Best Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is one of our favorite ingredients, and it really shines in our easy quinoa salad recipe! Of all the quinoa recipes we’ve shared and loved over the years (see here 30 Quinoa Recipes!), this truly is one of the best. Vegan, gluten-free, loaded with veggies, bursting with big flavors and brimming with health benefits, this quinoa salad stands out. For another super healthy salad that’s vegan and gluten free like this quinoa salad, try our Chickpea Salad, or if you love quinoa so much you want to eat it for breakfast AND lunch, try our Six Ingredient Breakfast Quinoa to start the day. 

Why This Is Our Favorite Quinoa Salad Recipe: 

• This quinoa salad is SO healthy. Quinoa is a nutrient-dense food that is loaded with protein, fiber, iron, magnesium and B vitamins. It’s naturally gluten-free, easy to cook, and very filling.
• Are you a meal prepper? Or a wannabe? Start your meal prepping adventures with this quinoa salad because it’s a recipe that’s ideal for meal prepping! Cook the quinoa on the weekend, shake up a jar of dressing, and enjoy quinoa salad all week long for lunches or easy dinner on the go — you’ll feel like a (well-fed) super star.
• Quinoa salad is really versatile! To mix things up a little, try swapping in leftover veggies (Roasted Beets or Roasted Broccoli would both be great add-ins). Or, try adding a little feta (if you don’t need the salad to be vegan), or a handful of olives to this recipe — really the sky’s the limit. You could even try it with a different dressing, like our Italian Dressing. 

Easy Quinoa Salad Ingredients

• Quinoa: Did you know that quinoa comes in a variety of colors? There’s red, plain, black, or tri-color and any of these would be just fine. We like tri-color because colors are fun, but any variety you find easily will be just fine here.
• Chickpeas: Just regular old canned chickpeas (some people call them garbanzo beans) work great here, and add lots of extra fiber and protein to this vegan meal that really will fill you up (and keep you full). Be sure to thoroughly rinse them before adding them to the quinoa salad.
• Red onion: Diced very finely, these add a lot of flavor to the salad and give it a tabouli-like flavor. If raw onions don’t agree with you, you could just leave them out, or try adding Pickled Red Onions instead.
• Cucumber: Use an English or Persian cucumber, so that you don’t have to deal with peeling and seeding.
• Tomatoes: We like Roma tomatoes because they don’t release much juice and we actually don’t want super juicy tomatoes here — they’ll make the salad too watery. If Roma tomatoes don’t look good, you could swap in cherry tomatoes, or even use red bell pepper instead.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic adds tons of savory sharpness to the salad.
• Fresh parsley: We always have flat-leaf parsley in our produce drawer — it may seem almost like an afterthought, but it’s going to elevate your quinoa salad so much to have fresh herbs in it, and you deserve the BEST lunch ever. 

For The Quinoa Salad Dressing:

• Extra-virgin olive oil: We use extra virgin olive oil here because you’ll really taste it in the dressing.
• Cider vinegar: Sharp, with a hint of apple sweetness, cider vinegar is our go-to vinegar for salads like this. Not only does it taste good, cider vinegar likely has some health benefits, too, like supporting healthy blood sugar levels and some studies show that it may reduce bad cholesterol.
• Sugar: Just a pinch of sugar can really help balance out a vinaigrette like this, particularly when we use a really assertive vinegar like cider vinegar we like to add a little sugar. Honey would be fine, too, if you prefer to stay away from refined sugar. Or you could skip the sweetener entirely if you like your quinoa salad totally tangy.
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, dried basil, granulated garlic. 

How To Make The Best Quinoa Salad

1. Cook quinoa. Or use leftover quinoa if you’ve got it. We like to whip up Perfect Quinoa on Sundays and use it to make this salad later in the week. 
2. Prep veggies. Grab your favorite knife and do some slicing and dicing. 
3. Mix the dressing. Tip: Save yourself some hassle by mixing the dressing in the bowl you’re going to make the salad in. 
4. Toss it all together: It’s that easy! 

Need More Healthy Meal Ideas?

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