Do you love quinoa, easy recipes, and Mexican flavors? Then, you've found the perfect spot on the internet! Our own version of Mexican Quinoa is simple and tasty, ideal for a weekday dinner that will satisfy the whole family.
This is probably my favorite quinoa recipe. Making a meal in less than 30 minutes that I know my whole family will eat without complaint is not as easy as it sounds. My two kids make it quite challenging to find nutritious recipes that they enjoy. Still, I keep a few on rotation that I know work every time, like this vegan pumpkin chili or this Mexican Quinoa, which is one of them!
You'll only need one pan and a handful of ingredients for this recipe. Its combination of pantry ingredients, such as black beans, onion, corn, and quinoa, with fresh veggies like red peppers, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro, works beautifully in this Mexican-style dish. Don't worry if quinoa is one of those grains that you undercook or overcook; this recipe has all the tips for you to master your quinoa cooking skills.
Why I Think You'll Also Love This Recipe
- It uses only one pan, yes, that's right! One pan is all you need to make this dreamy quinoa.
- Kids typically enjoy this recipe, although you might consider omitting the red peppers if they find them a bit too crunchy. Keep the rest of the recipe as is, and watch the magic happen!
- It can't get much easier than this. Following the amounts for quinoa and water from the recipe card, you'll have a fluffy quinoa that's perfectly cooked. Trust me, I've been cooking quinoa for as long as I can remember.
Ingredients
Quinoa. For this recipe, we use three-colored quinoa, but regular quinoa works exactly the same way.
Black beans. We recommend getting black beans without added ingredients apart from salt and water. Sometimes, tinned beans come packed with unnecessary ingredients that are not good for you. You can also use dried black beans, but they'll need to be soaked overnight and boiled until tender.
Canned corn.
Red Pepper. Green or yellow pepper is also a fantastic option and will add color to the quinoa.
Onion. We like cooking with white onion, but red onion is also a great addition to this recipe.
Fresh tomato. You can also use tinned tomatoes, tomato sauce, or passata.
Spice mix. We use the same spice mix that we add to our tofu fajitas: cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and salt.
Avocado, fresh lime, and fresh cilantro for garnishing.
All these ingredients are easy to find in your local supermarket, so you can bring all those delicious Mexican flavors to your table with ingredients that you most probably already have or can get on your next shop run!
How to make One-Pan Mexican Quinoa
Once your fresh ingredients (onion, fresh tomato, and red pepper) have been finely chopped, you can make this recipe in four simple steps. This is one of those recipes I cook from start to finish while my husband runs the bath for my kids!
Add olive oil to a pan big enough to feed your whole family. Stir fry finely chopped onions, peppers, and minced garlic.
Add the chopped tomato and spices. Mix well and cook at medium heat for a few minutes. At this point, if you want to add some spice, you can add a teaspoon (or two) of chipotle paste. You can also add this at the end, as not everyone may want the Mexican quinoa spicy.
Briefly rinse the quinoa. Now it's time to add the quinoa, corn, beans, and water or vegetable stock. Incorporate all these ingredients, mix well so everything is combined, and bring the water to a simmer.
Cover the pan with a lid. If you don't have a large enough lid, which sometimes happens to us, place some tin foil securely on top, ensuring you leave a small gap for the steam to escape. You'll want to leave the quinoa cooking this way for about 15 minutes. After this, turn the heat off and leave it to rest for five more minutes. Remove the tinfoil, and with two forks, fluff the quinoa. Your Mexican Quinoa is ready to be served now!
Garnish the Mexican Quinoa with sliced avocado and chopped coriander. Remember to drizzle some lime before serving it.
One-Pan Mexican Quinoa
Ingredients
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 1 cup red pepper finely chopped
- 1 fresh tomato finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 avocado
- A handful fresh cilantro
- 1 lime
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion, red pepper, and fresh tomato. Mince the garlic.½ onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 cup red pepper, 1 fresh tomato
- Add olive oil to a large pan, and cook the chopped onion and pepper until the onion starts to soften.
