Mexican Quinoa is a simple “dump it and forget about it” slow cooker meal. Add uncooked quinoa, vegetables, beans, and seasonings, then let it cook.
author’s note
No-Fuss Mexican Quinoa Dinner!
These Quinoa Tacos are super popular in my home. Honestly, meal prep doesn’t get much easier. Everything goes into the slow cooker (no prep!) and the result is a super flavorful, meatless taco filling that’s hearty and filling.
I wanted to take that same bold flavor and easy prep and turn it into another vegetarian meal. Enter: Mexican Quinoa. Just as simple, filling, and packed with good-for-you ingredients.
It does have a bit of spice, but nothing too crazy. You can tweak the seasonings, and toppings like cheese, sour cream, or avocado help mellow it out. Even my two-year-old loves it!
Mexican Quinoa Ingredients
The three main ingredients that impact the spiciness level of this dish are the enchilada sauce, taco seasoning packet, and jalapeño peppers.
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Butternut Squash | Chop into small, same sized pieces for even cooking. |
| Quinoa | Rinse to remove any bitterness. |
| Black Beans | Rinse canned beans before adding or use homemade beans. |
| Corn | I like frozen corn for its flavor and freshness but canned works great. |
| Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes | Include the juice for more sauce to cook everything in. |
| Enchilada Sauce & Taco Seasoning | Use mild if you want less heat. I love Old El Paso’s mild red enchilada sauce. Try making your own taco seasoning. |
| Veggie or Chicken Stock | Both work. Use veggie stock to keep it vegetarian. |
| Jalapeños | Add a light kick and are optional. For less heat, remove the seeds and ribs. |
Topping Suggestions
Mexican Quinoa is good by itself, but adding toppings makes it even better.
- Grated sharp (or extra-sharp) Cheddar cheese
- Chopped cherry tomatoes or pico de gallo
- Fresh chopped cilantro or thinly sliced green onions
- A squeeze of fresh lime
- A large scoop of sour cream (fat-free is great); you can also use Greek yogurt.
- Sliced avocado or scoop of guacamole
- Pickled red onions
How To Make Mexican Quinoa (Tips)
- Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray or use a liner for easy cleanup.
- Chop squash small (about 1/2 inch) so it cooks evenly.
- Rinse quinoa, then add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook on high for 3.5 to 4.5 hours until squash is soft and quinoa is cooked.
- Switch to low and let sit uncovered for 15–25 minutes so the liquid absorbs.
- Stir, season to taste, and load up with toppings like cheese, sour cream, avocado, and lime.
Featured Comment
“I have made you Mexican Quinoa at least a million times and thought I should rate it and let you know it has become my “go to meal” for any gathering.”
– Joanne
Shortcuts
Time-Saving Suggestions
- Use pre-cut or frozen squash (cut to 1/2-inch cubes) to save prep time.
- Grab pre-minced garlic or use a garlic press for quick prep.
- Choose pre-rinsed quinoa to skip washing.
Storage
- Store: Put leftover Mexican quinoa in an air tight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Place leftovers in an air tight freezer friendly container or gallon sized bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
More Simple Quinoa Recipes:
Mexican Quinoa
Mexican Quinoa is an easy slow cooker meal—just toss in quinoa, veggies, beans, and spices, then let it cook! Pile on your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, avocado, and lime for a hearty, delicious dish.
Equipment
- 6-quart Crock-Pot 6-quart
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 1-1/4 pounds cubed butternut squash peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, about 4 cups
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (15.25-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 finely diced jalapeño about 2 tablespoons, optional, see note 1
- 2 (19-ounce) cans mild red enchilada sauce see note 2
- 1 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock, or broth; I love Swanson’s vegetable stock best
- 1 (1.25-ounce) packet taco seasoning see note 3 for homemade
- Toppings as desired see note 4
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray generously or use a liner.
- Peel, seed, and cut butternut squash into small 1/2-inch cubes to ensure even cooking. Add to slow cooker.
- Combine corn, black beans, rinsed quinoa (I rinse in a fine-mesh sieve), minced garlic, tomatoes, optional jalapeño, enchilada sauce, stock/broth, and taco seasoning.
- Stir well, cover, and cook on high for 3.5–4.5 hours until quinoa pops and squash is tender. Uncover, stir, and set to low, letting it stand for 15–25 minutes until liquid absorbs, stirring occasionally. Prepare toppings and sides during this time.
- Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve Mexican Quinoa in bowls, topped with Cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice.
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Jalapeños add a nice kick but are optional. For less heat, remove the ribs and seeds before dicing, or use milder poblano peppers instead.
Note 2: Make sure you pick the right-sized can of enchilada sauce—these are the slightly larger cans. Taste the sauce before use; if too spicy, use 1 can and replace the other with chicken or vegetable broth.
Note 3: Taco seasoning packets differ in spice and flavor; McCormick’s Mild is a favorite. For homemade, whisk 1 tablespoon mild chili powder, 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, fine sea salt, and pepper.
Note 4: Optional toppings: freshly shredded sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, fresh lime juice, sour cream, chopped cilantro, and/or diced avocado, etc.
