Sweet and spicy come together in this Quinoa Mango Black Bean Salad with a scrumptious Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette and Smoky Pepitas. Cook Black Beans from scratch and make this ahead, perfect for lunch, dinner, potluck or picnic. This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.
Table of Contents
A Hearty Salad for Lunch or Dinner
Vibrant color, flavor, texture and so hearty!
During the warmest of days, salads for lunch and dinner are made weekly around here. Too, I love having them on the ready should a picnic kind of mood strike. For this salad, there’s only a bit of cooking involved, and if needed, any of the cooked components can be made ahead during a meal prep sesh so it’s easy to pull together when dinner time comes.
This Mango Black Bean Salad is simple to make, packed with good for us ingredients that are filling and so satisfying. Suitable for a variety of diets, it’s vegetarian, vegan and gluten free which makes it easy to share.
There’s plenty going on in this salad to make mouths happy and tummies full.
Quick Guide: How to Make Quinoa Mango Black Bean Salad
Use canned or homemade cooked black beans in this salad, whatever fits your schedule. Look for ripe mangos and avocados that give just a bit when their skin is gently pressed. They need to be softish, yet still firm. In summary, here’s how to make the salad (see recipe card for full recipe):
- First, put the quinoa on to cook. When done, transfer to the fridge to chill.
- Second, toss the pepitas with salt, paprika and olive oil, then toast in the oven.
- Meanwhile, chop the spinach, onion, cilantro and dice the mango.
- Next, make the chipotle lime vinaigrette in a food processor.
- Last, put all the ingredients together, toss and top with sliced avocado.
If making ahead, hold out the avocados and add just before serving. Otherwise they tend to brown a bit.
How to Cut a Mango?
I’ve struggled with knowing how to cut a mango. So I did a bit of searching for mango kitchen hacks and found a video on YouTube that shows several mango cutting techniques. My world will never be the same! Finding it easier to get to the good stuff, I’m enjoying mangos more often.
With my newfound knowledge of mango cutting, a batch of homemade black beans and fresh spinach from the Farmer’s Market, this salad was next on my agenda.
Pro Tips
- This salad’s flavor improves with a bit of time. If holding the salad in the fridge before serving, add the avocado just before sharing as it tends to brown a bit otherwise.
- The chipotle lime vinaigrette calls for chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Look for cans on the Mexican food isle of your grocery store, gluten free if needed. It’ll last for weeks in the fridge, and store for months in the freezer. Use your leftovers in Vegan Black Bean Dip or easy Mexican salsa.
- Make Ahead: the quinoa can be made up to two days in advance, and the toasted pepitas, up to a week in advance. Cook Black Beans from scratch up to a week in advance and freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
More Hearty Make Ahead Salads to Love
- Forbidden Rice Salad with Mango and Coconut Curried Dressing
- Spinach Brown Rice Salad
- Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
- Summer Quinoa Veggie Salad
- Lemon Orzo Salad
Quinoa Mango Black Bean Salad with Chipotle Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 C (195g) Quinoa rinsed under running water
- 1 3/4 C (420g) Water
- 1/2 C (70g) Pepitas
- 1/2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp Fine Sea Salt divided
- 1/4 tsp Smoky Paprika
- 1 3/4 C (300g) Cooked Black Beans rinsed, drained, about one 15 oz can
- 3/4 C (70g) Purple/Red Onion small diced, about 1/2 an onion
- 2 C (330g) Mangos diced, about one mango* (see note)
- 2 C (90g) Baby Spinach chopped and packed
- 4 Tbs Cilantro finely chopped
- 2 Avocados diced just before serving
For The Dressing (makes 1/2 C):
- 1/2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Chipotle Pepper in adobo sauce** gluten free if needed
- 2 tsp Adobo Sauce
- 2 Tbs Lime Juice fresh squeezed, about two limes + more for serving
- 1/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cumin
- 15 Stems of Fresh Cilantro leafless stem part removed
- 1/4 C (50g) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
For the Salad:
- In a small saucepan, bring quinoa and water to a boil, turn to low and simmer uncovered for 13-14 minutes. Remove from heat, stir, cover and let set for 5 minutes. The quinoa is ready when all the water is absorbed, and the quinoa is tender with it's 'tails' showing. Remove lid and place in refrigerator while the rest of the salad is being prepared.
