This fiber-rich Black Bean Rice Salad is easy, healthy, and flavorful for meal prep. This salad boasts the earthiness of beans and rice, the salty bite of feta cheese, and finished off with flavors of lime and cilantro. The flavors work so well together! This salad is perfect for adding baby greens and healthy protein like grilled chicken.

brown rice black bean salad with feta — Black bean rice salad with Feta in an easy lime dressing

Why you will love this bean and rice salad

This Black Bean Rice salad has simple but complementary flavors that work well together. Brown rice and black beans have very earthy flavors. Fresh red onion pops in this salad along with fresh Cilantro or Coriander. The saltiness of the feta, with the easy lime dressing, ties it all together. This salad is excellent for meal prep or gatherings. Add sliced lime to squeeze onto the salad upon serving, and you will have a beautiful and healthy meal.

Why is this healthy? One serving, on average, is 10% of your daily recommended fiber intake. (Daily requirements vary between men, women, and age.) That’s a good amount of fiber with minimal effort. Aside from the digestive benefit, fiber helps to keep us satiated. And there is nothing better than having a lunch or a snack that fuels our bodies in a very delicious way for our busy lives.

Chopped red onion and cilantro for black bean rice salad

Ingredients

NOTE: If adding protein to this salad, double the amount of dressing. Half of the dressing should be used for the salad, and the other half should be saved for dressing and serving with your favorite protein choice.

Salad

3 cups brown rice cooked (long grain or jasmine rice)
1 can black beans, cooked, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro or coriander, finely chopped leaves only (fresh parsley can be substituted)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing

6 tablespoons avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
2 limes, juiced (use a ripe lime to extract as much juice as possible)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder or 1 clove of fresh, minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon paprika, sweet
1 teaspoon salt, Kosher to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste
lime wedges for serving

Salad prep

This Brown Rice and Black Bean Salad takes just a few minutes to prepare. In a small bowl, combine oil, lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk ingredients together and set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the rice, drained beans, cilantro, red onion, and feta. Add half of the dressing and toss until the entire salad is coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator to cool. You can add more dressing after serving, as the rice absorbs some of the dressing. Serve at room temperature or cool.

Serving suggestions for this Black Bean Rice Salad

The best protein for this Black Bean Rice Salad is Grilled Chicken or poached Shrimp. I like to add them to the salad right before serving. Avocado is also a perfect addition to this Black Bean Rice Salad. I also make extra dressing if I add protein or salad greens. (See note on recipe card)

brown rice black bean salad with feta close up in black bowl — Black bean brown rice salad with cilantro, feta, red onions and lime

Tips, suggestions, and variations

This is an easy salad, but you can purchase steamed rice in the frozen food aisle to make it even easier to prepare. (Hello, hot summer!) Black beans are available in packets without the liquid, so you can say goodbye to cleaning the colander.

Feta cheese is available in block and crumbled form—one less thing to touch! If you don’t like feta, a cubed sharp white cheddar works beautifully in this salad. Cotija cheese is a sharp Mexican cheese similar to feta and is another good option with this flavor combination.

If you are not a fan of black beans, you can use chickpeas or any other kind of bean. (If you love chickpeas, try my Mediterranean Chopped Salad with Feta. It’s a fan favorite!) Additionally, if Cilantro is not your favorite, use Parsley. Parsley works well with the lime dressing situation.

Last but not least, rice! I find that Jasmine and long grain work the best for this salad. Short-grain rice is too starchy, and basmati rice is not dense enough. Follow the package directions to cook the rice. Ensure the liquid is fully absorbed and allowed to rest and cool before using it for the salad.

More meal prep salads

Looking for meal prep ideas? Try our Lemon Arugula Pasta Salad or Kale Broccolini Roasted Butternut Squash Salad.

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