Easy Vegan Mango & Black Bean Quinoa Salad – 3 Ingredient, Oil-Free Dressing
This is one of those recipes we love so much I can’t believe I haven’t already posted it. It doesn’t take long to put together, everyone likes it, and it even makes great leftovers. It only calls for 9 ingredients, 2 of which are water and salt!
So many quinoa salads, and salads in general call for a lot of oil in the dressing. But whole-foods plant based eating generally minimizes oil–oil is a processed food without real nutritional value. Fats delivered in nature’s original package such as avocados, nuts, seeds, etc. not only delivery essential fats but fiber and a whole lot of nutrition. And let’s be honest, we love this salad with some chips and salsa on the side. It’s a whole lot easier to leave the oil out of the salad than it is to find or make oil-free tortilla chips.
Kids Favorite Quinoa Salad
Health Benefits of Quinoa
Quinoa has had a surge of popularity in recent years, and with good reason. A 100 g serving is rich in protein, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, folate, iron, magnesium and more. 1 This makes quinoa a superfood for blood sugar issues, inflammation, and much more. 2
The Magic of Mangoes
Do not make this recipe without the mangoes! The sweetness of the mangoes is really important to the overall flavor of the recipe. You want to be sure to cut your mangoes on a cutting board that will trap the juice and allow you to add it to your salad. Frozen thawed mangoes will also work–I find that the frozen Costco mangoes are generally a bit large, so I cut them up after they thaw, making sure to get as much juice as possible into the end salad.
UPDATE: It’s also delicious with fresh peaches! But the sweet fruit mixed with the lime juice makes for the magical flavor combo.
Super Easy Dressing
I don’t know of many salads with an easier dressing than this! Fresh lime juice is ideal, but bottled will work in a pinch. I couldn’t believe what a difference this little tool makes–totally justifies the space it takes up!
This recipe is also very easy to customize–it’s delicious with diced red peppers, onion, and cilantro, but generally my family likes it without. I keep it simple with this bare bones list of ingredients and then toss in anything else I might have on hand. A few handfuls of spring mix or baby spinach are another way to boost the nutrition, but they wilt quickly and won’t be too pretty if you’re finishing off your salad the next day.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup lime juice from 1-2 limes, bottled will also work but may sacrifice some flavor
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 avocado peeled and diced
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 large mango diced
- 1 cup frozen super sweet corn thawed
Ingredients
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- Cook your quinoa according to package directions. See Instant Pot Instructions in Notes. Allow quinoa to cool--to cool quickly spread quinoa over a rimmed baking sheet.
- Meanwhile prepare your dressing and ingredients. Mix lime juice with salt and quinoa. Place black beans and corn in a colander and rinse/thaw by running warm water over. Peel and dice avocado and mango.
- When quinoa is moderately cool, mix with lime dressing. Add remaining ingredients. Salad can be served immediately or chilled.
Instant Pot Quinoa: Add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to the Instant Pot. Secure lid, press manual and use arrow buttons to cook for 1 minute at high pressure. Allow steam to release naturally for 10 minutes, then do a quick release and remove quinoa to bowl or baking sheet to cool.
The lime juice prevents avocado browning, but if you aren't going to serve the salad right away you may wish to add the avocado just before serving.
Optional add ins: Diced bell pepper, green or red onion, cilantro, leafy greens.