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.
I made this last week, but I added a pound of my homemade chicken chorizo (cooked first), and it was fantastic! Great recipe, thanks!
I have homemade taco seasoning. I’m thinking a packet would hold at least 1 Tbsp. That sounds like way too much. What do you think? I figure: if it is runny, I’ll serve it over brown rice. Thanks!
A packet of taco seasoning generally holds about 2 tablespoons. You can definitely scale the amount of seasoning to your personal preference 🙂 And yes great idea to serve it over some brown rice 🙂 Hope you love this Pat!
Any tips for omitting the pre-made enchilada sauce?
You can google a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce and try that. I haven’t tried a homemade version in this so I’m not sure how the flavor will be (too spicy or too mild?) so you may want to use half homemade enchilada sauce and half chicken or vegetable broth.
This looks delicious and I cannot wait to try it.
I also want to thank you from those of us with onion sensitivities that this does not contain onion (except for what is in the enchilada sauce and taco seasoning). I normally exclude it from my meals, but it’s nice to see someone else cook a dish without it.
Thank you Shannon!! My husband actually HATES onions haha. So while they are one of my very favorite additions, I have to use them sparingly in my recipes when he’s either out of town for business or I’ve disguised them well enough… And then there are plenty of recipes just without them 🙂
Today was the perfect cool, rainy Sunday to make a hearty dinner. I’m so glad I found this recipe on Pinterest. I followed your recipe exactly and it was DELICIOUS and so flavorful. I added tortilla chips as a topping, which gave it a nice crunch. I’ll definitely be making this again soon.
Oh so glad to hear it!! Thank you so much for your kind comment! 🙂 And I love the idea of topping it with tortilla chips!
hi,
I’d love to try this and also the quinoa soup recipe – but I stay clear of the ready-made sauces and spice mixes and only use non-processed ingredients. What would you recommend as substitutes ? What does these sauces/spice mixes contain that I can use as seasoning , making them myself ?
Thanks
Jacob
I would recommend searching the internet for a recipe for homemade taco seasoning and homemade enchilada sauce and using the same amount of the homemade versions as indicated in the recipe 🙂
I made this last night and let it run long while I was sleeping — about 8 hours. It smells amazing and I’m sure will taste great, but it did end up kind of as one big moosh. The quinoa has blended together more than it should, and burnt quinoa formed a ring around the top of my crockpot. I’ll just scrape that off and eat the good stuff in the middle – but as you did in this post, I warn against cooking quinoa long on low heat!
Yeah, unfortunately, I’ve never had success with quinoa at low temperatures over long time periods! Hopefully you can still enjoy that center section 🙂 Thanks for the comment Libby!
Hi, I am from Brazil and trying to learn how to improve my cookbook with my slow cooker anda here it is not easy to find canned black beans, do you think I could use the raw beans instead just adapting the time of cooking? I dont have a clue about how to adapt this since I dont have canned beans to test the texture. Sorry for the question if it is not apropriate…
Hi Izabela! I think your best bet is to cook the black beans completely separate (not in the slow cooker) and then add them to the finished product. Raw black beans will cook at a much different time then the rest of these ingredients will 🙂
This recipe was amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing! The only I changes I made, we’re making homemade enchilada sauce (http://www.food.com/recipe/mexican-enchilada-sauce-109685, I make it in bulk and freeze extra) and I used fresh corn, because it was on sale. I will definitely will be making this again!
Hi im in australia and love the sound of this recipe.. i dont think we can get a premade enchilada sauce here.. im assuning ita a tomato based sauce..do u think i could sub it for passata with additonal herbs n spices id probably need to so some googling extras if any to add in plus urs uggestions r welcome
I would recommend just making your own. Although, I did see some pre-made enchilada sauce in a Woolworth’s when I was in Perth if you want to try and look at the grocery store 🙂 If not, try searching a homemade enchilada sauce and trying that out.