Quinoa Salad Recipe – How to Make Delicious Quinoa Salad

This recipe for a healthy, delicious, and filling Quinoa Salad is made with fresh ingredients all through. It provides a blend of all tastes and textures to give you such a fulfilling eating experience. You’ve got sweet, salty, and sour from the sugar, salt, and lemon juice; the smooth and creamy avocado vs the crunchy cucumber and cherry tomatoes, all rounded off with the freshly made dressing. You are guaranteed to love this recipe.

Quinoa Salad Ingredients

You will need to prepare the vegetables and the dressing separately before combining them. Here are the ingredients for each.

For the Salad

Quinoa: Any color will do for this recipe – red, white, black, or even a mix of all colors for extra fun. I used one cup of dried quinoa for this recipe. You will need 2 cups water (or vegetable broth if you like) to boil the quinoa. To that, you will add a quarter teaspoon of salt or any other amount to taste.

Cherry tomatoes: These little tomatoes are like no other, always bursting with juiciness and unmatched flavor. Halve them as they are already small enough to be eaten whole. Halving allows for them to absorb dressing flavor as well and to blend into the salad much more neatly. About one cup of cherry tomatoes is enough for this salad.

Cucumber: Fresh cucumber adds a crisp and refreshing feel to the salad and takes the crunch to a whole new level. Chop the cucumber up into nice cubes to match the sizes of the cherry tomatoes and other vegetables for uniformity in the salad. About half a cup of chopped cucumber will do.

Red onion: Brings on the zing! Raw red onions have a sharpness to them that spices up the salad in a good way (for lack of better words). Chop the onion a little (but not too) finely. You will need just about a quarter cup of it unless you want to cry while eating the salad. That is, if you are like me. I cannot handle too much of raw red onions.

Avocado: A well-ripened medium-size avocado will do magic to your quinoa salad. Its smooth and creamy texture contrasts perfectly with the crunch from the cucumber and cherry tomatoes making each mouthful such a delightful experience. Peel and chop the avocado into cubes that also match the other vegetables.

Parsley: Fresh parsley not only adds color to the salad but also aroma and flavor. Chop it finely and add it at two stages as demonstrated in the video below.

Other ingredients you could add to the salad

Note that you do not have to add all these extra ingredients into the salad together. Rather, I recommend that you pick one or two that work for you and that you are sure could work well together.

Bell peppers: these would add a nice, sweet crunch to the salad. Red bell peppers would be my number one recommendation, but any other color, or a mix of colors, would do just fine. For this recipe, half a cup of chopped bell peppers would be enough.

Kalamata olives: Add a quarter cup of these olives for a more sophisticated salad. The Kalamata olives are large and with a meaty texture and having been preserved in wine vinegar or olive oil, you can already guess the additional flavor they will bring into your salad in addition to their exceptional texture.

Toasted nuts: Nuts are great for crunch and flavor.  You could add sliced almonds or pine nuts to this recipe if you are into nuts. Whichever you choose, just a quarter cup would be enough as nuts can easily overpower other ingredients in taste.

Feta cheese: Cheese makes everything better, right? If you are a cheese lover, you could add about a quarter cup of crumbled feta cheese into your salad for that additional creaminess, flavor, and nutrition.

Ingredients for the Dressing

Olive oil: Well, what’s a dressing without olive oil?  Use extra virgin olive oil for a robust flavor.

Lemon juice: Nothing beats the zest of freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Garlic: Another must-have ingredient for the dressing to be complete. Mince it well so that you do not chew on chunks of garlic in the salad. It can be quite strong too.

Sugar: Brings a perfect balance to the sour and salty tastes, rounding it all up so nicely, you will love it. You could replace sugar with honey.

Salt: Add salt to taste, bearing in mind the amount you used earlier to boil the quinoa.

Black pepper: A simple yet so impactful seasoning. I also love how black pepper spruces up the look of the salad with its little black dots all over the salad.

Other ingredients you could add to the dressing

Red wine vinegar: Add this if you are looking for a tangier flavor. I do not add it as the lemon juice offers enough tang for me. Just one tablespoon would be enough for tis recipe.

Dijon mustard: This boosts the overall flavor of the salad by adding subtle sour and spicy flavors. Add one teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the dressing bowl and whisk it all together.

Honey: For a touch of sweetness. Use it to replace sugar. No need to use both. One teaspoon of honey will be enough.

Steps to Prepare Quinoa Salad

#1. Cook the Quinoa

   – Rinse your quinoa under cold water to get rid of its natural bitter coating. In a medium pot, bring two cups of water (or vegetable broth) to a boil. Add salt and the quinoa, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

#2. Prepare Your Veggies

 While the quinoa is boiling and/or cooling, chop up your veggies. Halve those cherry tomatoes, chop your cucumber and avocado, and finely chop the red onion and parsley. Also, prepare any of the additional ingredients suggested above. For instance, toast your nuts on medium heat until they’re golden and fragrant. Once they’re done, set them aside to cool.

#3. Whip Up the Dressing

In a small bowl or jar, mix together the dressing ingredients – olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, sugar, and black pepper. If adding Dijon mustard or red wine vinegar, this is the time. If you’re using a jar, pop the lid on and give it a good shake. Otherwise, whisk everything together in a bowl until well combined. You will love its color and taste.

#4. Combine Everything

Once the quinoa has cooled, toss it into a large mixing bowl. Add in your chopped veggies and any other ingredients you choose to add (those not used in this recipe) such as crumbled feta or toasted nuts. Give everything a quick mix using a sturdy spatula. Then, drizzle with your dressing and give it a thorough but gentle toss. Make sure everything is well coated with the dressing.

#5. Taste and Adjust

Taste your salad. Does it need a little more salt? A bit more olive oil or lemon juice? Adjust the seasoning to make your taste buds sing.

#6. Chill Your Salad (if you can)

I am not gonna lie, I almost always attack my salad soon after dressing it. But, for the best flavor, let the salad chill in the fridge for at least an hour. This lets the flavors blend and makes everything extra tasty.

#7. Serve Your Salad

Scoop it out, serve it on a plate, and enjoy the colorful, crunchy, quinoa salad. Perfect as a side dish or as a main dish. About that, here are a few serving suggestions for your quinoa salad.

What to Serve with Quinoa Salad

• Grilled meats: Quinoa salad pairs perfectly with grilled meats by bringing in a fresh and contrasting flavor to the smoky, charred flavors grilled meat. A perfect companion to your barbecues!
• Fried and baked meats: Take for example these baked chicken thighs, these meats also receive an immense boost from Quinoa salad.
• Rice dishes: Serve Quinoa salad over pilau or even plain rice and meat for a fresh topping that elevates your rice dish.
• Fish: Grilled or fried fish, especially fish fillet or fingers, go perfectly well with Quinoa salad.  

How to Preserve Leftover Quinoa Salad

Quinoa salad is raw, so it loses freshness quickly. That said, you can preserve leftover Quinoa salad for the next 24 to 48 hours and still enjoy it quite fresh.

Place leftover Quinoa salad in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. Only bring it out when ready to enjoy. Woe unto you if you leave it sitting out on the counter for long because it will begin to lose that freshness immediately.

Serve your leftover Quinoa salad as you would normally, alongside any dish of your choice. Feel free to experiment with dishes beyond my suggestions above.

Print the Recipe

Conclusion

This quinoa salad recipe is simply irresistible. Healthy and packed with flavor and amazing textures. Enjoy your salad and don’t forget to share your thoughts or tag me on social media should you post a picture of it. I would love to see how your salad turned out.