Mexican Quinoa Recipe
Loaded with black beans, tomatoes and corn, this one pot, dairy free Mexican quinoa recipe comes together in just over 30 minutes. It’s makes an awesome side dish for any meal or a filling, vegan main dish that’s perfect for weekday lunches. Makes 8 servings.
Super easy and tasty recipe! We do not add cilantro, but do enjoy topping with avocado slices. -Britt
Why I love this Mexican quinoa recipe
Quinoa is something that I’m not too familiar with. I had cooked it a few times before making this quinoa recipe, and I was pretty disappointed in it. I don’t think I even rinsed it properly. Then I found a box of pre-rinsed quinoa at the grocery store, and I was so excited.
I knew it would be a game changer, and it was. It was so simple – as easy to prepare as rice – but much more nutritional. (Of course, you can still make this with quinoa that you rinse yourself.)
Pair that with some Mexican mix-ins and you have a healthy, meatless meal. Or you can serve this as a side dish with your favorite fajitas recipe.
If you like this recipe, you have to try these easy refried black beans, and this Mexican street corn & cucumber salad and this roasted chili corn salsa. Plus, this is the best vegan queso – it would go great with this recipe for a topping option or with some tortilla chips as a side.
Searching for more salad style recipes? Give my roasted acorn squash salad, this summer farro salad, or this roasted vegetable pasta salad
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Toppings for this Mexican quinoa dish
The original recipe from this post suggested topping your quinoa with sour cream and cheese, which is obviously no good for a dairy free lifestyle, but luckily this was easily remedied. The actual recipe didn’t need any changing, and it is just as good without those milk-based toppings.
Feel free to top it with guacamole, your favorite aioli, or vegan cheese for an extra pop of flavor. I topped mine with a cilantro lime aioli, and it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever tasted. Recipe coming soon, I promise.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
The following is a detailed overview of the recipe steps with added tips and tricks for recipe success. For a simplified and printable version, including ingredient amounts and more formal instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to make Mexican quinoa
Sauté the garlic. This quinoa recipe is super easy. After sautéing some minced garlic in a tablespoon olive oil, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil.
Simmer. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer until the quinoa is cooked. Continue to cook for 20-25 minutes or until the liquids have fully absorbed.
Garnish and serve. When the quinoa is finished cooking, stir in the fresh cilantro – if you want – and you’re ready to serve. Top with guacamole or some homemade garlic aioli – or your favorite dairy free sour cream.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth*
- 1 cup uncooked (pre-rinsed quinoa)
- 1 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 15.5- ounce can black or pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish.)
Instructions
- In large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil to medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and sauté until fragrant – about 30 seconds.
- Add remaining ingredients (minus the cilantro) and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes.
- Stir in cilantro just before serving.
This looks amazing and your blog is gorgeous – I love it!
I just made this! BUT, as I was pouring in the rotel. ..I realized that oops…thats not rotel, I accidentally poured in enchilada sauce!! Hope its good! 😉
Interesting. I would love to know how it turns out. Let me know if you liked it! Maybe it was a good mistake 🙂
It turned out fantastic! I ended adding the Rotel also. I loved it!! Will definitely make again and again! 🙂
Awesome. Maybe I’ll accidentally throw some enchilada sauce in there next time I make it 🙂
This recipe was so good. My husband really loved it too. I will make again for sure. I recommend to give this one a try
Looks yummy… will give it a try asap!
This looks absolutely FABULOUS! I found your recipe over on Foodgawker. Your blog is now on my “must visit regularly” list 🙂
Cheers! Becca from ItsYummi.com
This looks delicious! One helpful hint that I found on pinterest! is to rinse the quinoa 3 times!! I mentioned this to a friend and the last time I saw her, she said she always thinks of me when she makes quinoa because it tasted so much better after rinsing it 3 times;-D Thanks for sharing your recipes!
You can buy frozen quinoa at Trader Joe’s that can just be microwaved 🙂 It’s super yummy. I could never get the rinsing right and my quinoa was always bitter.