- Preheat oven to 325F (163C). Toss pepitas with olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and paprika. Toast pepitas for about 8-9 minutes. They'll be slightly golden and fragrant when ready. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl combine the chilled quinoa, beans, onion, mango* (see note), spinach, cilantro, pepitas and the remaining 1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt. Set aside.
For the Dressing:
- In a food processor, combine the apple cider vinegar, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, lime juice, salt, cumin and cilantro. With the processor on, pour in the olive oil. Process until smooth. Set aside.
To Assemble:
- If time is available, dress the salad about an hour before service. The flavors will come together as it sets in the fridge. Drizzle 3/4 of the dressing over the salad and toss well. Taste to see if more dressing is desired and adjust as needed. Add a few twists of fresh ground pepper and adjust salt as needed.
- Just before serving, dice the avocado and gently toss into the salad. Store the salad in a lidded container for up to two days in the refrigerator. Longer and the mango tends to get a bit soggy.
JennyG
I discovered Vanilla and Bean years ago when I found the original version of this recipe. This is to blame for my pepita addiction. I lost my taste for smoky so I haven’t made this recipe in ages. The urge hit me tonight so I recreated it using a combo of smoked paprika and chili powder instead of adobo. I used papaya instead of mango because it was what looked best in the produce section. It was delish! Great recipe.
Traci York
Hi Jenny! Oh my aren’t pepitas soooo good?! Papaya sounds delicious in this. Thank you for writing and your five star review!
jennifer silverton
hi.. making this salad today for a family get-together.. just realizing some family members do not care for cilantro.. do you think I could make this with basil?Thank you
Traci York
Hi Jennifer! Since cilantro and basil have very different flavor profiles, I’d leave the cilantro off and serve it on the side for those that want it. I wouldn’t use basil in this salad. I hope this helps and y’all enjoy the salad!
kristin
I make a grain salad about twice a week and this one was a winner! It was hearty with great textures and the slightly tangy, smoky dressing was fantastic. We loved this so much and the only change was walnuts instead of pepitas. Thank you!
Traci York
SO excited, Kristin! Thank you for your note and giving the salad a go! The walnuts sound delish. I looove a good hearty grain salad too :D
Sue
We loved this salad and it has been added to our family favourites list. Tasted great the next day too.
Traci
So, SO happy to read your note, Sue! Thank you!
Tara
With 1/2 a can of black beans and 1/2 a mango I came to my new favorite blog looking for a Summer salad to make. This recipe jumped out at me. I had all the ingredients except the Chipotle Chilies so I replaced them with pimento, Chipotle Chili Powder and some smoked paprika. It turned out great…another keeper!
Tara
I made1/2 recipe
Traci
Hi Tara! So happy to hear you enjoyed this hearty salad. Thank you for your note and sharing your tips – those are fantastic subs!
John Nelson
This salad was so good that I decided to subscribe. The flavours were fantastic and I’ll be making this one a staple. I used frozen mango and added some arugula other than that followed the recipe to a tee and it was great! Thank you.
Traci
Hi John! Thank you for subscribing, coming back to leave a note and sharing the frozen mango tip! Hooray for a tasty salad… the arugula sounds like a lovely addition!
Phyllis
I would like to make this recipe this week, as the weather is supposed to be very hot and this looks refreshing. However, we do not like “chipotle anything” – can you suggest a substitute?
Traci
Hi Phyllis! You can give my Jalapeño Lime dressing a go in this recipe: . https://vanillaandbean.com/black-bean-sweet-potato-quinoa-salad-smoky-pepitas-roasted-jalapeno-lime-dressing/#wprm-recipe-container-15214. I hope this helps.
Susan
I make your recipes at least 4 times per week and rotate them in and out during the year. This one is a knockout (as usual) because of the incredibly different flavor profile of the sauce. It’s unlike any vegetarian recipe I’ve ever had. Yum! Will be making again and again!
Traci
Hi Susan! Your note made my day! Thank you for coming back and sharing your thoughts :D SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the blog and this salad! Isn’t that dressing so saucy?!
Julie B
The best dang salad ever! Considering this is my first recipe from your website, I can’t wait to try more!
6 servings is correct, but the prep time took longer. I made the quinoa a day ahead.
Traci
SO happy to hear, Julie! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! Prep time is such a challenge for me to reflect given individual experience/efficiencies in the kitchen. With this recipe I find there’s overlap in cooking and prep, so total time is more accurate than prep time alone. I hope this makes sense.
