I am slowly coming to the realization that, despite my affinity for cute cafes and the well-placed statement necklace, I am simply not a lady who lunches. I speak far too loudly in public, never remember to silence my phone, and would choose a giant plate of homemade Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Salad over a refined soup or crustless sandwich every afternoon of the week.
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I also really love brown bagging.
During my four years working at Target’s corporate headquarters in Minneapolis, I packed my lunch almost every single day, despite the fact that the office has a stellar cafeteria and was within walking distance of every fast food destination you can imagine.
The less-than-glamorous truth is, while I look forward to going out for date night dinners and happy hours, lunch is a meal that I’ve always preferred to prepare for myself, even when it meant carrying it in a lunch box. I save my extra pennies and splurges for dinners and drinks.
Nearly every weekend of my corporate career, I would lunch prep by making a big pot of grains like quinoa and a batch of roasted seasonal vegetables.
Then, throughout the week, I mixed them with different nuts and proteins to make healthy salads that were tasty, easy to pack, and filling enough to power me through long afternoons of meetings.
Quinoa and sweet potatoes are a tasty combo in so many of my favorite recipes, like Sweet Potato Salad with Bacon and my Slow Cooker Turkey Chili recipe.
A Desk-Worthy Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad
This healthy sweet potato quinoa black bean salad is exactly the sort of meal that I can spend all morning looking forward to at my desk.
It’s nutritious, offers a pleasing contrast of textures between the creamy sweet potatoes (which also star in this vegetarian Mexican Salad) and crisp bell peppers, and has enough protein and fiber from the beans and quinoa to keep me full for hours.
The zippy dressing—a tantalizing blend of honey and lime—never fails to perk me right up, even when the weekend still feels far away.
Just like this Quinoa Chickpea Salad, this recipe is quick and easy to prepare and yields enough for several lunches. It’s also a perfect party side dish, because it can be made ahead and tastes great both cold and at room temperature.
Now that I work from home, I don’t need to pack my lunch, but I still looked forward to this sweet potato quinoa black bean salad every day that it was in the refrigerator.
Try it mixed with greens with a handful of pepitas and avocado for lunch, warmed inside a tortilla with cheese for dinner, or simply as it is.
More Satisfying Salad Recipes
- Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Israeli Couscous Salad with Feta and Mint
- Asian Noodle Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing
- Southwest Farro Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
Recommended Tools to Make This Recipe
- Metal measuring cups and measuring spoons
- Stacking mixing bowls
- Mason jar (for shaking dressing)
Sweet Potato Quinoa Black Bean Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds sweet potatoes scrubbed and peeled (about 3 small/medium), cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 large red onion cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa from 1/2 cup dry
- Zest and juice of 2 limes 3 tablespoons lime juice total
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or substitute honey or light agave nectar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 can reduced sodium black beans (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
- 1 large bell pepper cored and diced
- ¾ cup freshly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the cubed sweet potatoes and red onion on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then sprinkle with the chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Toss to coat and spread into a single layer. Bake until the potatoes are just tender, about 25 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- While the potatoes bake, cook the quinoa (if needed). In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, lime juice and zest, maple syrup, and garlic (or shake the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, black beans, bell pepper, cilantro, and roasted sweet potatoes and onions. Pour the dressing over the top, then toss to combine. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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You don’t like lunch..? Hmm. I have to say I prefer breakfast & dinner over lunch, too, but I also love a great sandwich. Or soup. Or whatever haha. But this looks like something I’d enjoy too. Sweet potatoes are so filling, and I think it goes great with quinoa!
Vivian, don’t get me wrong: I LOVE lunch and can spend the whole morning looking forward to it! I just prefer to pack my own versus go out most of the time. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
I’ve been on SUCH a sweet potato binge recently, been grilling one almost every night then “buttering” it with some coconut oil + maple syrup, so this is taking it to the next level!! looks so good Erin – pinned! xo
Sweet potatoes and black beans go so well together. Also I much prefer dinner to lunch, too! And brunch rules them all :)
I’m the same way – I love going out for dinner, but lunch is easy enough to make without much planning that I prefer to eat in. After a year of being able to eat lunch at home, I’m gearing up to start packing my lunch again and this has my name ALL over it! It looks super flavorful and healthy, not to mention it fits my bag lunch criteria of “not too loud/crunchy” and “does not contain ingredients generally agreed to be offensively smelly.” Can’t wait to try it!