Storage: Keep leftover Mexican quinoa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, store leftovers in an airtight freezer-friendly container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 43.5g | Protein: 9.8g | Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 0.9mg | Sodium: 1198.1mg | Fiber: 8.7g | Sugar: 9.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Dietary Concerns
- Vegan: This recipe is vegan. Skip cheese and sour cream or use vegan versions.
- Gluten Free: Check labels since some sauces and seasonings have gluten. Old El Paso is usually safe. Homemade seasoning is a good option.
- Dairy Free: Use dairy-free cheese or sour cream for toppings.
Hi! I made this and it turned out too soupy/gloppy – but it did have great flavor. I’d recommend maybe try using ONE 28-oz can of red enchilada sauce. Also it did take a solid nearly 5 hours to cook everything on high. But it was very easy and tasty, and I will try it again! 🙂
Hi Krista! Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately quinoa tends to cooks differently depending on your slow cooker, so some people might need the 2 cans of enchilada sauce or it will be too dry, I think it really depends on how hot your slow cooker cooks and how long you cook it for. Also letting the mixture sit without the lid helps absorb any extra liquid. Hope that helps!
Long time lurker, first time commenter… 🙂 Impressive space you’ve created here!
Question – do you think I could use couscous instead of quinoa? (I love quinoa, but my darling doesn’t.)
Hi Aida!! Thank you very much 🙂 I’ve actually never tried couscous in the slow cooker, but you could perhaps cook everything else in the slow cooker, cook the couscous separately, and then mix it all together. If you tried that, the enchilada sauce would likely need to be reduced since the quinoa absorbs a lot of that. Sorry to not be of more help!
Hi there,
Tried this recipe yesterday. I will say it’s flavorful but i think it is a bit too spicy. The 36oz of enchilada sauce may have been the kicker – it was almost too spicy to eat.
It was however, awesome to finally be able to try to cook quinoa in the slow cooker. I think for next time I’d just use less enchilada sauce.
I used Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce, FYI.
Hi Molly! Glad to hear you tried this! I have never tried Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce, but that may be the reason it was too spicy. I used a mild red enchilada sauce when making this and my little one year old baby ate more than I did, so I don’t think the mild enchilada sauce made it too spicy for him to eat it :). If you end up trying this again maybe try a milder enchilada sauce or replace some of the sauce with water or chicken broth; hope that helps!
I am planning to make this recipe this week, and I was also concerned about the spice. Could I substitute one of the cans of the enchilada sauce with something else? I don’t like spicy, but i do like the healthy ingredients in this recipe.
I also never keep taco seasoning around because i just don’t use it often enough to make purchasing it worthwhile, only to have it get thrown away. Are there are few other spices i could substitute instead?
You can substitute one of the cans and use chicken or vegetable broth instead. For the taco seasoning, you could quickly whip up your own if you have the spices on hand.
Loved the dish! I cooked it on the stove top for about an hour (my slow cooker is missing…..) on low heat and it worked well. Needed to be stirred often. I will be making the Sweet Potato Enchiladas this week. Love your site!
So glad to hear this worked on the stovetop and you liked it!! (I’m sure this comment will be very helpful to people without a slow cooker!!) Thanks so much Donna, I truly appreciate your comments and trying out the recipes! 🙂
I have a bunch of squash that i cooked and frozen awhile back, would you decrease the time on the stove top if the squash is already cooked?
Yay for crockpot recipes! Especially if they include Mexican flavors and butternut squash. 😀 I am about to make your sweet potato skillet again this week but NOW I’m wondering if I should switch it out for this quinoa! What a perfect weeknight meal, Chelsea. 😀
I have never made a quinoa casserole before, let alone one in a slow cooker. This looks delicious Chelsea, I need to get my hands on the ingredients so I can make the recipe tonight!
This is a five star! I made this tonight and used garnet yams instead of the butternut squash and yum!!! I used water in place of the chicken broth since it was for a Vegetarian friend. It was so good!! I used your suggestion of store brand mild enchilada sauce and it was not too spicy!!
I’m so thrilled to hear this was a hit and got a 5 star rating! 🙂 Thank you so much Melanie 🙂
Can you add Chicken breasts to this? I was looking at your quinoa soup recipe which has chicken breasts and wondered if you could make this a chicken dish? My teenagers do not consider it a meal unless there is some meat in it! It looks so good I really want to try….
Yes, I definitely think you could add chicken to this! Let me know how it works if you try it out 🙂
I browned up some sliced turkey breast with a little of the taco seasoning and added it to the pot. Very good!
I’m a new butternut convert. I’ve always loved it in ravioli and soup but we’ve been roasting it and it’s so good! This quinoa is the perfect dinner!
I have been dying to try quinoa in the slow cooker. You’ve convinced me!
I truly love all of your recipes. They seem so simple and easy. Can I sub rice or farro for the quinoa?
Thanks so much Christine! That means a lot to me 🙂 I’ve never tried either in the slow cooker, so I’m really not sure how they’d fare. Wish I could be of more help