Hansi
This was fabulous! I just finished the last of it for lunch after having it for lunch yesterday and serving it for dinner the night before. I had to half the recipe becuase there are only two of us but couldn’t leave half of a perfectly ripe mango so I put the whole thing in. I also made a full batch of the dressing and pepitas to have extra for other uses. Thank you for posting this.
Traci
Hi Hansi! Thank for your note and sharing! So happy you enjoyed the recipe – I love this for dinner too. Isn’t that dressing so nice? The extra mango sounds wonderful! It just adds so much to this salad.
Nathan Seamist
The salad looks really good Traci and if you can add one more item with red color it would even looks better… It’s a healthy salad…. !Good Job Traci
Traci
Hi Nathan! Thank you for your note and kind words. I bet red bell pepper would be an amazing addition! Appreciate your suggestion :D
Nikk
This was delicious! Such a great combination of flavors . Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Traci
Hiii Nikk! So happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you for coming back and leaving a note! :D
Dave Foster
Best. Salad. Ever.
With only 3 in the house I initially thought that I’d cut back on quantity but in the end made according to the recipe. Will make a few tweaks next time (prefer more chipotle) but the mix of flavours and textures is top notch.
Had to fight the others off for seconds and lunch is sorted for tomorrow now as well.
Traci
Hahaha! Hi Dave! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a note… OMGee, I lol “fight the other off!” So happy to hear and yessss on more chipotle! I often hold back on the blog because I can get carried away with it. So happy to hear you and family are enjoying it!
Jesse
I’ve had this on my to-make list for quite a while and just got to. It was so good!! I added a small clove of garlic to the dressing, something about cilantro and lime always makes me want garlic too. Next time I’ll try adding cojita to the finished salad, but I’m all for cheese! I also had to make a couple slight tweaks due to what was in my pantry, I only had red quinoa which worked, but I’d use regular if I had the choice, it was a little more dominant of a flavor with red. I also had roasted and salted pepitas in my pantry, so I just dry roasted them in frying pan with the smoked paprika and that worked great, was quick and kept my kitchen cooler.
This was my first recipe off of your blog and I’ll definitely be back for more!!
Traci
Thank you for coming back and leaving a note, Jesse! So happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your tip, too, regarding the salted pepitas. Cojita sounds like a fabulous addition!
Sara
That was delicious! I used basil since I didn’t have cilantro on hand, and sunflower seeds instead of pepitas. Yum!
Traci
So happy to hear, Sara! Thank you for your note and tips on your subs!
Barbara
So delicious!!
Traci
Thank you Barbara!
Alissa
Made this last night, and we are obsessed! Loved the spiciness of the chipotles with the sweetness of the mango and the tanginess of the lime. By far our most favourite quinoa salad to date (and we make lots)! Thank you for this beautiful recipe, we’ll be sure to enjoy it many times! :)
Traci
Love to read this Alissa! Thank you for coming back and leaving a note! Aren’t the chipotles so nice?
Stacey M
This recipe is about using the best ingredients. I made & enjoyed the salad last night. However, the mangoes weren’t very good. Next time I’ll sub whichever fruit is the best…strawberries would have been great…in season & superfresh.
Sincere thanks for this yummy recipes.
Traci
Thank you for your note, Stacey! Agreed, in season ingredients always taste best!
Jigna
I finally got around to making this…what had enticed me were all the healthy ingredients, plus the spiced pepitas (which I’ve become addicted to)! But, I ran out of mangoes couple days ago, which I’d been buying every week for the last few months. Go figure! So, I subbed by using apples instead. Wow, so delicious!! I can only imagine it would be equally, if not more, delicious with the mangoes (which I’d had my heart set on)! No worries…I’ll definitely be making this salad often, plus my weekly shopping day is tomorrow to get the mangoes. Thanks for sharing the delicious recipe.
Traci
Thank you for your note Jigna! Wow – what a delicious sub. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Now, about those mangos… I hope you were able to locate one!
Kym
Made it for dinner last night and loved it! Thank you for sharing.
Traci
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing Kym! :D
Lillian
Hello Traci, this recipe looks incredible. I’ve bought all ingredients, including the Chipotle Pepper adobo sauce, but I’m missing the adobo sauce. Do you think you could explain to me as to what it is and where I can find it?
Thank you in advance,
Lillian
Traci
Hey Lillian.. the adobo sauce is in the can with the chipotle peppers. Just scoop out the sauce needed and you have your adobo sauce. I hope this helps!
Lillian
Ohhh, yes! It makes complete sense now, thank you so much!
