Mexican quinoa in a large bowl on a striped napkin with limes and cilantro, on a white background

Why you’ll love this Mexican quinoa

A woman in a pink sweater smiles widely while holding a dish of fresh salad with greens and strawberries, standing at a wooden table against a light background—perfectly capturing the inviting spirit of a food blog.

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 should try these: easy refried black beans / Mexican street corn & cucumber salad / roasted chili corn salsa / vegan queso

Aerial view of Mexican quinoa in a large skillet on a striped napkin with limes and cilantro, on a white background

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.

Close up view of Mexican quinoa in a large bowl on a striped napkin with limes and cilantro, on a white background

More side dish recipes →

→ If you like this recipe, you should try these: roasted acorn squash salad / summer farro salad / roasted vegetable pasta salad

4.83 from 17 votes

Mexican Quinoa

By: Melissa Belanger
This Mexican quinoa recipe is made with corn, black beans and diced tomatoes with chilies. It’s a great side dish or an healthy, vegan dinner idea.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8
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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.

Notes

*Use vegetable broth for vegan

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 690mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

A woman wearing a pink sweater smiles excitedly while holding a plate of fresh salad with greens and strawberries, standing at a wooden table beside a delicious turkey salad sandwich.

Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

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4.83 from 17 votes

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108 Comments

  1. Kelly says:

    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!

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      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 🙂

  2. Ashley says:

    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!!

  3. Dani says:

    Made this for dinner tonight. Soo yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

  4. Tamara Sanders says:

    How much would a serving be? Looks yummy, I want to try this out next week.

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      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.

  5. programa hacker facebook en español says:

    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.

  6. Andrea says:

    5 stars
    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.

    1. Melissa Belanger says:

      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!

      1. Gina S says:

        5 stars
        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.

  7. Megan says:

    This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!