That’s a great tip! Thanks 🙂
Hi Melissa! I made this recipe tonight, using ingredients I had at home. I skipped the oil, garlic and cilantro and used a 10oz can of Ro-tel. It was really easy, and delicious even with the changes. We’ll definitely be making it again! 🙂
I’m happy to hear that the recipe is easily adapted to suit different tastes (or what’s in the fridge)! I’m so glad you liked it. 🙂
Just made this and I was surprised how good it came out! I have been looking for a good Quinoa recipe, tried a few that didnt come out very good. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m happy to hear that you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to write such nice words! 🙂
I made this with no changes. It was a very tasty and hearty dish and was even better the next day! Thanks!
I made this with a can of Green Chili enchilada sauce instead of tomatoes and green chilis, and no cilantro (didn’t have any) and it was yummy! I added 1/2 cup of mild salsa. My entire family loved it. Thanks for a great recipe!
Awesome. Thanks for sharing your substitutions! It’s so nice to see how others make a recipe their own. Glad you liked it 🙂
I’m a fitness and nutrition coach. I’m always loooking for healthy recipes to share with my clients. This looks amazing!
Very good! I just used about 1 c of diced organic tomatoes from a jar so I needed to compensate and add more garlic and more salt. Oh, and I added chunked avocado to the bowl! But it got rave reviews from my kids. Love that!!!
I just made this! I left out the cheese and corn It was abdolutely delicious!I did all avocado with frest cilantro at the end. Ive posted a picture of it on my fb and ranted and waved to my friends! Thank you!!
This was sooooo good! The last time that I made quinoa, it was horrible. I came across this recipe, and thought that I’d give it another shot. This did not disappoint. It will make for a good Lenten meal. Thanks for sharing!
So glad I found you! Its hard to find a blog with yummy and healthy dinners! Thank you!
Thanks so much! That’s so nice to hear. I promise I will keep the healthy recipes coming.
This was so delicious! Thanks so much for sharing! I will definitely be making on a regular basis. I did add extra cumin and a diced jalapeño pepper. So good!
I made this a couple weeks ago and loved it! Thinking of trying in the crockpot…anyone tried that?
This recipe sounds great but I would be interested in seeing the nutritional information especially the sodium levels. Just reviewing the ingredients it looks like it would be very high.
I made this last night and it was absolutely amazaing. I used fresh tomatoes and japapeño peppers instead of Rotel and I added some oregano and a Tbs of lime juice at the end. I topped it with cubes avocado. It was divine (and I’m not even a quinoa person). Thanks for sharing the recipe.
This looks delicious, but I wish people would stop calling dishes with black beans “Mexican.” My wife is Mexican and she corrects anyone who calls a dish with black beans Mexican food. Black beans are a staple in Latin American cuisine such as South American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban food. Pinto beans, not black beans, are the staple of Mexican cooking.
I’m so sorry. I really wasn’t intending to upset anyone. I had no idea. I really considered it Mexican because of the cumin, cilantro, etc. Not just the beans, but pinto beans would be really great in this too. Maybe I could update the ingredients to include pinto beans as an alternative to the black beans 🙂
Hi, I have already cooked quinoa in the fridge want to make this tonight do you recommend adding the quinoa last since it’s already cooked I will be just heating it up so I won’t need all that liquid. What do you recommend?
That’s funny I own a house in Mexico and every restaurant there serves us black beans. Just because your wife is Mexican and probably grew up on refried beans doesn’t mean that’s the only thing they serve in Mexico. When I asked for refried beans at one restaurant they said that’s not beans these are.
I am Mexican, living in Mexico, and black beans are common. I would say black beans are more a staple in Southern Mexico and the Yucatan but they are used in dishes all over. A Google search confirms this.
This is a favorite with my husband and I! It’s so yummy, and makes enough for lunch the next day! I used to make something similar with white rice. I love that this recipe has quinoa- much better for you!
This is a a quick, easy, healthful meal that my husband and I really enjoyed last night. To make it even easier for me, I utilized my rice cooker for this quinoa dish. I sauteed the garlic in a small pan, then added it with the other ingredients (except for the toppings) into my rice cooker, put the lid on, flipped the switch to “cook” and in about 40 minutes our dinner was ready to eat. Thanks for a great recipe that I will be using again and again!
