Introducing my favorite quinoa salad! I’ve published more than a few quinoa salads over the years and I genuinely love all of them, but this recipe is officially my favorite.
This quinoa salad is refreshing, crisp and delicious. It’s made simply with fresh cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, chickpeas, fresh parsley and a garlicky olive oil and lemon dressing. The salad sort of reminds me of tabouleh, an herbed Lebanese salad with tomatoes and bulgur.
The Best Quinoa Salad
Three reasons to love this recipe:
- This quinoa salad recipe is also very easy to toss together, especially if you use leftover quinoa (see recipe note). The recipe uses my preferred quinoa cooking method, which yields fluffy quinoa every time.
- This salad packs great for lunch, picnics, road trips and plane rides.
- Bring this allergy-friendly salad along to your next potluck—it’s vegan/dairy free, gluten free, and nut free, for all to enjoy.
This recipe doesn’t taste “basic,” but it has a lot of merits that make it a staple recipe in my kitchen. I hope it becomes your go-to quinoa salad recipe, too! Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments.
Watch How to Make Quinoa Salad
My summer has been punctuated by fun, casual get-togethers with friends. Spontaneous afternoons at the pool, walks around the park, and potlucks—yes to all of the above. It’s nice to have supplies at the ready. My pool bag is packed with magazines and sunscreen, and my fridge is stocked with quinoa salad and Bota Box Wine (thank you, Bota Box!).
The “Bota Mini” size is super portable and easy to grab for an evening picnic at the park. The small boxes are convenient because you don’t have to remember to bring a bottle opener, and the empty boxes are lightweight and recyclable. Each 500 mL mini contains three glasses of wine, or just over half of a standard wine bottle. I recommend pairing their light, crisp Sauvignon blanc with this refreshing summer salad.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you and hope this quinoa salad becomes your favorite, too.
Craving more fresh and delicious salads? Here are a few more:
- Quinoa Broccoli Slaw
- Sun-Dried Tomato, Quinoa and Spinach Salad
- Mexican(ish) Kale and Quinoa Salad
- Herbed Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
Favorite Quinoa Salad
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 side salads 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
This quinoa salad recipe is the best! Everyone loves this healthy quinoa salad made with quinoa, chickpeas, red bell pepper, cucumber, parsley and lemon. It’s vegan and gluten free, too! Recipe yields 4 medium salads or 8 side salads.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- ¾ cup chopped red onion (from 1 small red onion)
- 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (from 1 large bunch)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, to give it time to fluff up.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
- Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Recipe inspired by the outrageous herbaceous chickpea salad in my cookbook (page 71) and my quinoa tabbouli.
*Quinoa note: If you happen to have 3 cups of leftover cooked quinoa, you can use it instead of cooking more.
Change it up: This salad is awesome as written. You can serve it on fresh greens with an extra drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice for dressing. Feel free to top it with crumbled feta cheese or a dollop of cashew sour cream (recipe in my cookbook, page 217).
▸ Nutrition Information
This post was sponsored by Bota Box and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
Maranda
Love this recipe, it is my go-to for potlucks as it is vegan, gluten, and soy free. Sometimes I like to sub the parsley for kale if I don’t have it, and I usually like to add halved cherry tomatoes as well.
Carole
Super delicious and great on top of mixed greens. I love how healthy and delicious this is. Easy to make to.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Carole!
Denise
I like adding just a little lemon pepper to this salad. I’ll be making it many more times. Thank you for the recipe. Oh, and I had no idea you could cook quinoa without a lid. It works perfectly!
★★★★★
Patricia
Deliciousness. I add diced avocado when serving. Takes this delicious salad to another level.
★★★★★
Daphne
I love this recipe. I also add pickled jalapeños and use pickled red onions. Oh and I add the zest of the lemons.
Jenn
Hello! I tried searching the numerous comments but didn’t see an answer. How much olive oil do you use? It just has an “x” by it.
Kate
Hi Jenn, see the ingredient list – 1/4 cup olive oil.
Kris
I made this recipe mostly because my son has restricted his diet to mostly vegetarian (organic meats sometimes), dairy free, organic gluten only, etc. Also, my husband and I need to lose weight and eat healthier, so it seemed like one to try. They sell something similar at Costco, but I looked at the ingredients and knew my son wouldn’t eat it (probably had soy oil). My son loved it and my husband must have liked it too because he ate a good amount. I also enjoyed it. Great recipe. Also – I made it exactly as the recipe called for. Although someone’s idea of using lime, cilantro, etc. to make it Tex Mex sounds like a good variaion. Thanks.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Kris!
Diane
This recipe is spot on!!! It is bright, colorful with a super tasty dressing. I have a granddaughter who is lactose intolerant and vegetarian; this is an ideal recipe for a shared lunch with her.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Diane! I appreciate your review.
Jo
That is a brilliant salad. I just made it here in New Zealand and will definitely make it again. So yummy and fresh. Thanks for sharing ❤️
★★★★★
Joseph
How long does this last for meal prep purposes?
Kate
It should last for a few days in the fridge.