Vegan Quinoa Salad with Avocado and Black Beans

This Vegan Avocado Quinoa Salad is jam-packed with exciting flavors! A mix of fluffy quinoa, black beans, veggies, and avocado is lightly dressed with citrusy lime juice to take every bite over the top. Bring it to a picnic or enjoy it with tortilla chips for a satisfying summer meal!

This Avocado and Quinoa Salad is proof that quinoa salads don’t have to suck! Although if you’ve tried my Quinoa Black Bean Salad, you don’t need convincing!

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Quinoa Salad

This is one of my all-time favorite quinoa salads, and I know you’ll love it too. Sure, it’s packed with fiber and plant protein to keep you full, but it’s the vibrant flavors that will keep you coming back for more!

• Don’t think you can get excited about a quinoa salad? Think again! My avocado and quinoa salad uses simple ingredients but has BIG flavors you’ll love.
• Easy to make with a handful of fresh and flavorful ingredients, this vibrant salad will satisfy and excite your taste buds at the same time.
• It’s a perfect summer side or main dish to bring to the barbecue, potluck, or pool party. It’s allergen-friendly and dairy-free so everyone can dig in!

Plus, it’s a standout recipe for meal prep because the leftovers always make for a satisfying meal the next day!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Quinoa (white, red, or tri-color)
• Low sodium vegetable broth or water
• Fresh kale. Chopped curly kale bulks up this salad quite a bit. You can use lacinato kale (AKA dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale) as a substitute, but I haven’t tested this recipe with this variety.
• Fresh vegetables, like red bell pepper and red onion, add color and crunch here. Any color of bell pepper goes! And if raw red onion is too strong for you, soak the chopped onion in cold water for 10 minutes before draining and adding it to the salad.
• Avocado
• Fresh cilantro
• Pepitas, roasted and lightly salted pumpkin seeds
• Black beans. Canned black beans are a convenient source of fiber and plant protein. Feel free to use pinto beans, chickpeas, or cannellini beans as a substitute. 
• Jalapeno and red pepper flakes for just a bit of heat. We’re going for zesty and tingly flavors, not overly spicy (although you can amp it up if that’s your thing!)
• Olive oil and lime juice for a low effort, toss-it-on-top type of “dressing”

(full list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below)

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: Remember to add the avocado right before serving the salad and not any sooner. Diced avocado will brown within a few hours of being peeled and sliced, which doesn’t affect the flavor much but doesn’t look very appetizing.

Swaps and Substitutions

Like many of my never-boring salad recipes, this quinoa salad is meant to be flexible and customizable. Either follow the recipe to a tee or feel free to mix up the ingredients to find your desired flavor profile.

For now, these ideas would be fun to try:

• If spicy food isn’t your thing and you want to avoid the jalapeño entirely, switch to a more mild pepper variety or use extra bell pepper.
• Olive oil and lime juice keep things light and fresh. But if you want a more flavorful dressing, I recommend my Cumin Lime Vinaigrette instead.
• Add corn kernels (fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed) for a burst of summery sweetness.
• Want a little extra protein? Combine the salad with baked tofu cubes for more plant-based protein, or add a diced chicken breast or grilled shrimp skewer if you don’t need it to be vegan.

And although this quinoa salad goes heavy on the lime, try switching to yuzu juice or sudachi juice. Either of these citrus juices would add such a unique element to this recipe!

How to Make This Vegan Quinoa Salad Recipe

Start by boiling the broth or water to simmer the quinoa. This is the only step that requires cooking. It will take about 15 minutes, giving you plenty of time to work on the other prep steps.

You’ll know it’s done cooking once all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is tender. Once cooked, fluff it with a fork or serving spoon. Let it cool for at least ten minutes before mixing everything together.

For the kale, use the same technique I used for my Kale Caesar Salad recipe. I recommend massaging the chopped kale with oil and salt before assembling it with the salad. It’s a simple process that will tenderize the leaves and make your quinoa salad much more appetizing!