- Next, add the chopped tomato, garlic, and spices. Mix well and cook at medium heat for a few minutes.1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon salt
- Rinse the quinoa.1 cup quinoa
- Add the quinoa, corn, beans, and water or vegetable stock. Incorporate all these ingredients, mix well so everything is combined, and bring the water to a simmer.1 cup corn, 1 cup black beans, 2 cups vegetable stock
- Cover the pan with a lid or place some tin foil securely on top, ensuring you leave a small gap for the steam to escape.
- Leave the quinoa cooking for about 15 minutes at low temperature. After this, turn the heat off and leave to rest for five more minutes.
- Remove the tinfoil, and with two forks, fluff the quinoa.
- Garnish with sliced avocado, chopped coriander, and some fresh lime.1 avocado, A handful fresh cilantro, 1 lime
Video
Notes
Newsletter
Nutrition
FAQ
Yes, you can use rice instead of quinoa. We recommend using long-grain rice, and the ratio would be 1 cup of rice for 1 and ¾ cups of water or stock. You'll need to cover the pan just as we do for the quinoa.
Yes. When you cook quinoa without rinsing it before, you may get a bitter taste that comes from the saponin found in quinoa seeds, which they naturally contain.
Some other vegetables that we like to add to this family favourite are green beans, mushrooms, and broccoli. You can add them together with the tomatoes, except for the broccoli, which we prefer to add with the quinoa.
Serving Suggestions
This colorful Mexican Quinoa is a complete meal that can be served on its own for a winner lunch or dinner.
We like garnishing the quinoa pan with sliced avocados, fresh cilantro, and some lime drizzle. Of course, if you like spicy, adding some chipotle paste or jalapeños on top is what you need!
Last time we had Mexican quinoa, we served it with some Mexican street corn on the cob as a side dish, and it was the perfect combination. You should try it too! Also, a refreshing Mango Pico de Gallo makes for a nice side for this quinoa.
Looking for a Cinco de Mayo Menu? You may want to check out some other delicious Mexican recipes we love.
Lidia layunta piqueras says
my quinoa is cooked (days ago) and idk if I can do this recipe, but I am trying
Laura Arteaga says
Hi Lidia, if your Quinoa is cooked you can add it right at the end, before serving just to heat it up. Also, you won't need to add water.
Paul says
The dish is incredibly satisfying. I would definitely try this recipe again!
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Paul!
Gigi says
This was a lifesaver! Super easy cleanup and tons of flavor. Definitely will be making this again!
Laura Arteaga says
Glad you liked it Gigi!
Sage says
This recipe came out so delicious!
Gwen says
We eat gluten-free and this recipe gave us a Mexican inspired delicious dinner.
Giangi Townsend says
I love the burst of flavors.
Pam says
This was absolutely delicious! I am usually not a huge fan of one pot mexican-spiced meals, but the combination of textures and flavors was so good. Such a great way to incorporate quinoa and black beans for plant based protein. I will be making this again … and again!
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Pam! So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Susan Marie says
This was only my second time cooking quinoa. This was delicious. I added 2 chipolte peppers & used fire roasted tomatoes. I also ran out of chicken broth-i put low sodium V8
I had a portion of the leftovers with a couple runny eggs and tapatio hot sauce...mmm
I would post a picture if I coulx
Laura Arteaga says
Sounds delicious Susan! Glad you enjoy this recipe 🙂
Tracy Forsyth says
I'm not a huge quinoa fan but this is good. I added some taco seasoning as I can't cook with onion (allergic) and some diced black olives.
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Tracy, glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Paige Riley says
What is the serving size? 1/2 cup, 1 cup or even the grams for a exact measurement?
Laura Arteaga says
Hi Paige, the recipe makes four portions, you'll need one cup of uncooked quinoa which turns into more than 2 cups after cooking so the cooked portion would be a bit more than 1/2 cup quinoa.
Stephanie Wittemann says
Well, our family now has a new favorite side dish, thank you! Perfectly flavored and satisfying. Served it alongside island style pork tenderloin.
Laura Arteaga says
Thank you Stephanie 🙂 glad your family liked it!