Awesome tip Faith! I bet it was so easy to just stick it in the machine and just wait for it to be done. I think I’ll give it a try next time I make this 🙂
I absolutely loved it, I added some grilled chicken! Delish, delish…
My ten year old granddaughter is allergic to gluten so it’s hard to find things she can eat. She loved this recipe and says quinoa is now her favorite thing to eat.
This recipe does not state that you should cover while it is simmering. If you go to the other site where this was adapted from you will see that you need to cover until almost all liquid is absorbed. I have crunchy quinoa 🙁 such a waste of money. Lesson learned.
I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out! I am going to amend the recipe to include specific instructions to cover. It was just an oversight on my part. I really hope you try it again sometime with the pot covered. I promise it’s worth it!
Just made this and it was wonderful! I just moved and didn’t have all of the ingredients so I substituted fresh tomatoes and a bell pepper for the canned diced tomatoes. I have struggled with properly cooking quinoa and almost gave up until I stumbled upon this on Pinterest last night and had to try it for lunch. Thanks for the help!
That’s so great Kelly! I’m really glad that the recipe worked for you even with your substitutions. I guess you’ll have to keep cooking quinoa now 🙂
This recipe was delcious! I added some red pepper flakes (a pinch) and some cayene pepper(1/4 tsp) to give it a little bit more of a spicy flavour, and it turned out awesome. Dad even ate it and hes no a quiona lover! 2 thumbs up! Thanks for the recipe!!
Made this for dinner tonight. Soo yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
How much would a serving be? Looks yummy, I want to try this out next week.
That really depends on how you serve it. If you’re serving it as a side dish, I’d say about 1 cup. But, if you’d like to serve it as a main dish, I would say closer to 2.
Así que voy a estar esperando para que escuchen su testimonio y
creer en Dios y creer en ti mismo y recordar ninguna condición de pago
es aceptable.
I have made this dozens of times and just wanted to thank you for the recipe! I like to use Mexican Ro-Tel with cilantro and lime to kick up the flavor a little more.
I didn’t even know they made that kind of Ro-Tel! I think I’ll have to try it next time. That sounds great!
Exactly how I made mine. I added an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice as well. I got this recipe from a friend in New Zealand and he suggested it is really good left over with sliced avocado which I will be trying soon. Thanks for a wonderful dish.
This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
This is one of my all time favorite recipes! Thank you so much for sharing! ?
Thank you! I love hearing that people enjoy my recipes 🙂 Thanks for brightening my day!
My mouth is watering. I want to eat that!
Absolutely love this recipe! So much flavour and healthy, can’t beat that!
This is so pretty! I love new quinoa recipes, so thank you for this one!
Love this version of Mexican Rice using Quinoa!!! A side dish we will be trying next taco night!!!
Love the recipe but just FYI you are advertising this as “vegan” but using chicken broth is not vegan. It’s a simple substitution but maybe mention that somewhere…?
Thank you! I definitely new that and meant to make that change, I just missed it. So sorry!
This was such a good recipe! So easy and so delicious! Wow!
With the serving size is it 1/2cup per person? Also it was a great recipe definitely keeper.
Vegans don’t do chicken broth, I’ll use veggie broth.
This is not a vegan recipe
Can’t wait to make this! Do you think I can double the recipe and freeze portions? Will it still taste good defrosted?
Super easy and tasty recipe! We do not add cilantro, but do enjoy topping with avocado slices 😋
I’ve made this several times. I absolutely love. I dice up half an avocado and add it too my bowl. Makes it even tastier.
What is the serving size? It’s blank in the nutritional information. Thanks! Great recipe! My picky 5 year old loved it!!
Hi Tammi, I do not have serving size information. I’ve been creating recipes for a very long time and this is one of my oldest ones. I did not have the thought to measure the serving sizes back then, but I do list the amount of servings we got out of this and have calculated the nutrition information based on that. You are more than welcome to measure the recipe and divide by the number of servings if that helps you. Unfortunately, I do not have the capacity to go back and remake/remeasure all of the recipes I’ve made before.