This Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Salad is a healthy and filling quinoa salad with cumin-roasted sweet potatoes and quick oil and lime vinaigrette. Perfect as a side dish or a healthy lunch!
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Why You'll Love This Salad
I am currently obsessed with quinoa salads. I have a batch of cooked quinoa in my fridge at all times and use it in meatless tacos, enchiladas, and salads. It's a healthy protein source and combined with beans and vegetables makes for a delicious and filling dish.
This Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Salad is a family favorite right now! It's simple to make and I can store it in individual containers for a healthy lunch throughout the week or as a side dish to grilled chicken. It's wonderful in lettuce cups or tossed with chopped kale too!
Ingredients:
- sweet potatoes - The star of this recipe! I cut the potatoes into chunks, toss them with oil and spices, and roast them.
- quinoa - You can use my recipe for cooking quinoa in the Instant Pot (it takes only 1 minute of cooking time!!) or make it on the stove.
- black beans - You will need one can or 1 and ½ cups of home-cooked beans.
- whole kernel corn - You will need one can. Drain the water and rinse the corn before adding to the salad. Fresh is great too and can be roasted along with the potatoes! I do not like frozen and thawed-out corn in this salad
- onion - I prefer red onion for salads. You can use sweet or yellow, whatever you prefer.
- olive oil - It's a base for the dressing. Use avocado oil, if you prefer.
- lime juice - Freshly squeezed juice is best here.
- spices - cumin, paprika, salt, pepper
- garlic - I prefer fresh, minced garlic. Use garlic powder if you are in a pinch.
- Tajin seasoning - This ingredient is not necessary but definitely recommended. It is made with ground dried chile peppers, dehydrated lime, and sea salt.
How to make roasted sweet potato quinoa salad?
This healthy and filling salad is very easy to make. It's perfect for meal prep lunch or dinners, when you want something filling but healthy. Here is how to make it:
- Start with roasting sweet potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, and cumin. They will have a delicious Mexican flair!
- Add one can of rinsed and drained black beans, one can of drained whole kernel corn, chopped red onion, and 2 cups of cooked quinoa.
- The dressing is as simple as the salad! Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, paprika, and Tajin seasoning. Pour over salad and toss together.
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How to roast sweet potatoes for this salad?
Roasting sweet potatoes for a salad or as a simple side dish to your meal prep dishes is very easy. Simply peel potatoes and cut them into cubes, no bigger than ½". Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, and ground cumin. Roast at 400 degrees F for 20 to 23 minutes. Use right away or cool and add to your salad. You can also store them in a container with a lid in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The dressing:
I have plenty of salad recipes with creamy dressings, either mayo-based or healthier with sour cream. For this sweet potato salad, I decided to use a simple olive oil vinaigrette that perfectly complements the potatoes, beans, and quinoa. Mix 4 to 5 tablespoons of olive oil with lime juice, salt, cumin, paprika, minced garlic, and tajin seasoning. The last one is optional but I love it in this dressing and even add a little more sprinkled over each serving.
Helpful Tips!
- I love this salad with slightly warm quinoa and warm roasted potatoes but it is absolutely delicious chilled in the fridge and can be divided into serving containers.
- If using fresh corn, add it to roasting potatoes. It will give it an even more delicious flavor.
- If you don't like raw red onion, skip it. Use a sweet one, if you prefer.
- To make the salad ahead, you can keep the dressing separate in a bottle and toss it with all the ingredients before serving.
