This Black Bean and Mango Quinoa Salad is so easy to throw together and makes both a great side dish, or main dish. It contains cooked quinoa, mixed with canned black beans, juicy mango, crunchy red bell pepper, along with some cilantro and green onion. Everything is dressed with a simple red wine vinegar and lime juice mixture that’s tangy in all the right ways. This is one of my favorite dishes to meal prep because it lasts in the fridge for days and easily pairs with so many proteins.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Quinoa – Look for quinoa near the other grains. I recommend white quinoa for this recipe because it has the most mild flavor and fluffiest texture. Red and black varieties tend to be a little chewier and stronger in flavor, but if you like those, you could certainly use them here.
- Cooking liquid of choice – Water, veggie broth, or chicken broth would all work.
- Canned black beans
- Mango – This recipe calls for 1 medium-large mango (around 12 oz) which should yield you about 1 cup chopped fruit. If you purchase a smaller variety, you will want to grab a couple. If fresh mangos are absolutely not an option, you might have luck with some defrosted frozen mango if they were nice and sweet when frozen!
- Red bell pepper – I like the contrast of red pepper with the yellow mango, but yellow or orange bell pepper would work just fine as well. I would avoid green bell peppers and they have a different flavor profile.
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Red wine vinegar
- Olive oil
- Fresh lime juice
- Kosher salt and black pepper
How to Make Black Bean Mango Quinoa Salad
- Cook and cool quinoa.
- Combine cooked quinoa, washed and drained black beans, red bell pepper, mango, cilantro, and green onions in a large bowl.
- Whisk together dressing of red wine vinegar, lime juice, and olive oil and toss everything together.
- Season with Salt and Pepper
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 5-7 days for best results.
- This makes a great side dish, or prep-ahead lunch. We love pairing this with grilled chicken or steak for dinner and I love it chilled with leftover chopped steak the next day! Would also be great paired with seafood.
- A Note About Quinoa: Quinoa has a natural coating that can make it taste bitter when cooked, which is why the instructions here recommend rinsing. Some brands are pre-washed for you. Just check the cooking instructions on your quinoa before adding it to the cooking liquid. When in doubt, an extra rinse will never hurt!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use anything else in place of the quinoa?
Cous cous, brown rice, or amaranth would probably work well here.
What if I can’t find mangoes?
Fresh peaches would be delicious here!
Black Bean and Mango Quinoa Salad
A fresh and hearty salad that works great as both a side dish or a main dish. Top with grilled steak, chicken, or seafood for a filling meal.
Servings
Ingredients
- ⅔ cups dry quinoa
- 1 ⅓ cup water, or broth
- 14 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 medium mango peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- kosher salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- To cook quinoa, rinse several times in cool water and then let soak for 5 minutes. Drain.
- Place in a small pot with 1 1/3 cup water or broth (I like vegetable or chicken broth for additional flavor) and bring to a simmer. Add quinoa. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until water is absorbed and quinoa can be fluffed with a fork. Cool to room temp, or make ahead and chill.
- Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl. You should have about 2 cups.
- Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.
- In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least one hour before serving.
Notes
- Store finished salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 5-7 days for best results.
- This makes a great side dish, or prep-ahead lunch. We love pairing this with grilled chicken or steak for dinner and I love it chilled with leftover chopped steak the next day! Would also be great paired with seafood.
- A Note About Quinoa: Quinoa has a natural coating that can make it taste bitter when cooked, which is why the instructions here recommend rinsing. Some brands are pre-washed for you. Just check the cooking instructions on your quinoa before adding it to the cooking liquid. When in doubt, an extra rinse will never hurt!
Nutrition
Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Sodium: 309mg, Potassium: 500mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 1201IU, Vitamin C: 49mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 3mg
Calories: 264kcal
Cost: $12
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Questions & Reviews
I just tried quinoa for the first time today! I am now a major fan! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
OMG Sara… EVERY ingredient in that salad looks refreshing, yummy, and delicious…EXCEPT for the quinoa. I have no idea why I’m so frightened to try it. Probably because it’s small and round… like cous cous… which sets in MY gag reflex. I love rice (especially short grains like Arborrio), but this doesn’t physically appear like it would have the consistency of rice at all. Maybe it’s because it’s so healthy, and healthy grains usually seem to be really dry. I really do wish I could get over my fear, because this recipe ROCKS!
This looks super good but…..I’ve been waiting with baited breath for the second half of the Chocolate Cake post! 🙂 It felt like torture that you gave us only half of the recipe and for me, Wednesday couldn’t come soon enough to get the second half of it!!!
What recipe are you talking about Carrie? Both parts of the chocolate cake recipe have been posted last week- did you miss it?
This taste great! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
You have done it again. Every time I buy a “new” ingredient thinking that I will figure out how to use it, you tell me how! I just bought Quinoa 2 weeks ago, didn’t have a clue how to use it, now I do! I’m going to get me a mango and pepper and try this salad soon. Thanks for sharing!!!
This looks so yummy! And it’s really pretty too 🙂
This looks amazing, and I have mangoes that need used. Thanks for discovering dinner tonight! 🙂
My brother just invited my family over for dinner on Friday night and I bet this would go great with his smoked chicken! Yum! Thanks for making my side selection easy!
New food scares me. Anything (except hibachi grill and Vietnamese egg rolls) that sounds like it could have come from anywhere in Asia or Africa makes me shiver and I put an automatic stamp of “NO WAY” on it.
That being said, this salad looks like it could be super delicious and I’m so tempted to try it! And that’s because I have never made something from this blog that looked super delicious that my family didn’t just love to the point of no leftovers.
… And I may have laughed a lot about the haiku.
This looks amazing! I’m so glad you posted it; I’ve really wanted to try cooking with quinoa and I think this will be a great place to start.