This hearty quinoa salad features fiber-rich quinoa and beans, grilled corn, queso fresco, and a tangy honey-lime vinaigrette, for an easy and delicious side dish that can be bulked up with your protein of choice to make it a meal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“My fiance & I have made this approximately 10 times. It is so good! So far it is the only quinoa dish that he actually likes. Usually when I say quinoa, he goes running. With this dish, I actually find him sneaking bites out of the Tupperware in the refrigerator.” -Allison, FoodieCrush
Even Quinoa Haters Will Love This Corn-Laden Salad!
This quinoa salad finds its flavors in the Southwest. No cactus, no coyotes, and we left the chunky turquoise at the gift shop.
Elements of this salad remind me of one I’ve had once or twice before from the Whole Foods salad bar. My version delivers plenty of zippy flavor with some earthy depth thanks to the grill.
I served this salad at my daughter’s family birthday party to several quinoa virgins who were more than pleased with their second helpings (or maybe thirds?) and think you will be too.
Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Quinoa — I used both plain and red quinoa for some visual texture, but you can use whatever you’ve got.
- Corn — Grilling the corn while still on the cob sweetens even the earliest picked cobs. Normally I’ll soak the cobs while still in their husks but this day I simply went for it and tossed them straight on the grates, then husked them when cooled. If you’d like to see a bit more char on your corn, simply roast them sans husk.
- Red onion — Can be subbed with green onions for a milder flavor.
- Sweet pickled peppers — Contrasting the spunky onion flavor is a jar of DeLallo Pepperazzi™ peppers I keep stocked in my pantry (not sponsored, I just love them!). They’re pickled and a little sweet, and a little spicy, and man, I love to snack on them whole but in this salad, I’ve chopped them up for a sweet flair.
- Black beans — Drain and rinse the black beans before tossing them with the quinoa.
- Cilantro + queso fresco — I’ve given ingredient measurements for the cilantro and queso, but in my opinion, you can’t have too much of either so add more to fit your pleasure. If however, you’re simply not a cilantro lover, sub in leafy flat leaf Italian parsley or tarragon would add good flavor too.
- Lime dressing — The 4 ingredient dressing is what brings this salad all together with the tang of lime sweetened with honey. A dash or more of the reserved pickled pepper juice adds even more sweetness if you’d like.
How to Make Southwest-Style Quinoa Salad in 3 Steps
- Grill the corn. I’ve got a full tutorial on how to grill corn in its husk (which steams the kernels and prevents them from drying out). Grilling the corn will take roughly 10 minutes, so get the quinoa cooking in the meantime.
- Cook the quinoa. Don’t forget to salt the water so the quinoa is well seasoned!
- Assemble the salad. Add the cooled corn kernels and quinoa to a big bowl, add the other salad fixings, and drizzle the dressing over top before tossing.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Southwest Quinoa Salad Recipe
PrintIngredients
Salad
- 4 cobs sweet corn
- 2 cups quinoa (white, red, or a combo)
- kosher salt
- ½ red onion , chopped, about ½ cup
- 6 ounces sweet pickled peppers* , chopped
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans , rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces Mexican queso or feta cheese
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
Dressing
- 6 limes , juiced
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon cumin
Instructions
- Grill the corn. Grill the cobs of corn in their husks over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the grill, cool and then shuck. Cut the corn from the husks and place the cut kernals in a large mixing bowl.
- Cook the quinoa. While the corn is grilling, cook the quinoa in 4 cups of water with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt according to package directions.
- Assemble the salad. After cooking, set aside the quinoa to cool then add to the bowl with the corn, red onion, sweet pickled peppers, black beans, cheese, and cilantro.
- Make the dressing. Whisk the lime juice, vegetable oil, honey, and cumin together in a small bowl and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add more honey to your taste. Pour over the quinoa mix, and stir gently to coat.
Notes
Nutrition
Proteins You Can Add to Make This a Meal
More Quinoa Salads You’ll Love
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Carla
this is so delish but we just can’t eat it all and am wondering if it can be frozen and still be good later?
Hayley
Thanks, Carla, we’re happy you enjoyed it! However, because of the cheese and all of the fresh veggie components, we don’t think this one lends itself as well to freezing. You’re welcome to give it a try if you want (it may do okay).
Katherine
So easy and good! I didn’t have those peppers (I’ll have to try to find them though) and added fresh avocado. Delish! Will make again tomorrow and many more times!
Diane
I made a half recipe. Had Walla Walla sweet onion (yum). Didn’t have any peppers so sliced in some radishes for color . They went well, but next time would probably dice an Anaheim pepper. Left out the added salt except for what was in the feta and it was delicious! I’m calling this a side salad for hubby and a vegetarian main for me. Love the honey lime dressing :-)
So glad you enjoyed it Dianne, and made it work to fit how many you were making it for.
Shannon, in Arizona
Search for Tri-Color Pepperazzi on the internet
Shannon, in Arizona
I wouild like to know the nutritional information… Shannon
Hi Shannon, I don’t currently add calorie info, but hope to soon. If you’d like to you can input the recipe in an app like My Fitness Pal for the calories.
Judyann
How much lime juice do you need. Limes come in various sizes, or doesn’t it matter in this recipe? It sounds yummy, and i’d Like to make it soon.
up 12 result
Great piece of post.
Delaney
Where can I find those peppers? I have gone to Safeway and Fred Meyers but can’t find them anywhere! They sound amazing and I really want to use them!
stephanie
i don’t have sweet pickled peppers, i want to add kimchi instead. what are your thoughts on modifying the recipe?
I say go for it Stephanie.
Allison
My fiance & I have made this approximately 10 times. It is so good! So far it is the only quinoa dish that he actually likes. Usually when I say quinoa, he goes running. With this dish, I actually find him sneaking bites out of the tupperware in the refrigerator.