Quinoa salad is piled with beautiful vegetables, chickpeas, and of course quinoa, all with a delicious homemade dressing. It can be used for a healthy side dish at dinner, or packed as a mason jar salad for lunch on the go.
Quinoa Salad Overview
This salad is pretty easy to make. To save time you can cook the quinoa in advance. The secret to this recipe is to chop the ingredients very small. This is what makes it so beautiful, and allows the flavors to blend evenly.
First the quinoa is cooked separately and cooled completely. Then all the vegetables are chopped and tossed with chickpeas and the cooled quinoa. This is served with an easy homemade dressing for lunch, a dinner side dish, barbecues, potlucks and picnics.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to to make it, with full ingredients in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
SALAD BASE
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa – or 2 cups cooked quinoa. This acts as the base of the salad that holds everything together. Follow my best tips for how to cook quinoa won’t turn mushy.
- 15 oz chickpeas – drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes – I used grape tomatoes sliced in quarters. You can use any style of tomato as long as it’s chopped small.
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach – or chopped salad greens
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley – chopped
- 1 large carrot – chopped
Salad Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil – Olive oil is the perfect base for homemade salad dressing! This recipe uses ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil.
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp white vinegar – or apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup – or honey
- 3 garlic cloves – minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Pro Tip: I like to keep 8 oz small mason jars handy in my kitchen for my homemade sauces and dressings. I just dump all the ingredients in, seal the lid and give it a good shake. Then pour over the salad and ta-da! So easy.
How To Make Quinoa Salad
Here’s how to make it, with more details in the recipe card at the bottom.
STEP ONE: Cook 1 cup of uncooked quinoa according to the package instructions (see our tips on how to cook quinoa). This should make about 2 cups of quinoa. Let cool completely before making the salad.
STEP TWO: Chop 1 cup red onion, 1 cup cucumber, 1 cup tomatoes into small pieces. The smaller the better! Roughly chop the 1 cup spinach and 1 cup parsley as well.
STEP THREE: Add ½ cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 3 minced garlic cloves, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper to a bowl. Whisk together.
STEP FOUR: Add the cooled 2 cups cooked quinoa, 15 oz canned drained chickpeas, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup parsley, 1 cup chopped cucumbers, 1 cup tomatoes, 1 cup red onion, and 1 large chopped carrot to a large salad bowl. Toss together. Pour the salad dressing overtop and mix into the salad until evenly coated. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Pro Tip: The ratio for cooking quinoa is 2:1. Two cups water to one cup quinoa. Follow the quinoa package instructions or see my best tips on how to cook quinoa that isn’t mushy.
How To Store
Leftovers make great lunches! Here’s how to store this salad recipe:
- REFRIGERATE – Store the salad in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
- TO SERVE – This salad tastes best served cold. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Let quinoa cool completely before adding it to the salad, otherwise the greens might wilt. Try cooking the quinoa the night before and store it in the fridge to chill overnight. It’ll be perfectly cold for the salad!
- Avoid mushy quinoa by following the package instructions or using my how to cook quinoa tips.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas in a strainer. Use a paper towel to blot the chickpeas and absorb excess moisture.
- Chop all of the vegetables small. This is the key to the salad presentation! It may take a bit longer to do this, but it is definitely worth it.
Variations
It’s easy to add different ingredients to this salad! Just be sure to chop them small – that’s the key to the success of this salad. Here are a few ideas:
- CHICKEN – Add chopped baked chicken breasts for extra protein.
- BELL PEPPER – Chop 1 cup of red, green or yellow bell pepper.
- BEANS – Replace chickpeas with black beans or lentils.
- GREEN ONION – Add ½ cup of sliced green onion.
- APPLES – For a crunchy sweetness, add 1 chopped apple.
Common Questions
Once cooked, quinoa will increase in volume about 3 times. So 1 cup of uncooked quinoa will turn into 3 cups of cooked quinoa.
Rinsing the quinoa under cold water will help to remove its natural coating, called saponin. This coating can add a bitter taste to quinoa, so it is best to give it a quick rinse before cooking it.
Nothing will happen. You can still use the quinoa in your recipe and it will still taste ok. I’ve forgotten to rinse my quinoa many times in the past and still use it without noticing the bitter saponin taste at all.
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Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa - or 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 15 oz chickpeas - drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped baby spinach - or chopped salad greens
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley - chopped
- 1 large carrot - chopped
Salad Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp white vinegar - or apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup - or honey
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook 1 cup of uncooked quinoa according to the package instructions (see our tips on how to cook quinoa). This should make about 2 cups of cooked quinoa. Let cool completely before making the salad.
- Chop 1 cup red onion, 1 cup cucumber, 1 cup tomatoes into small pieces. The smaller the better! Roughly chop the 1 cup spinach and 1 cup parsley as well.
- Prep the Salad Dressing: Add ½ cup olive oil, 3 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 3 minced garlic cloves, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp ground black pepper to a bowl. Whisk together.
- Add the cooled 2 cups cooked quinoa, 15 oz canned drained chickpeas, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup parsley, 1 cup chopped cucumbers, 1 cup tomatoes, 1 cup red onion, and 1 large chopped carrot to a large salad bowl. Toss together.Pour the salad dressing overtop and mix into the salad until evenly coated. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes:
- Store the salad in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days. This salad tastes best served cold. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
- Let quinoa cool completely before adding it to the salad, otherwise the greens might wilt. Try cooking the quinoa the night before and store it in the fridge to chill overnight. It’ll be perfectly cold for the salad!
- Avoid mushy quinoa by following the package instructions or using my how to cook quinoa tips.
- Rinse and drain the chickpeas in a strainer. Use a paper towel to blot the chickpeas and absorb excess moisture.
- Chop all of the vegetables small. This is the key to the salad presentation! It may take a bit longer to do this, but it is definitely worth it.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.