More salad recipes:
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Roasted Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Salad recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 15 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
- 15 oz. can whole kernel corn rinsed and drained
- 1 small red onion chopped
for the dressing:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or chili powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon Tajin seasoning optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel sweet potatoes. Slice into ½" thick disk and cut each into 4 or 6 pieces.1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes
- Drizzle olive oil over potatoes. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Toss gently to coat.2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Roast for 20 to 23 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
- In a large salad bowl, combine corn, black beans, chopped red onion, quinoa and potatoes.2 cups cooked quinoa, 15 oz. can black beans, 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, 1 small red onion
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and gently toss.4 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground paprika, ¼ teaspoon black pepper or chili powder, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, ½ teaspoon Tajin seasoning
- Serve right away or cover with saran wrap and store in fridge for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Tajin seasoning is optional but worth trying. You can also sprinkle it over each serving. It is a seasoning made with ground chile peppers, salt and dehydrated lime juice.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Lisa Cooper says
This is a wonderful summer dish! Tasty and colorful presentation. I paired it with sockeye salmon drizzled in olive oil and lime juice and my guests raved. Making it the day before took all the stress out of the dinner party. Thank you, Anna!
Anna says
That sounds absolutely delicious and beautiful too! Thank you for giving my recipe a try, Lisa!
Michelle says
this is so delicious, thank you for sharing! the Tajin spice adds just the perfect tang that would otherwise be missing.
Anna says
Thank you so much, Michelle!
Ilka says
Just made this to have for lunches at work this week. Can't wait to enjoy it!
Norma Heitman says
Made this recipe and loved it! Never heard of Tajin before so ordered from Amazon.
Follow a WFPB diet, so cooked the potatoes without the oil and used 1/2 the amount of olive oil in the dressing. It was still delicious! Also I roasted the corn with the potatoes…..yum!
This will be a favorite of ours!
Ashley says
This looks amazing. I see you said serve right away or put into fridge. Does that mean this salad can be served cold as well? Or is it best served warm?
Catherine Rohl says
I made this for dinner. I didn't have tajin seasoning so had to leave it out. I should have used less red onion. Even though it was a small red onion, it was still too much. One thing I did try which seems to work for me is I added a couple Tbsps. of maple syrup to the bowl. It only took a small amount and adds that missing sweetness to it.
Anna says
Thank you for making my recipe, Catherine!
Catherine Rohl says
You're welcome and thank you for the great recipe!
Amanda says
Are these calories per-person?
Anna says
The nutritional value is just an estimate. It is per serving. Please, use a calorie calculator you are familiar with.
Shama Mahmood says
Hello, I loved your recipe! It’s so hard to find food that can taste good and help my IBS. I just wanted to ask, in the picture there is some kind to fresh herb on the salad. Which herb is it? Or could you perhaps suggest a herb that would pair well with the salad?
Anna says
Hi Shama! I always use chopped parsley but cilantro in this salad would work too. I hope this helps!
Mary says
First recipe I have made of yours and it won't be the last. The flavors all worked so well together. The Tajin was perfect in the dressing.
Anna says
I am so glad you enjoyed the salad, Mary! Thank you so much for trying my recipe!
yvonne says
amazing!!! wow will make it again, great recipe!!!
L Renner says
Loved this! I made it as written except for vidalia onion vs, red as that was what I had on hand. Thanks for sharing!
Karen says
I made this as written (with the exception of corn due to diverticulosis) and, oh my, it was delicious. I took my first bite and then added another large spoonful to my bowl! I can imagine that the corn would have been a great addition but I thought the balance of flavors was perfect. This will definitely be a favorite go to. Thank you!
Marylin says
Easy to make, tastes delicious 🤤. Made it exactly to recipe.. thank you 👏👏
Rebecca says
We’ve made this SO MANY TIMES! Everyone loves it!
Anna says
Yay! I am so glad! Thank you so much, Rebecca!
Ella says
This looks tasty! Might have to try this out for the family.
Anna says
I hope you love it, Ella!
Tracy says
I used Kale instead of corn. Very delicious! Keeping to use in the future! And I used Chipotle chili powder in the sauce 😋
Anna says
Thank you for making my recipe, Tracy!
Crystal says
Is this a cold salad? I have seen several comments about heating it up. I wanted to prep it for dinner tomorrow unless it is better to serve the potatoes after you cook them.