LOL! Those are CRITICAL factors. I’m cracking up :)
This salad is SO delicious! I made it the other day and we actually had it for dinner with a fried egg on top. I love the subtle spiciness of the chili powder combined with the sweet potatoes!
YAY!!! I am so so glad you liked it. And I had leftovers with an egg on top too :) Thanks for taking time to leave this kind review!
If it has cilantro, I’m in. Throw in some sweet potatoes?? Now try and stop me!! Slight problem… The bf won’t eat beans. :/ and I can’t (thanks IBS…) any suggestions on vegetarian replacements?
I love both too Jordan! I think you could swap crispy tofu for the beans: https://www.wellplated.com/ultra-crispy-unfried-tofu/. If you try the recipe this year, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Perfect for my lunch. Wow, I have to try this recipe in future! I mostly use potato with chicken and now i copy your recipe and hang in kitchen.
Delicious recipe. I made exactly as written except I was out of Cilantro but everything was still very tasty without it. I love the addition of zest for the dressing, it really took it up a notch. Will definitely add this to my meal rotation.
YAY Courtney! I’m glad it was a hit. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review!
A little late to the party, but this recipe is incredible!!
You are definitely not late Erin! The sweet potato salad party goes on :) Thank you so much for trying this recipe and taking time to report back with this glowing review! It truly means a lot.
Ridiculously good flavors packed into a healthy and absolutely not-boring salad. I had this for dinner and am planning on having it for lunch the rest of the week. Thank you!
Erin, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the salad! Thanks so much for giving it a try and taking the time to report back!
Do you eat this cold or heated-up?
Hi Zara, I usually eat it warm or at room temperature!
I just made this for lunch today, and it was delicious! I made it exactly as stated except I didn’t have smoked paprika, only regular paprika. The dressing was a bit too “limey” for me, but I think the two limes I had were really big. So I think it was more than the 3 tablespoons. Next time I will actually measure :-) Turned out great! This will be in our lunchtime rotation! When eating the next day, do you recommend microwaving to warm it up or just eat it cold? Thanks!
Hi Marie, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the salad! I actually like it both warmed back up and cold…try both and decide which is your favorite! :)
I just ate all of this and realized I forgot the maple syrup! So it was really good without it too!
Haha, good to know Mindy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to leave this review!
OMG! This was soooo good!!! I didn’t have limes so I used a lemon I had on hand. It turned out pretty good too. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is going to become a staple in our home, as we are transitioning into a Vegan lifestyle. It is very filling and healthy! Yum yum yum!
Melodie, I’m so glad to hear this recipe was a winner for you! Thanks for sharing your experiment with the lemon too!
Just made this for my weeks lunch. It is SO good! Cannot wait for lunch tomorrow to have a full portion!
Will check out more of your recipes!
Ayesha, thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and reporting back! I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying it!
I’m wanting to make this as a side dish for a big community meal serving 150 people!
This recipe is 6 meal size servings, would you say its 10 side servings? Thanks!
Hi Melissa! It’s more 6 servings as a side. I’d maybe go with 8 just to be safe (since I’m guessing there will be a lot of food at the community meal, I’d imagine people will take less). And WOW, 150 people! I’m honored to have my recipe included!!
I just made this for the first time today… I love it! I’ve made many of your recipes & they are always top notch! Thanks so much for sharing your recipes & talent :)
Thank you so much, Elaine! I truly appreciate the kind words, and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the salad!
I can’t believe I didn’t comment when I made this before–it’s great! The flavors are interesting, and so are the textures. I love that it’s vegan. I am going to take this to a Halloween potluck, where the orange sweet potatoes and black beans will be perfect!
This recipe would be perfect for Halloween, Eileen! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe—thanks for sharing your feedback!
Absolutely fantastic and my new “go to / favorite”! It will definitely be on my Thanksgiving table this year!
YAY Barbara, I’m so glad this recipe was a winner for you! Thanks for taking the time to leave this awesome review.
I really enjoyed this dish! It was easy, super tasty, healthy and filling! definitely going to make it again and again! Even my dad loved it, and he’s quite picky! :) thank you!
YAY! I am so happy to hear that Paulina! Thanks for trying the recipe and taking time to leave this wonderful review
Erin, just made this tonight and serving with broiled chicken thighs that have marinated in the same spices and dressing as the ones in the recipe! So so yummy! Thanks for sharing ??
That sounds delicious, Vanessa! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
I have made this dish several times and it never fails to impress me! My favorite part is the homemade dressing. I like to add a little fresh avacado to it each time I get a serving. I plan bringing this to my next party and doubt there will be leftovers!
