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!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Heather
Amazing salad! I made a batch to take on an overnight flight and it was especially delicious. Felt great in our over-tired, slightly travel-nauseated stomachs, and so much fresher than airline food. Plus the clean protein kept us going. 1000% recommend. I made as directed but I can’t wait to experiment with some of the suggestions of other reviewers. Thanks Kate!
★★★★★
A
I just made this to bring for lunch this week and it is delicious! I love it.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear, A!
Eve K.
I followed the recipe as given and it turned out really well. However, following a friend’s suggestion, I added about a cup of crumbled feta cheese and it tasted even better. She had made one adding olives as well, but I thought the olives might be a bit overpowering so I skipped them. Very happy with the final product. Thank you for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made this, Eve! I appreciate your review.
Eve K.
I followed the recipe as given and it turned out really well. However, following a friend’s suggestion, I added about a cup of crumbled feta cheese and it tasted even better. I understand adding feta is not vegan, but I made it for a party, and obviously not everyone is vegan, so it worked well for that purpose. My friend had made one adding olives as well, but I thought the olives might be a bit overpowering so I skipped them. Very happy with the final product. Thank you for the great recipe.
★★★★★
Jessica Drew
Delicious and is similar to but different from my Israeli salad w cous-cous v quinoa, tom v red pepper and mint v parsley. I love the dressing and wish I’d made 2 servings now, won’t last long!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Jessica! Thank you for your review.
Gabriella
Absolutely delicious & with every mouthful my body said thankyou ❤️ I added feta, cranberries, fresh basil & mint.
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made this, Gabriella!
Hasan Jaffer
This quinoa salad is a burst of freshness and flavors! A symphony of textures and colors that makes every bite a delight. It’s not just a salad; it’s a culinary masterpiece!
Sheila
I made this recipe because I had leftover cooked quinoa. I loved it and added some feta cheese, but didn’t need to; it was super as is. This is going to be one of my new go-to lunch salads.
★★★★★
Lesley
Best salad – just keep on making it whether for a crowd or sit in the fridge and choose for a tasty lunch with feta. I soak and cook chickpeas separately
★★★★★
Sharin
How many ppl would you say this serves?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! The serving information is in the recipe card. This makes 8 side salad.