Next, just dice the bell pepper and red onion.

Mince the jalapeno, removing the seeds if you want to minimize the heat.

Roughly chop the cilantro.

Drain and rinse the black beans. This is a great way to reduce added sodium, especially if you can’t find a low-sodium black bean option.

From here, just mix everything (including the pepitas and red pepper flakes) in the same large mixing bowl used to massage the kale. Toss everything together, along with the olive oil and lime juice.

You’re ready to serve this vegan quinoa salad! Top with avocado, cilantro, and any other toppings you like to use.

Street Smart Nutrition Tip: The cooked quinoa needs time to cool before it’s tossed with the vegetables because the heat can soften the crisp veggies. To speed up the cooling process, spread the quinoa in an even layer on a baking sheet and set it aside or place it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Quinoa Salad Serving Suggestions

If you can resist eating it straight from the bowl, I’d recommend pairing this salad with a few dishes to complement its great flavors and take it to the next level. Here are some delicious ideas:

• For summer dinners, enjoy it next to grilled burgers, corn on the cob, pulled pork, and other barbecue favorites.
• Bring it to the picnic along with more summer salads, like a Kale and Brussels Sprout Salad, this Beans and Greens Pasta Salad, and this Split Pea Salad.
• Serve it on the side of your favorite protein for a light yet hearty meal. Even without extra protein on top, this vegan quinoa salad provides about 10 grams of plant-based protein in each 1 1/2-cup serving.

When you simply want a light lunch, serve the salad on its own! Eat it up with a fork or ditch the utensils for tortilla chips. Their salty crunch is more than welcome.

Storing Leftover Quinoa Salad

Transfer the leftover salad (without the avocado) to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to four days. You can serve it chilled or at room temperature with freshly diced avocado on top.

If you’re making this for meal prep, pack the salad into individual containers and skip the avocado. When it’s time to eat, add more olive oil or lime juice if needed. Then serve with fresh avocado.

Quinoa Salad FAQs

How much water do I need? 

Use a 2:1 ratio of water to uncooked quinoa. This means one cup of uncooked quinoa will end up as about 3 cups total volume, which is helpful if you’re doing any kind of meal prepping or batch cooking for multiple recipes.

Why isn’t my quinoa fluffy? 

This is the hardest thing for me to NOT do, but DO NOT STIR! Just like rice, quinoa needs time to sit and simmer. I love to compulsively stir things so I really struggle.

Once you reduce the heat on your burner, add the lid, set a timer, and just walk away. Allowing it to sit, covered, for a few minutes after removing from heat also helps. Then, fluff away and enjoy.

Why is my quinoa bitter? 

Quinoa is actually a seed, and therefore has an outer coating that offers natural protection. This coating is a type of saponin, a phytochemical that can taste bitter or soapy. Thoroughly rinsing quinoa in a fine mesh strainer before cooking helps remove it.

Why is my quinoa so bland? 

White quinoa is naturally very mild in flavor, and while the red or black varieties might taste slightly more robust or earthy, they’re also pretty mild. Try cooking your quinoa in a low-sodium stock or broth, adding a small amount of salt, or adding fresh or dried herbs during cooking to impart more flavor.

Can I cook quinoa in a rice cooker? 

Heck yes! I’m all about kitchen hacks to make life easy.

Rice cookers are a great idea and if you have a pressure cooker, they work well too. Use the same 2:1 liquid to quinoa ratio and adjust the cooking times based on your appliance’s instructions.

If you’re looking for more easy and delicious vegan recipes, don’t forget to check out my Easy Vegan Chickpea Noodle Soup, Crispy Orange Tofu and Edamame, and Pomegranate Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Chickpeas!

As always, thanks for stopping by the Street Smart Nutrition blog. Cheers to more fearlessly nourishing meals!

Disclosure: This post was originally published in January 2017. It has since been updated to improve the overall quality of the recipe, information, and images.