Lesya, I’m happy to hear this recipe is a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this awesome review.
This recipe was AMAZING. Easy to make, travels well, and very healthy. Your other salad recipes also look yummy! I’m not a big fan of cilantro so I substituted fresh parsley. This will definitely become a go-to for lunches or a side dish.
I am so happy to hear that Susan, thank you!
Made this yesterday and it was tasty and pretty filling. I used dried beans (I can’t stand how much sodium is in the canned ones, even low sodium versions), so it added some extra work (soaked for 1hr, boiled low for 1.5hrs). I also replaced the lime with lemon since I have a lemon tree, but would not recommend it. The flavor just isn’t the same. Also didn’t have chili powder, so lacked that extra kick. The recipe seems to be spot on, so I’d stick to the ingredients listed. I think I will use the dressing recipe as a standalone in the future with other salads, since it was probably my favorite part of the whole thing.
Hi! I’m glad you were able to identify the swaps that didn’t quite turn out as well as you hoped, and I hope you enjoy the recipe if you do make it again with the lime and chili powder. Thanks for reporting back!
beautiful salad color-awesome flavor! I think it would be yummy with the avocado too! I substituted honey for the maple syrup and it was great.
That sounds delicious! I’m so so happy you enjoyed it.
This is really tasty and filling and so very easy to make!
So so happy to hear this Barbara! Thanks for leaving this wonderful review!
I’m excited to try this, but I’m a cooking novice and can’t tell how much lime zest I should include along with the three tablespoons of juice. Please give a suggestion or a range.
Charolette, you want to lightly zest the whole outside of both limes (just the green parts. Don’t go all the way down to the white part underneath once you’ve removed the surface zest). If you aren’t sure how to do it, I’d look up a video on YouTube. You can find all kinds of helpful cooking tips there!
Hi can you reheat this for lunches please
Hi Joy, you can try reheating it, but I also like it at room temp!
Wow <3
Meal prepped this for the week. I like it because it is healthy, flavorful, well balanced, has veggies, protein, and grains all in one, is a complete meal, and has simple ingredients and not too many. I like that is lasts up to 5 days as well. Thank you for such a good recipe!
I’m so glad it’s a winner for you, Joanna! Thanks for taking the time to share this review.
I’ve gotten so bored of quinoa salads with chickpeas so I was excited to make this and it was as great as I had hoped…somehow there is a slight BBQ taste in it…maybe the maple syrup and sweet potatoes together??? The one note I felt was jarring was the green bell so I think this time I’m going to use an orange bell and I’m going to throw some golden beets into the roasting process…
Thank you so much for this recipe-it is a great base for a lot of different modifications and so easy to make!
I’m glad it’s a winner, Megan! Thanks for taking the time to leave this wonderful review.
Making this for the second time this week. Added fresh corn. Keeper.
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Emily! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe is a keeper!
I’m so glad this recipe popped up when I Googled Quinoa Sweet Potato salad! After perusing a few of the other recipes I was sold on this one with all of the wonderful ingredients. I made the recipe as written except I left out the red pepper as I’m not a fan, but this salad is a flavor sensation! I have a gluten allergy so I love that it’s naturally gluten free, vegetarian, and really healthy. I ate this warm as a meal and was very full. I’m eager to try it cold too after the ingredients have some time to marry. Love it!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Christine! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I’m not suppose to have oil . Can I make this salad without oil
Hi Dede! Are you able to have other oils? If so, I think using canola oil or avocado oil could work well. I hope this helps!
Really good. I was pleasantly surprised. Was not sure of lime with sweet potatoes but all the seasoning was really good. I will be making this again
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Michelle! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Yum! This salad is so delicious! Made it two weeks in a row. I pretty much always have all of these ingredients in my house anyway, so its a snap to throw it together. I had some leftover canned corn the second time so I threw that in and it was a good addition. Definitely a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed them Lissa! Thank you for this kind review!
I’ve made this salad multiple times and it always turns out well even if I mess it up somehow (I put the paprika and chili powder in the dressing rather than on the sweet potatoes and onion). Thanks for this recipe. I’ll be coming back to it for a long time and making small tweaks here and there (e.g., adding queso fresco).
Hi Ace! So glad you enjoyed the salad! Thank you for this kind review!
I love quinoa, so I am very happy to have found a new recipe that incorporates it. I was a little nervous because of the lime dressing, but it wasn’t sour at all! It was really subtle and complimented the dish so well. Plus it is vegetarian which is perfect for me. My partner said it reminded him of something Thai that he ate. I’ve never had Thai so I cannot say that I agree. Thank you @wellplated!
