Slow cooker Mexican crockpot quinoa recipe that takes only minutes to put together. Hearty flavors of quinoa, black beans and vegetables embodied with tex mex spices that simmer a few hours in the crock pot and are ready to enjoy in the evening. A stress-free vegan and gluten-free dinner waiting to be devoured!
This is the easiest quinoa recipe! A complete dump and leave dish with little dishes. It works as a double meal too... serve this tex mex quinoa with chips and use leftovers in burritos for another night, or in a vegetarian burrito bowl.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 4 to 6 hours on low in the slow cooker
- ⏳ Total Time: about 4 ¼ to 6 ¼ hours, mostly hands off
- 🍽️ Serving: 4
- ⚡ Calories: 173kcal per serving, per the recipe card (not counting the seasoning packet or garnishes)
- 🥣 Ingredients: quinoa, black beans, fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies, bell pepper, zucchini, taco seasoning, garlic powder and vegetable broth
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Hearty, savory Tex-Mex with a little sweetness from the peppers
- ✋ Difficulty: Dump, cook on low, garnish
Quick Answer
Rinse 1 cup of dry quinoa and add it to a slow cooker with 1 (15 ounce) can of rinsed and drained black beans, 1 (15 ounce) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies, 1 diced bell pepper, 1 diced zucchini, 1 package of mild taco seasoning, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and 2 cups of vegetable broth. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the quinoa is light and fluffy. Garnish with chopped cilantro, and add avocado, lime juice, green onions and cheese if you like. It serves 4.
Jump to:
This slow cooker tex mex quinoa recipe has been my comfort food lately. It only takes minutes to put together, then let the slow cooker do the work for you! The outcome is this incredibly healthy vegan and vegetarian crock pot dinner recipe!
Why Crockpot Quinoa Works
Click to see why it works
- Rinsing comes first. Rinse the grains before adding them to the crockpot.
- The grains drink up the broth. The moisture absorbs into the grains and the outcome is a light and fluffy texture similar to couscous or rice.
- Low and slow. Four to six hours on low cooks the quinoa through without stirring.
- Canned tomatoes with chilies. They add liquid and flavor at the same time.
- One pot, little dishes. Everything goes in at once.
Why You'll Love This Tex-Mex Quinoa
- A complete dump and leave dish with little dishes.
- Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free.
- A double meal. Serve it with chips, then use leftovers in burritos or tortillas for tacos smothered with cheese for another evening.
- Make it your way. Add some leafy greens and turn it into a quinoa salad, or bake it loaded with cheese on top to become a Mexican casserole.
- Comforting and easy to digest after a long day.
Key Ingredients
- Quinoa - Quinoa is an excellent source of iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and other minerals. It is also a good source of B-complex vitamins and high in protein. Often classified as a grain, quinoa is actually a member of the same plant family as spinach. It is so easy to make, it can even be made in the slow cooker for breakfast.
- Black Beans - Beans are high in folate and vitamins A and C and protein and iron. I used canned black beans for this dish. If you want to use dry beans, soak and cook a large batch ahead of time (here is how to cook black beans) and add to various dishes throughout the week. They are also great to use in this vegetarian taco salad.
- Peppers and Chilies - Peppers are packed with vitamins A and C, fiber and water. And they are low in calories, win, win! Adding colorful red, yellow and orange peppers to this crockpot quinoa dish adds a delicious sweetness to complement the taco seasoning. Sweet peppers are related to chilies, or hot peppers. ½ a cup has only 12 calories!
- Tomatoes - Tomatoes are another awesome source of vitamins A and C, folate and potassium. They are packed with lycopene, an antioxidant that protects against some forms of cancer. Cooked tomatoes are the best way to get the body to absorb lycopene rather than eating them raw. But both raw or cooked are equally as delicious!
- Taco Seasoning - I used a package seasoning mix from Trader Joe's which is pretty spicy. If you wish to eliminate that (or don't care for spicy) go for it and just add a few sprinkles of cumin, garlic salt and pepper for flavor instead.
- Zucchini - Low in calories, yay!!! A good source of fiber, vitamin A and C and folate. This delicious summer squash is made up of mostly water so is super low in calories. Be sure to keep the skins on them for full nutritional benefits.
- Cilantro or Coriander - Cilantro is one of those herbs that is incredibly good for the liver. It actually binds toxins and rids them from the body. The leaves enliven sauces and vegetable and poultry dishes. Fresh coriander leaves may be chewed to ease indigestion.
See recipe card for quantities.
A Slow Cooker Dinner for Stressful Days
When people talk about stress, the dictionary refers to any condition or situation that causes tension and strain to the body and mind.
I don't know about you, or where you are in life but I have been so stressed, for far too long. When I first had Curren, who is now one and a half, I was stressed over juggling a newborn, keeping up with household chores, taking care of the rest of my family and trying to grow my blog. Now the kids have more activities, bills are higher, mouths need to be fed, mounds of laundry are always waiting to be washed and folded, cards need to be sent, family photos to organize, and delicious recipes to document and share.
I love every single part of it. Maybe I just wrote that to convince myself. Perhaps not.
