30 Healthy, Easy Quinoa Recipes
Healthy and so easy to cook, quinoa is a staple in our pantry. Quinoa is almost unbelievably nutritious, boasting fiber in spades and eight grams of protein per cup—hello, gluten-free, plant-based protein source! Plus, the protein in quinoa is the ever elusive “complete protein”, meaning it has all nine essential amino acids. Very few plant-based protein sources can boast that. Although quinoa is technically a seed, most people think of and use it as a grain, subbing it for rice or oats.
How to Cook Quinoa
As for how to cook quinoa, it couldn't be simpler. Use this ratio: 1 parts quinoa, 2 parts liquid (either water or stock). Bring the water to a boil, and add your rinsed quinoa. Cover and simmer until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes. Now that you know how good for you quinoa is, and how to cook it, you just might be wanting some quinoa recipes! Well, we’ve rounded up 30 of our very favorite, go-to quinoa recipes! From healthy quinoa recipes, to summery quinoa salads and hearty quinoa bowls, these easy quinoa recipes are sure to satisfy.
Our Favorite Quinoa Salad Recipes
Curried Cauliflower Quinoa Salad. This curried cauliflower quinoa salad with is so simple. It's the perfect vegetarian weeknight dinner! Hello meatless Mondays!
Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples. Healthy and autumnal, this vegetarian quinoa side dish is hearty and pretty, too.
Black Bean Quinoa Salad with Orange Lime Dressing. Beans and quinoa mean this quinoa salad recipe is loaded with protein, and we’re all about the zesty, tangy avocado dressing that tops this keeper of a quinoa recipe!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Spring Greens . Loaded with olives and sun-dried tomatoes, this filling, healthy quinoa recipe would make a wonderful lunch or light dinner.
Quinoa Bowl Recipes
Quinoa Bowl. With chicken and black beans on top, this quinoa recipe doubles down on the protein! It’s a bowl of nutrition and it tastes good, too!
BLT Quinoa Bowls. Everything we love about a BLT, in quinoa bowl form! Basically, this quinoa recipe is pure genius.
Quinoa Egg Bowl with Pecorino. Inspired by her love for Caesar salad, Melissa Clark created this super delicious quinoa bowl! Finished with a runny egg, it’s proof that healthy doesn’t have to mean completely without indulgence.
Mango Quinoa Bowls. A mango-topped quinoa recipe that's fast, healthy and delicious. We love that it's drizzled with a tangy vegan cashew sauce.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowls. The cilantro-lime crema that finishes this quinoa bowl is the absolute best, and it’s easy, too!
Easy Quinoa Recipes
Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf. A way-healthy spin on classic meatloaf, this easy quinoa recipe makes great leftovers, too.
Creamy Italian Quinoa Soup. With more than a cup of half-and-half in it, this ultra-creamy soup isn’t exactly the picture of health, but it is bursting with flavor and it comes together fast. We just love it.
Roasted Carrots and Red Quinoa. A lemony miso dressing lifts and lightens this hearty quinoa side dish recipe. Eat it as a side or light main.
Quinoa and Egg Enchilada Skillet. This egg-topped skillet dinner shows how versatile quinoa can be—the whole, simple meal is built around this healthy pantry staple. Healthy, easy, one-pan—what more could we ask for?!
Pesto Quinoa with White Beans. White beans and homemade arugula-basil pesto dress up quinoa in this super quick salad that’s the ideal vegetarian make-ahead lunch.
One-Skillet Mexican Quinoa. Loaded with corn, black beans and spices, this Mexican quinoa recipe is a filling, ultra-healthy vegetarian one-pan dinner that everyone will love.
Quinoa Salmon Bake. Another one-pot, super-healthy quinoa recipe, loaded with everything good for you and nothing that’s not. It’s easy, feel-good food. Win, win, win.
Quinoa Black Bean Burgers. Everyone needs a great DIY vegetarian burger recipe, and this version is easy to love. Simply spiced and quick to put together, we love how quinoa gives it some heft. Yum!
Vegan Quinoa Recipes
Lentil Soup with Quinoa and Mushrooms. It doesn’t get much more satisfying than this super easy vegan quinoa soup. Lentil and quinoa team up to make it brim plant-based protein.
Overnight Quinoa. Made with both oats and quinoa, this riff on classic overnight oats is an easy way to add even more nutrition to that quick and easy breakfast. Dairy free, gluten free, and vegan, it’ll suit just about any dietary need, too!
Smoky Quinoa Soup. Smoked paprika is one of our favorite ingredients, and it finds a happy home in this easy vegan quinoa recipe.
Moroccan Quinoa Soup. More like a stew than a soup, this comforting vegan quinoa recipe is a great one to make on a meal-prep day and enjoy all week as leftovers.
Breakfast Quinoa!
Six Ingredient Breakfast Quinoa. Vegan, high-protein and low-effort, this easy recipe for breakfast quinoa is everything we want breakfast to be. Top it with fresh berries and call the day kicked off!
Mini Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups. A lot of breakfast quinoa recipes veer towards the sweet side of things—and nothing wrong with that! But we really love this savory spin on quinoa for breakfast.
Blueberry Quinoa Muffins. Moist, gluten-free and ready in just 30 minutes—sign us up!
Sweet Breakfast Quinoa Recipe. Maple syrup, orange zest and a little cinnamon flavor this sophisticated take on quinoa porridge. Topped with a dollop of ricotta, you’ll be in breakfast heaven.
Quinoa Recipes with Chicken or Turkey
Turkey Stuffed Peppers. Spiced with fresh jalapeños and taco seasoning, and sprinkled with pepper jack cheese, turkey-stuffed peppers are a protein-packed, veggie-laden, hassle-free meal that everyone will love.
One-Pot Chicken, Quinoa, Mushrooms & Spinach. This is the kind of thing we really crave in fall and winter—herbs and spices, moist, juicy chicken thighs and quinoa make for an incredibly fragrant, healthy one-pan dinner.
Chicken-Quinoa Salad with Green Goddess Dressing Recipe. Three of our favorite things—quinoa, chicken and green goddess dressing—in one perfect quinoa recipe.
Chicken Quinoa Soup. Perfumed with lemongrass and rosemary, this warming chicken soup is a healthier riff on the classic chicken noodle and we’re all for it.
Creamy Bacon Quinoa & Chicken Skillet Casserole. How can something with the phrase “creamy bacon” in the title be healthy?! Well, it can. Click through and see just how healthy this easy quinoa recipe is.