This Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Honey Lime Cumin Dressing is a perfect way to use up leftover quinoa and makes an excellent make-ahead salad—the quinoa soaks up all the delicious dressing as it sits. Just add avocado right before serving!
If you are looking for summer salad ideas, try my carrot raisin salad or the rotisserie chicken pasta salad.
👉 This quinoa and black bean salad has been a family favorite since I first shared it in 2023. I’ve since added black beans for extra protein and cucumber for a refreshing crunch—and as of May 2025, the post has been updated with new photos and a short video tutorial!
This quinoa salad is perfect for BBQs, potlucks, or as a flavorful side dish for a crowd. It also makes a delicious, satisfying lunch—thanks to the quinoa soaking up all that zesty honey lime dressing.
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👩🍳 Why our recipe?
- Protein-packed salad with quinoa and black beans.
- Vibrant, bursting with color and satisfying texture.
- Perfect for making ahead – the quinoa soaks up all the yummy dressing!
- Sweet, tangy, smoky homemade honey-lime dressing with a hint of cumin.
- Gluten-free, and dairy-free with vegan option.
- Great for summer BBQs, potlucks, as a side dish, or a satisfying lunch.
Short Video
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Quinoa - I used white quinoa for this salad recipe, but you can use any variety—white, red, black, or tri-color. Red or tri-color quinoa adds a vibrant pop of color and brings a slightly chewier texture.
- Tomatoes - As in the shrimp pasta salad recipe, cherry tomatoes add great flavor and visual interest. They are sweet, juicy and bursting with flavor. Quarter large cherry tomatoes or halve smaller ones.
- Corn - Fresh corn of the cob in the peak of summer is sweet, delicious and is such a treat. It contains a great deal of sugar and very little starch. Just slice the kernels off the cob and add them to the salad.
- Cucumber - For some refreshing crunch and color.
- Black beans - You will need one can of drained and rinsed black beans.
- Red onion – It adds crunch, flavor, some sweetness and a subtle bite.
- Avocado - Make sure to toss in the diced avocado just before serving.
- Lime juice - Be sure to use freshly squeezed lime juice—not the bottled kind—for the best flavor. If you don't have limes, fresh lemon juice works as a great substitute.
- Honey - Use maple syrup if you like to make it the salad vegan.
- Cumin - Ground cumin adds a depth of flavor and smokiness.
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How to cook quinoa for salad?
When it comes to cooking quinoa to use for salad, I like to use this instant pot quinoa recipe, because it yields fluffy quinoa every time! Make sure that you cook it a day or several hours in advance, so it has a chance to cool completely, just like for fried rice. If you prefer a stovetop method to cook quinoa, then check out this method to cook on the stovetop.
How to make quinoa salad with black beans?
Make the honey lime cumin dressing
Recipe tips
- Rinse your quinoa well before cooking.
- Dress to your preference! Use as much or as little dressing as you'd like, although I love a generously dressed salad.
- Squeeze your limes fresh for the best flavor and not from any bottles.
- Toss in avocado just before serving.
- Let the salad sit for at least for 30 minutes before serving, so it has a chance to absorb all the tasty dressing.
More summer salad recipes
Quinoa and Black Bean Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans drain and rinse
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 large avocados diced
Dressing
- 6 tablespoons lime juice or use lemon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add quinoa, black beans, corn, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro into a large bowl.
- Drizzle about ⅔rd dressing and toss gently until well combined. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, so it has a chance to absorb all the tasty dressing.👉 To make dressing, add all dressing ingredients into a glass jar, seal, and shake vigorously until honey is dissolved.
- Add the avocado just before serving, then taste and adjust with more dressing, as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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heather (delicious not gorgeous)
these sandwiches sound delicious! half convinced that even just a croissant with avocado would be good too (;