Best Easy Quinoa Salad

This easy Quinoa Salad Recipe is fresh and delicious! Quinoa, veggies, avocado & dill are tossed in a homemade lemon vinaigrette for a nutritious summer salad! It's a vegan, paleo & gluten-free salad that's perfect for BBQs & potlucks!

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword best Quinoa salad, cold Quinoa salad, easy Quinoa salad, Quinoa salad, Quinoa salad dressing, quinoa salad recipe, summer Quinoa salad

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Chilling quinoa 6 hours

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 174kcal

Author Laura

Equipment

Ingredients

Quinoa

1 cup quinoa uncooked
2 cups water
¼ tsp sea salt

Salad

1 cucumber peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
1 red bell pepper diced
1 green bell pepper diced
½ tsp fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup corn optional
½ cup onion finely diced (optional)
1 avocado diced

Dressing:

¼ cup olive oil
3 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp minced garlic

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cook the Quinoa

Bring 2 cups of water and ¼ tsp salt to a boil.
Add quinoa and return to a boil.
Once water is boiling turn the heat down to a simmer.
Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes turn off the heat, stir the quinoa, and return the lid to the pot.
Let the quinoa sit covered for 15 more minutes.
After 15 minutes, transfer cooked quinoa to a large bowl with a lid.
Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.

Make the Dressing:

Add dressing ingredients to a small bowl.
Whisk to combine.
Set aside.

Putting it together

In a large bowl, add chopped vegetables and dill to the cooled quinoa. Stir until evenly combined.
Add dressing and stir to combine.
Chill for 30-60 minutes.
Taste and adjust salt to your liking.
Add chopped avocado on top
Garnish with fresh dill.
Serve cold.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

Quinoa. white and tri-color quinoa work great in this quinoa salad.
Fresh Dill. You can use freeze-dried dill if you don't have access to fresh, but I don't recommend omitting dill.
Corn. If you want to keep this paleo then you should not use corn.
Onion. If making this for my kids I omit the onion, but freshly diced red or yellow onions are amazing.
Bell peppers. If peppers aren't your favorite, substitute your favorite vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, etc.)
Olive oil. Avocado oil can be used in place of olive oil in the quinoa salad dressing.
Honey. Maple syrup or sugar can be used in place of honey.
Dijon Mustard. Any mustard variety works well in this recipe.
Minced Garlic. Powdered garlic or freshly roasted garlic can be used in place of minced if desired.

Nutrition