Easy & Nutritious Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad

Name: Easy & Nutritious Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1/2 cup medium canned salsa; Juice of half a lime; 1/4 tsp chili powder; 1/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 3 cups romaine lettuce, washed and chopped; 1/2 cup black beans (from a can, drained and rinsed); 1/2 cup corn (from a can, drained and rinsed); 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 1/2 avocado, diced; 1/4 cup premade pico de gallo; 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped; 7-8 tortilla chips, crunched up; 1 oz crumbled cotija cheese or Mexican cheese blend: OPTIONAL

posted by Alex Aldeborgh, RD on Mar 6, 2023 (last updated 6/2/23) 2 comments »

Jump to Recipe·★★★★★5 from 1 review

This vegetarian taco salad is a delicious & healthy salad for lunch or dinner. It’s packed with filling, nutritious foods including black beans, avocado, and tomatoes, and features a creamy homemade taco salad dressing. This recipe utilizes both fresh and canned ingredients, so it’s quick to prepare – ready to eat in 15 minutes!

bowl of vegetarian taco salad with a fork and knife, surrounded by some ingredients on a white background

If you’re looking for healthy salad ideas for lunch or dinner, you will love this veggie taco salad! It’s a meatless taco salad and it’s full of great flavors, textures, and satisfying ingredients. As a Registered Dietitian, I encourage you to try new plant-based recipes, because they are delicious, good for you, and good for the environment!

This black bean taco salad has it all – crisp romaine lettuce, creamy avocado, filling black beans & corn, zesty pico de gallo, and crunchy crushed tortilla chips. It’s loaded with nutrients like dietary fiber, plant-based protein, healthy fats, and antioxidants. Drizzled in homemade creamy taco salad dressing, it’s the perfect entree salad for lunch or dinner.

This recipe makes 1 huge entree salad, or 2-3 side salad servings. It’s vegetarian, gluten free, and soy free. Since it’s made with fresh and canned ingredients, minimal cooking is required and this salad is ready to enjoy in 15 minutes.

If you love this recipe, you’ll also love this vegetarian cold taco pasta salad!

Step-by-step video

More healthy salad ideas to try: Mediterranean quinoa salad, apple cranberry walnut salad, fall farro salad with butternut squash, beet quinoa salad, crunchy kale slaw with apples, and burrata panzanella salad.

Ingredients in vegetarian taco salad

Here is everything you need to make this recipe:

Romaine lettuce
Canned black beans
Canned corn
Cherry tomatoes
Pico de gallo
Avocado
Cilantro
Tortilla chips
Canned salsa
Plain Greek yogurt – I used full fat Greek yogurt
Chili powder – try it with homemade chili powder for the best flavor
Garlic powder
Lime
Salt
Optional: shredded cotija cheese or Mexican blend cheese shreds

Kitchen tools needed

You will need a blender (a small blender works) to make the salad dressing. You’ll also need a can opener, a cutting board, and a good knife.

vegetarian taco salad ingredients measured out in bowls on a white backdrop

How to make vegetarian taco salad

Start by making the taco salad dressing. Put salsa, Greek yogurt, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and lime juice in a blender. Blend it up until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

taco salad dressing ingredients in a nutribullet blender cup — Add taco salad dressing ingredients to blender

creamy taco salad dressing in a nutribullet blender cup — Add taco salad dressing ingredients to blender

Wash and chop the romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes, and finely chop the cilantro.
Drain and rinse the canned black beans and corn.
Cut open and dice up avocado.
Crunch up tortilla chips.
Assemble the salad in a mixing bowl with the romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, avocado, cilantro, and tortilla chips.
Add salad dressing and toss everything together.
Enjoy right away.

black bean taco salad without dressing in bowl on a white backdrop — Assemble the salad

vegetarian taco salad with creamy dressing and a small jar of dressing on a white backdrop — Assemble the salad

Can I prepare this taco salad in advance?

You can prepare this salad up to one day in advance. Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge, without the dressing and tortilla chips. Add the dressing and tortilla chips right before eating to avoid anything getting soggy.

Serving suggestions

This healthy taco salad is a pretty well-balanced meal on it’s own. To make it even more filling, add a serving of protein, such as cilantro lime shrimp, baked tofu, or tempeh.

If you’re using this recipe as a side salad, it would be excellent paired with other Mexican-inspired recipes. Think chips and guacamole, vegetarian enchiladas, cauliflower tacos, or homemade crunchwrap supremes!

bowl of vegetarian taco salad surrounded by some ingredients on a white background

Black beans nutrition & health benefits

Beans are one of the healthiest foods in the world! One cup of black beans provides several nutrients:

18 grams of dietary fiber (64% of your daily needs)
16 grams of plant-based protein
153 mcg folate (38% of your daily needs)
0.508 mg copper (56% of your daily needs)
815.4 mg potassium (17% of your daily needs)
1.42 mg zinc (13% of your daily needs)

Black beans are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is especially important in the diet, because binds to dietary cholesterol, which can help lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels!

Avocado nutrition & benefits

Avocado is an incredibly nutritious food to include in your diet. Most notably, avocado is one of the best dietary sources of monounsaturated fatty acids. These healthy fats are good for us because they help prevent heart disease.

Additionally, avocados have lots of dietary fiber – one whole avocado packs 10 grams of fiber, (36% of your daily needs)! Diets high in fiber have many health benefits, including digestive health, gut health, weight management, and blood sugar management.

Avocados also have a lot of micronutrients. One whole avocado provides:

121.5 mcg folate (30% of your daily needs)
0.386 mcg Vitamin B6 (23% of your daily needs)
3.1 mg Vitamin E (21% of your daily needs)
31.5 mcg Vitamin K (26% of your daily needs)
727.5 mg potassium (15% of your daily needs)
0.28 mg copper (31% of your daily needs)

Let me know if you love this post by leaving a comment or star rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!