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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
10
servings
Calories
174
kcal
Author
Laura
Equipment
measuring spoons
measuring cups
spatula
glass batter bowl
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
Calories:
174
kcal
|
Carbohydrates:
20
g
|
Protein:
4
g
|
Fat:
10
g
|
Saturated Fat:
1
g
|
Sodium:
71
mg
|
Potassium:
330
mg
|
Fiber:
4
g
|
Sugar:
3
g
|
Vitamin A:
508
IU
|
Vitamin C:
31
mg
|
Calcium:
19
mg
|
Iron:
1
mg