My Favorite Quinoa Salad Recipe
Are you looking for a quick, healthy lunch option? Then you need to check out my favorite quinoa salad recipe!
Not only is it full of flavor, but it’s also packed with plenty of protein and fiber, making it the perfect winter meal.
All it takes are some tasty ingredients, a few minutes of prep work, and you have yourself a delicious quinoa salad.
Ingredients
- Quinoa: You’ll need ½ a cup of uncooked quinoa or 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa. You can use white, red, or whatever type of quinoa you prefer. I like to mix it up now and then but if I’m looking for a type that has more protein, fiber, and antioxidants then I’ll opt for red.
- Chickpeas: I use one 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed chickpeas. Chickpeas are a great source of fiber and can help lower cholesterol levels. I love including them in salads to add some texture.
- Cucumber: Use half a large seeded and diced English cucumber. I prefer to use English cucumbers for this quinoa salad recipe but you can always use any type of cucumber you have on hand.
- Bell pepper: For this recipe, I use one medium red bell pepper, diced. You can use yellow or orange bell peppers but I’d avoid using green ones since they’re less sweet and more bitter, unless that’s your preference.
- Carrot: Dice or grate one medium carrot. Carrots will add some beautiful texture and sweetness to this quinoa salad.
- Red onion: You’ll need ⅓ cup of minced red onion. Red onions are deliciously sweet and perfect to add to salads. A white or yellow onion would be too sharp in a salad but super sweet and tasty when cooked.
- Sunflower seeds: Add ½ cup of sunflower seeds. Many studies have shown that consuming seeds helped lower rates of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. So I try to add seeds to my diet whenever I can, plus they add an amazing crunch to any dish.
- Parsley: I like to add ¼ cup of roughly chopped parsley. Just like you would add a squeeze of lemon to a dish, adding parsley brings the whole salad together with its mild bitter flavor.
- Mint: You’ll also need ¼ cup of roughly chopped mint. Mint is amazing for your digestion. If you suffer from IBS then mint is perfect to soothe bloating. It’s also full of nutrients and vitamins.
- Salad Dressing: For this quinoa salad dressing, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, and sea salt (I like to use Redmond’s Real Salt).
Check out the printable recipe card below for the recipe and detailed instructions.
Saving on Ingredients
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How To Make My Favorite Quinoa Salad
- Make the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Let the smashed garlic sit in the dressing while you prepare the ingredients to infuse the dressing, and discard it before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook the quinoa and prepare (chop, slice, grate) the rest of the ingredients. Allow the quinoa to cool for at least 15 minutes before adding it to the bowl.
- Add the cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, chickpeas, parsley, mint, carrot, and sunflower seeds to the bowl.
- Toss it all together and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to allow the quinoa to absorb all the flavors.
If you’re completely new to the world of quinoa, here’s a quick guide on How to Cook Quinoa Perfectly.
And if you love salads like I do and want to include them in your diet more often, here are 11 Awesome Salad Recipes you can try.
Cooking Time
50 minutes
This quinoa salad only takes 20 minutes to make, but make sure you to let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Storing
You can refrigerate your quinoa salad for up to 24 hours in a sealed container in the fridge.
I wouldn’t exceed 24 hours though because the greens tend to get soggy and lose their freshness.
Yield
This recipe serves 4 people give or take, depending on your preferred portion size.
My Favorite Quinoa Salad Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This quinoa salad recipe is full of flavor, packed with plenty of protein and fiber, and only needs a few minutes of prep work!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa (or 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa)
- 1 (15-ounce) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ large English cucumber, seeded and diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium carrot, grated or diced
- ⅓ cup minced red onion
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
- ¼ cup roughly chopped mint
For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, smashed open
- ½ teaspoon sea salt (I use Redmond’s Real Salt)
Instructions
- Make the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Let the smashed garlic sit in the dressing while you prepare the ingredients to infuse the dressing, and discard it before adding the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook the quinoa and prepare (chop, slice, grate) the rest of the ingredients. Allow the quinoa to cool for at least 15 minutes before adding it to the bowl.
- Toss it all together and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to allow the quinoa to absorb all the flavors.
