added or low sodium beans for better flavor and control of the salt in this dish.  I only use low or no sodium beans in my recipes.  You can always add salt in, but it’s impossible to take out.
• Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s inexpensive, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry.  For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
• Tellicherry Peppercorns: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper.  Amazon has a generic brand tellicherry peppercorn which is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor… so I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend.
• Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
• Lime Juice: If you don’t have fresh limes, this bottled lime juice is actually a fantastic substitute. I always keep some in the pantry – it’s great for sauces, dips, or even for cocktails!

Make Ahead Quinoa Salad

This bean and quinoa salad is a fantastic and simple recipe to make ahead. Great for a busy weeknight, for entertaining, or just for those nights when you don’t feel like cooking.  I like to prep one (or a few) of these ahead of time, and save some for later. 

Having ready cooked meals in the fridge or freezer is a great way to enjoy home cooked meals when you don’t have time in the kitchen.  Freezing ingredients is also a great way to use up food that may be expiring soon.  Check out all my make ahead meals on The Herbeevore for some inspo to help you prep, keep, heat, and heat!

Frozen Vegetable Salad Recipes For the Win!

I used a few frozen veggies for this recipe instead of  fresh produce: like corn and edamame. Frozen produce is a great option for finding fresh and flavorful vegetables in the off season. Frozen vegetables are often picked at peak ripeness, so they are a much better option than canned. 

Check out all my recipes that use Freezer Ingredients on The Herbeevore – great for those nights when you want dinner ready fast! And check out my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples for long-lasting staples that I always keep on hand.

More High Fiber Salad Recipes You’ll Love!

Chopped Chickpea Greek Salad Recipe (Vegetarian, Low Sodium)

Farro Tabbouleh Salad Recipe (Vegan, Dairy Free)

Vegan Macaroni Salad Recipe (Egg & Dairy Free, Gluten Free Option)

Korean-Inspired Bean Sprout Salad Recipe (Vegan, Vegetarian)

Pomegranate Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Get the Same Ingredients for this Black Bean Quinoa Salad Recipe

If you make this easy quinoa black bean salad recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you.  I love seeing all your photos of my recipes!

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