Caitie
I’m going on a ski trip and want to bring this with me. Can I make the dressing ahead of time and shake it up in a mason jar 2 days later?
Traci
Hey Caitie! Make the salad, but hold out the mango, avocado and dressing. When you’re ready, cut the mango and avo then dress the salad. It’ll be delicious!
Caitie
I made the dressing last night and toasted some pumpkin seeds. I’ll make it the rest tomorrow before dinner time. The dressing seems fine in the fridge this morning. Thanks :)
Marieda
Loooooved it!!! Made it tonight. I made it more like a giant salad. Used more spinach. Reposted to my favorites!
Traci
Thank you for your note Marieda! Hooray! :D
Jessica
This is yummy. I made it pretty close to as is, no oil in dressing but then a lot more lime juice! And I wanted to make this lighter yet filling so I used loads of spinach as a salad base. The sweet mango and spicy chipotle is perfect together! Thanks.
Have you ever tried making quinoa in a rice cooker? I do a 3:1 water:quinoa and it comes out perfectly in a rice cooker!
Traci
Thank you for your notes, Jessica! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. I’ve not tried making quinoa in a rice cooker. Thank you for your tip!
Chris Greek
Hi Traci!
As always, your photographs are inspiring – I genuinely get the peaceful feeling just looking at them! Now the pics of this salad, this has brought on stomach rumbles and the distinct feeling of “I NEED this salad NOW!”
I do have one quick question, though. As with a lot of ingredients in recipes, my remote arctic grocery store does not carry extensive products (the produce section is as big as a large sofa). I do have frozen mango chunks (which have become MY favourite way of cutting up a mango! LOL) and was wondering if I dried them really well once they are thawed, would they work in this salad? Fresh cilantro – or any herb, to be honest, is also something we will never get, so I am going to add a bit of freeze-dried to the dressing to help infuse the flavours.
What is your opinion on the frozen mango? This salad just looks far too good to just dismiss because I have to get creative. Thx! Chris
Traci
Hi Chris! So nice to hear from you and thank you for your kind comments! :D Use those frozen mango chunks. Thaw them in a colander, so the moisture will drain off a bit and then toss them in just before serving. It’ll be fine. Freeze-dried herbs to the dressing is smart… it will add to the deliciousness for sure. I hope you enjoy it and good for you being creative and diligent! Thank you for writing! :D
Bettina
Good Morning! I have a question about packing this for a picnic- we’re taking our daughter down to college in Georgia in a couple of weeks, and it’s a 12 hour drive for us. This looks perfect lunch for us – make the night before and eat it on the road, but I have a question regarding the mangoes- do they keep well for that long in the salad? Or should I cut them just before serving when I cut up the avocado? Thank you!!!
Traci
Hi Bettina! Oh what an event! A picnic will be a fabulous addition to your long trip. For this salad, I would hold the mango out and add it with the avocado. After an overnight rest and start to a road trip, I’m afraid the salad would be a bit soggy.. still good, but not quite as fresh! Wishing you and your family fun during this transition. Thank you for writing! :D
Shannon
Hi Traci,
Somehow I lost track of your blog for a while but, trust me, I’m all signed up now! Every recipe looks so beautiful! This is a gorgeous site and I can’t wait to start creating some of these amazing dishes, starting with this one. :) Thanks so much.
Traci
Awh, thank you Shannon, that means so much! I hope you enjoy the salad. It is fabulous! :D
Toni
I made this salad….. it was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you for sharing!
Traci
Hooray Toni! Thank YOU for sharing! So happy you enjoyed it! :D
Heather
Thanks for the excellent recipe! Made it this morning as I just happened to have all the ingredients….got a text from my 22 year old son who took some to work for his lunch …..’ thanks for the delicious lunch Mom!’ -It’s a hit! WIll be filing this one to use again for sure! Thanks again!
Traci
Oh that’s great, Heather! Thank you for letting us know and I’m so happy it’s a hit! Welcome! :D
mimi
I burnt myself out on quinoa about 25 years ago when my husband was a vegetarian, but this is still a lovely salad, with lovely goodies. Love your dressing. And spectacular photos!
Traci
Oh no! Perhaps give this a go with brown rice or consider leaving the quinoa out? Thank you so much Mimi!
Ben Maclain | Havocinthekitchen
I do love quinoa and mango, but I’ve never incorporated them together. Perhaps, I should steal this lovely idea, haha:) That’s the absolutely delicious salad – good job, Traci!