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Vegan LunchQuinoa
June 5, 2018

Fiesta Mango Black Bean Quinoa Salad

This healthy mango black bean quinoa salad with avocado will be your favorite easy lunch or summer salad to bring to parties. Dressed with a yummy honey chipotle lime dressing for vibrant, bright flavor. It stays good in the fridge for days and can be made ahead of time.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins

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healthy mango black bean quinoa salad in a bowl with a spoon

I’m just getting home from a gorgeous weekend in Minnesota. Tony and I walked around Lake Calhoun, and it took me back to when I was around 9 or 10; my mom used to bring me along 20 mile bike rides along the different paths that connected the Minnesotan lakes. We had the best times together cruising around the city in search of different outdoor adventures. In fact, we did everything together. Just us two girls. We’d make breakfast, bake pies, do crafts, shop at the Hispanic market, go on long summer bike rides, take workout classes, go to movies, etc.

My mom has inspired many recipes on this site; her love of cooking and flavor creativity is as strong as mine. When I first started my blog, I was living at home after college and packing all of my mom’s lunches and planning our dinners. She was my taste tester and allowing me to meal prep and cook always meant that we had healthy meals available. We’d make huge batches of chili with corn muffins, strawberry banana quesadillas for breakfast, skinny banana muffins and her personal favorite: butternut squash black bean enchiladas skillet.

Another favorite of hers? My always different, yet delicious and healthy quinoa salads. This mango black bean quinoa salad is a recipe I know my mom would just adore. It’s simple, beautiful, seasonal and stays good for days. It tastes like a little fiesta in your mouth and yes Mom, I made it just for you. It’s vegetarian, healthy and perfect for packing for lunches.

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healthy mango black bean quinoa salad in a bowl on top of a linen

Ingredients in this mango quinoa salad

We’re packing aaall of the delicious summer produce into this easy, flavorful quinoa salad, and tossing it in the BEST honey chipotle lime dressing. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:

  • Quinoa: the base of this salad is, of course, nutty, delicious quinoa!
  • Black beans: we’re getting plenty of plant-based protein from a can of black beans.
  • Produce: this quinoa salad is so fresh thanks to mango, a red bell pepper, creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, red onion, and a jalapeño.
  • For the dressing: the easy honey chipotle lime dressing is made with olive oil, fresh lime juice, honey, dijon mustard, chipotle chili powder, garlic, salt & pepper. To keep the dressing vegan simply swap the honey for pure maple syrup.
  • To garnish: I like to top my salad with extra cilantro and pepitas.

pouring dressing into a bowl of mango black bean quinoa salad

Customize your salad

This mango black bean quinoa salad is so easy to customize with whatever you have available! Here are some substitutions I can recommend:

  • For the quinoa: feel free to swap the quinoa for another grain like farro, barley, orzo, or pearl couscous.
  • For the mango: I think pineapple would be a great alternative if you’re looking for a swap.
  • For the black beans: feel free to use a can of chickpeas if you’d like!
  • Add a savory boost: I love adding crumbled feta, goat cheese, or cotija cheese for an extra savory element in the salad.

Looking for more protein?

You can absolutely add more black beans if you’d like, or try one of these non-vegan proteins:

healthy mango black bean quinoa salad in a bowl with a spoon

How to make the best fluffy quinoa for salads

I know how difficult it can be to make the PERFECT quinoa, but I have a tried and true method for making super fluffy. It’s perfect for quinoa salads & side dishes, and will be your new go-to method. Get all of my tips & tricks here to make the best quinoa every time!

Mango black bean quinoa salad in 4 steps

  1. Cook your quinoa. Start by using my method above to cook your quinoa until it’s nice and fluffy.
  2. Chop your veggies. While the quinoa is cooking, chop up all of the beautiful produce and add it to a large bowl. Add the cooled quinoa along with the veggies.
  3. Make the dressing. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and pour it over the salad.
  4. Toss, garnish & serve. Toss everything together well, garnish with cilantro and pepitas, and serve it up!

healthy mango quinoa salad in a bowl with a spoon

Storing tips

Store this mango quinoa salad in an airtight container in the fridge, without or without the dressing, for up to 4-5 days. The acidity from the lime juice will help the avocado stay fresh! However, if you’re worried about the avocado getting brown, I suggest adding it right before serving.

The dressing will also stay good in a container in the fridge for up to one week as well.

More quinoa salad recipes you’ll love

Get all of my salad recipes here!

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram. You can also leave a comment and rate the recipe below so other readers know how you liked it. xo!

Fiesta Mango Black Bean Quinoa Salad

4.93 from 26 votes
Leave A Review Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Serves4 servings
This healthy mango black bean quinoa salad with avocado will be your favorite easy lunch or summer salad to bring to parties. Dressed with a yummy honey chipotle lime dressing for vibrant, bright flavor. It stays good in the fridge for days and can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients

  • For the quinoa:
  • ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • For the salad:
  • 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
  • 1 large mango, diced (about 1 heaping cup diced mango)
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • ½ cup diced cilantro
  • ¼ cup finely diced red onion
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
  • For the honey lime chipotle dressing:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder, plus more if you like things a little spicy
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • To garnish:
  • Extra cilantro
  • Pepitas

Instructions

  • Add water and quinoa to a medium pot and place over high heat; bring mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for exactly 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove pot from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, chop all your fruits & veggies. Once done, add them to a large bowl along with your cooked quinoa.
  • In a separate small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing: olive oil, fresh lime juice, honey, dijon, chipotle chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper. 
  • Pour dressing all over the quinoa salad and toss to combine. Garnish with extra cilantro and pepitas if you’d like. Serve at room temp or cold. Salad with stay good for 4-5 days in the fridge. Serves 4.

Recipe Notes

To make vegan: Use maple syrup or coconut palm syrup instead of honey in the dressing.
See the full post for tips, tricks & ways to customize this salad!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 415kcalCarbohydrates: 58.4gProtein: 12.9gFat: 15.7gSaturated Fat: 2gFiber: 11gSugar: 12.2g
mango quinoa salad unmixed in a bowl

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