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 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.
Ingredient and Equipment Notes
You’ll just need a small handful of ingredients for this quinoa salad recipe. I particularly appreciate that the dressing is incredibly simple, just 3 ingredients, that I often have on hand.
- 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.
- Black Beans: simple canned black beans are perfect. I usually try to buy low-sodium beans when available.
- 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.
- 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!
Instructions
- 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
Serving Suggestions
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.
More quinoa recipes you might like:
Roasted Sweet Potato Chicken Quinoa Salad
Tabbouleh (this recipe uses bulgar wheat, but is great with quinoa as well)
Curried Cashew Quinoa Salad
Coconut Almond Breakfast Quinoa
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Black Bean and Mango Quinoa Salad
Description
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.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (2/3 cup dry quinoa)
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked 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. 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. 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.
Questions & Reviews
Gotta be honest. I usually skim through all the pics first and then go back and read. And when I saw that pic of the girl, I thought it was you! And then I wondered why you were in a prom dress…
Thats so funny, I have thought since the beginning of the season that Olivia looks like you (or vice versa). She’s definitely my favorite.
This salad looks amazing. I’ve just recently been trying quinoa in some recipes so I’m glad to have a new one to try. The first one was out of the joy of cooking cookbook and it looked good and in reality was good but it just didn’t have quite as much flavor as I would have liked. It was some sort of stuffed acorn squash or something like that. I know that flavor won’t be a problem with you though. Thats one thing I can always count on. lol. I really appreciate that about your recipes.
A. I am totally going to make this. B. You do look like Olivia or maybe she looks like you………..Go Purple.
Can I just say that I think you ladies are so hilarious!! I love, love how real you are. Thanks for making me smile while reading this (and every other post of yours. 🙂
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!!!
THANKS! I actually have all those ingredients! It’s a miracle! I also think Olivia is my favorite, although I really want to see Jay go far. Love that show!
This looks so yummy! And it’s really pretty too 🙂
I’m so thrilled to have this recipe! I saw Ali make this on the show and immediately after watching I went searching on the internet for a recipe. Never found one. Thank you so much!
I love that show and saw this recipe and had wondered if it was good. We use quiona, but we have never tried it with fruit. I can’t wait to try it tonight since we have all the ingredients. I recommend the Biggest Loser to anyone. It inspired me to run a half marathon two years ago and now I like to work out while I watch it (occasionally I eat treats too, but I do try to work out 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.
P.S. Olivia is my favorite too. That girl rocks.
YUM! cant wait to give it a go…
Oh this looks fantastic-it’s supposed to be beautiful and warm next week-this is so going on my grocery list!
I’m on team Olivia too. Love that show, I cry almost every week. What happened to Michael, The Italian Stallion, from 2 seasons ago? We loved him!
This looks so easy. The only problem: I live in a tiny town and the grocery stores have a limited selection of produce. Maybe I’ll find more good stuff once the farmer’s markets get going again.
Bummer Erin! But you could totally substitute just about anything in there. Even the mangoes could be something sweet like peaches or pineapple.
Great tip … I’m trying that pineapple substitution since I have one to use up soon 🙂
I LOVE the Biggest Looser. I have been watching it for several years and am soooo addicted. And I too love the sisters! They are so funny! I have last night’s episode DVRed and am excited to watch it tonight.
Oh and this quinoa salad looks tasty. I have been on a real quinoa kick lately and have been attempting many new recipes recently. I even did my own write up all about quinoa about a month ago and shared a recipe Carrot, Tomato, and Spinach Quinoa Pilaf!
http://www.kitchen-concoctions.com/2011/04/quinoa-ancient-crop-with-modern-recipe.html
This looks gorgeous, fresh, healthy and delicious! I will be making it soon. You gals rock!
This recipe looks so good 🙂 Love how colorful it is. And I’m totally a limey person 😀
What a lovely combo of flavors for a quinoa salad! This looks so light, refreshing and just delicious, Sara! Not to mention simple. Thanks for sharing!
I just love you Sara! Your post bio’s are so funny and entertaining. Biggest Loser is my fave show too, and the purple sisters to boot! – It has to be one of the best seasons yet! How lucky you are to look like Olivia – you’re both Gorgeous!
PS – how about a post on a great oatmeal cookie recipe – lower in fat (no shortening please) and full of yummy things like vanilla, coconut, raisins, nuts, spices etc. I’m still debating about which is best: old fashioned oats or quick minute oats in oatmeal cookies. I searched the website for an oatmeal cookie recipe and couldn’t find one.
How about a Mac-n-cheese recipe too? Couldn’t find that recipe either.
Thanks!!!
Hey Julie, I love this recipe for Caulifloewr Mac and Cheese. I have made it twice and it’s really good. Plus, it’s a healthy version! 🙂
http://section89.blogspot.com/2011/02/cauliflower-mac-and-cheese.html
This is another great mac & cheese recipe. I even tested it on my son & his friends & they all enjoyed it.
https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0AYSBzGE0caIxZGZjc3h0d3FfNTZkbTV4NzJkbg&sort=name&layout=list&pid=0B2pRYLE8Yn0ZMWI1MTQyYmYtYzE1Yy00MzJjLTkwNGMtOWRiYjUzMTA0YzIz&cindex=53
I can’t wait to make this one! Perfect for summer!
I don’t know how I missed this episode (or at least the recipe part of it) but this salad looks fantastic! I LOVE quinoa, and mangoes, and just about everything in this salad… looks like I know what dinner is tonight! YUM-O!
You probably fast forwarded it like I usually do at those parts, lol.
OKAY!!!!! This is HILARIOUS! We watch Biggest Loser EVERY week and the Purple SISTERS are my FAVORITE! 🙂 I just LOVE them! 🙂 ANDDDDDD. . . when they made this salad I looked it up on the Biggest Loser website and put it in my “to make” list! 🙂 Great to be able to see pretty pictures to go with the recipe now! 🙂
Beautiful salad. I love how colorful it is. I’ve been meaning to give quinoa a try, I may start with this recipe.
This looks so colorful and delicious! I love quinoa and have been eating warm quinoa dishes over this past winter… Now it’s time to make cold quinoa salads like this one! Thanks for the fabulous recipe!
That looks so refreshingly summer! I can’t wait to try it – I’m even willing to swap my first born for that gorgeous red pepper!
Katherine D. Your firstborn must be a teenager 😀