Then yesterday I was chatting with our new babysitter (yes, I finally hired someone two hours a week!!!! WHOOT, WHOOT!) and her stresses are quite different. She was telling me her college schedule of working two jobs, 15 hours of schooling and helping take care of children of a family that is battling cancer. It just goes to show that we all have our own things to juggle around, it's just how we manage it. I don't really think the solution is balance either. It is about juggling all the aspects in life to maintain a steady existence (or with less stress).
To juggle it all it is super important to keep mental health in check, exercising regularly and maintain a healthy diet. Every day is a step in the right direction. Diet also plays a critical role in helping to overcome stress. And a healthy slow cooker recipe can make a stressful day so much easier! I love using my slow cooker to make recipes like this Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Recipe and my Skinny Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad to save time when feeling stressed, plus it fuels my body with healthy protein and amino acids.
Nutritional needs for the body to reduce stress are lots of healthy proteins. When the body is under such attack it needs fast energy. First stress attacks muscles and breaks down the protein as an energy source rather than fat. Eating lots of protein will help to prevent muscle wasting. Vegetarians have no fear! Great sources of protein come from quinoa, beans, lentils, tofu and other legumes. A balanced diet that provides ample vegetables and whole-grains compensates for any nutrients that get lost when the body is under stress.
We all have stresses in our lives, and it's just a battle in each of us that we can totally conquer. Really, I know you've got this!
How to Make Crockpot Quinoa
1Rinse the quinoa. Rinse 1 cup of dry quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and drain.
2Add everything to the slow cooker. Add the rinsed quinoa, black beans, can of tomatoes, chopped peppers, diced zucchini, taco seasoning, garlic powder and vegetable broth.
3Cook on low. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, until the quinoa is light and fluffy.
4Garnish and serve. Garnish with cilantro. Optional to add avocado, lime juice, green onions and cheese.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Rinse the quinoa first for the lightest, fluffiest texture.
- Not a fan of spicy? Swap the seasoning packet for a few sprinkles of cumin, garlic salt and pepper.
- Add onion or corn. Feel free to also add 1 small onion, chopped, and fresh or frozen corn. I left them out for kids that might not like onion and to make it a corn free dish.
- Keep the zucchini skins on for full nutritional benefits.
- Make a big batch. The leftovers are just as good!
Ways to Use the Leftovers
Powering up on superfood bowls such as this quinoa Mexican dish greatly replenishes the body's nutrients, especially when under stress. Make a big batch because the leftovers are just as good! I like to use the leftovers in tortillas for tacos smothered with cheese, much like my tofu tacos, or bake them loaded with cheese the way I make this enchilada casserole.
More quinoa favorites: Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Stuffed Acorn Squash With Quinoa and Stuffed Squash With Quinoa and Cranberries. More Tex-Mex nights: Vegetarian Mexican Stuffed Peppers and Best Salsa Recipe.
Photos updated 11/2018. Recipe is the same.
Crockpot Quinoa FAQs
Yes. Rinsed, dry quinoa cooks right in the slow cooker with the broth and canned tomatoes, and comes out light and fluffy, similar to couscous or rice.
Cook it on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Yes, rinse the grains first before adding them to the crockpot.
Yes. It is made with quinoa, black beans, vegetables, taco seasoning and vegetable broth, so it is a vegan and gluten-free dinner.
Yes. Feel free to add 1 small onion, chopped, and fresh or frozen corn.
It is delicious served with chips. Use leftovers in burritos or tortillas for tacos, add leafy greens for a quinoa salad, or bake it loaded with cheese as a Mexican casserole.
More Slow Cooker Dinners
Let the slow cooker do the work with Crockpot Chicken, Creamy Taco Chili Soup, Chicken Taco Soup and Creamy Crockpot Taco Chicken Chili. I hope you enjoy this crockpot quinoa recipe! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Quinoa Recipe
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus get latest recipes and emails.
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa dry, rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper diced (or 6-8 small red and orange peppers, diced)
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 package of mild taco seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- Cilantro chopped for garnish
- Avocado, lime juice, chopped green onions, optional for garnish
Instructions
- In a slow cooker with the heat on low add dry and rinsed quinoa, beans, can of tomatoes, chopped peppers, diced zucchini, taco seasoning, garlic powder and vegetable broth. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Garnish with cilantro. Optional to add avocado, lime juice, green onions and cheese.
Emily says
We make a dish very similar to this and absolutely love it! I've never tried it with fire-roasted tomatoes, though. Thanks for sharing with Merry Monday!
JoDitt says
I bought some quinoa the other day and I've been trying to figure out what to do with it. You just gave me the solution. This sounds yummy! I'm going to try it.
Visiting from the Merry Monday Link Party.
Blessings to you!
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
Awesome! This is so easy that we make tex-mex quinoa ALL THE TIME~ Enjoy! Thank you for visiting!
Caitlin says
This is cooking in my crockpot now... It looks delicious! I can't wait for dinner!
Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says
This makes me so happy to hear Caitlin! Thank you for taking the time to comment. I hope you all enjoyed dinner tonight! xo