Hi Tiffany! So glad you enjoyed the salad recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This is an amazing salad and there never left overs. I haven’t made it for a while and even my carnivore partner has been asking for it.
Hi Alexandra! Thank you so much for letting me know and this kind review!
Hands down one of my favorite recipes EVER!! I usually add chicken or shrimp to make it an easy, healthy meal. Such a crowd pleaser at parties, too! Can easily be modified to your taste/what you have on hand by changing up the veggies.
Hi Anna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I don’t often leave reviews but this recipe is AMAZING. It is so simple (my kind of cooking) and flavorful. I look forward to eating this a few days in a row and it is perfect for lunch. Just delish!! Thank you!
Hi Ann-Marie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
One of my favorites to meal prep and eat off of for the week. Very filling and fresh! Love!
Hi Joanna! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
Wow! So good. Like a superfood salad
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Grant! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Delicious salad! I used frozen diced sweet potatoes and the instant pot to make the quinoa which made this recipe quick and easy! I can’t wait to have leftovers today for lunch.
Hi Shannon! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for this kind review!
Good. Takes more time than you would think
Glad you enjoyed them Dixie!
Delicious, nutritious, and fun flavors with the lime dressing. This recipe will be enjoyed often. Thanks!
Hi Jan! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Served this salad this past weekend and it was a hit. I prepared recipe the night before and prepared dressing but reserved it until I served the salad. It saved time the day of party and salad was fresh. I am leary of dressings being “too much”, but it was perfect. Both vegetarians and meat eaters loved it!
Hi Barbara! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Recipe is a good base. Where you take it is up to you, but it does need a little something. We added Tajin and were in love. If you have some in the pantry give it a try.
Hi Jersh! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Super foods, super good! Made as per recipe and it turned it great.
Hi Don! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Excellent salad. I added fresh (chopped and massaged) lacinato kale to make this a main course. I also did not roast the red onions, I kept them raw. It was enough for 2 very large adult dinner portions. This is getting added to my “Keepers” binder.
Glad you enjoyed it, Alice!
Great recipe! Used roasted red peppers instead of fresh. Ate it for lunch the next day topped with a chicken breast and some sriracha mayo.
So glad you enjoyed it, Keri!
Delicious!! I added more fresh garlic and more quinoa. Doubled everything for Sunday meal prep… It made a lot! Going to add cooked chicken thighs for protein :) the lime dressing is delicious.
Yay! Great to hear! Thank you Charlene!
I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a recipe before but I’m swooning over this one. Keeps well, easy to make, and really delicious!
Yay! Thank you so much Heather!
This was super delicious!! Yummy. I used lemon juice instead of lime since that is all I had on hand. Something so delicious about maple syrup and lemon juice!
So happy to hear, thank you!
I liked. My family did not. Can I freeze this?
Hi Lee, for the most part I’d say yes, but with the sweet potatoes, I am not sure how well it will hold up. Let us know if you give it a try!
I would make this recipe again
Thank you Mary!
In place of cilantro, what do you suggest??
Hi Bry, parsley is a great substitute for cilantro. Enjoy!
So so glad I tried it! Picky eater ate it .
Yay! Love to hear that, Lori!
Love the salad!! My only question is with the nutritional information. It states theirs is no protein in this recipe. How can that be when it has black beans in it? Counting my macros so I’m really looking for accurate information. Can anyone help on this? Thank you.
Hi Kathy, this is one of our older recipes from 2016 that hasn’t really gone through an updates after we updated our nutritional information process so it is incomplete. The good news is that you can calculate the calories for free at MyFitnessPal (there are other similar sites too). I hope that can be a helpful resource for you!
This salad was AMAZING! I couldn’t stop eating it after my first bite. I added extra lime juice, cilantro, salt, chile and smoked paprika at the end just cuz I like lots of seasoning 😁
I also added a diced avocado and the salad is good with or without the avocado. Thank you for sharing, love this recipe, will definitely make again!!
Glad to hear, thank you Kara!
I didn’t have black beans so I used cannellini beans! I also roasted the sweet potato in my failed mayonnaise! The coriander ( cilantro in your world) made a great flavour and I ate most of it in one sitting! Can it freeze well?
Hi Roxanne, for the most part I’d say yes, but with the sweet potatoes, I am not sure how well it will hold up. Let us know if you give it a try!