Quinoa Salad
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Quinoa salad is an easy salad that is perfect for lunch or dinner. Once you cook the quinoa, it all comes together quite quickly. So whether you need a salad for a summer picnic, a healthy weeknight dinner, or a packed mason jar salad for lunch on the go, this is the perfect option.
What Is A Quinoa Salad Made Of?
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.
- LOADED WITH FLAVOR – There are so many wonderful textures and flavors in this recipe. The sweetness from carrots and tomatoes, spicy onions, garlic, and the freshness of parsley. All covered in a sweet and tangy salad dressing.
- COLORFUL – This salad is a feast for the eyes with vibrant colors from a variety of vegetables. It’s the perfect salad to serve to guests.
- CHEAP TO MAKE – All of these ingredients are fresh and inexpensive. Making your own salad dressing is much more affordable!
- HEALTHY – This salad is high in protein from quinoa and chickpeas, and high in vitamins and minerals from all the vegetables.
Serve this delicious salad for lunches or a light dinner. But it also works well as a nutritious side salad with roasted turkey, our brown sugar salmon, our easy baked chicken legs, any pork or beef recipe your family enjoys.
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
- 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.
- CHICKPEAS – I love chickpeas because they’re inexpensive and a good source of protein.
- ONION – Raw red onion adds a bit of sweetness and also has a bit of zing.
- CUCUMBER – You’ll need one cup of chopped cucumber.
- CARROT – 1 large carrot peeled and chopped.
- TOMATOES – I used grape tomatoes sliced in quarters. You can use any style of tomato as long as it’s chopped small.
- GREENS – Baby spinach or baby kale is mixed with flat-leaf parsley for the greens. These are all roughly chopped.
SALAD DRESSING
- OLIVE OIL – Olive oil is the perfect base for homemade salad dressing! This recipe uses ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil.
- LEMON JUICE – You can use freshly squeezed lemon or store-bought lemon juice. Lime juice will also work.
- WHITE VINEGAR – White vinegar is an easy and cheap acidic ingredient to add to dressings. This will also work with apple cider vinegar.
- MAPLE SYRUP – A bit of sweetness from pure maple syrup or honey will do the trick.
- GARLIC – Three garlic cloves minced add lots of flavor. For anyone that doesn’t like the taste of raw garlic, you can omit these.
- SALT AND PEPPER – A little bit of salt and 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.
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.
How To Make Quinoa Salad
Here’s how to make it, with more details in the recipe card at the bottom.
- COOK QUINOA: In a pot, bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until quinoa absorbs all the water. Let the quinoa cool completely before adding to the salad.
- MAKE DRESSING: In a bowl or mason jar combine the olive oil, lemon juice, white vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, salt and pepper.
- ASSEMBLE SALAD: Chop the onion, cucumber, tomatoes and carrot into tiny bite-size pieces. Roughly chop the spinach and parsley. Add everything along with drained chickpeas to a large bowl. Drizzle the dressing overtop. Toss everything together and serve. This recipe is best served cold like our quinoa coleslaw.
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.
Salad 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.
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.
Most ingredients in this salad are hearty, so the salad should last up to 3-4 days if stored in a sealed container in the fridge.
This quinoa salad is healthy and tastes great. You’ll be getting protein from quinoa and chickpeas, and loads of vitamins and minerals from red pepper, cucumber, and red onion.
More Salad Recipes
- Cobb Salad
- Garden Salad with Herb Dressing
- Sweet Potato Taco Bowl
- Veggie Burrito Bowl with Paprika Rice
- Six Healthy Mason Jar Salads For Easy Lunches
- Easy Salad Dressing Recipes
- Broccoli Crunch Salad
Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa - or 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 15 oz canned 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 pure 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 quinoa. Let cool completely before making the salad.
- Chop the red onion, cucumber, tomatoes into small pieces. The smaller the better! Roughly chop the spinach and parsley as well.
- Prep the Salad Dressing: Add olive oil, lemon juice, white vinegar, maple syrup, minced garlic, salt and pepper to a bowl. Whisk together.
- Add the cooled cooked quinoa, drained chickpeas, spinach, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and carrots 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.
