Easy Quinoa Salad
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Published Apr 12, 2024, Updated May 06, 2024
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This easy quinoa salad is packed with spinach, tomatoes, red onion, avocado and feta with a simple lemon dressing. It’s the perfect healthy side dish!
If you know me, you know I love a good quinoa salad! I’ve made so many over the years that I’ve built up quite the collection, but I still have a favorite that I’ll always make time and time again.
That’s the recipe I’m sharing today.
Why You’ll Love This Salad
- Easy to make – You only need 8 main ingredients (plus salt and pepper) and once your quinoa is cooked this salad comes together in about 10 minutes!
- Customizable – I love this recipe as is, but feel free to make it your own! Use whatever veggies you have on hand, add protein, use a different dressing… the options are endless!
- Meal-prep friendly – This salad only gets better as it sits, making it perfect for meal prep.
// ★★★★★ Review //
“This is a keeper and so easy to make. I doubled the recipe and added some chopped celery for crunch. LOVED it! This is perfect as written but is also a great base salad to make and add whatever fresh vegetables I have on hand. Very versatile.” – Kyasi
Quinoa Salad Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious (and super easy) quinoa salad:
- quinoa – this is the base of the recipe and you can use any type of quinoa you like from white, black, red to tri-color. Any variety will work for this recipe. When it comes to how to cook quinoa for salad, it’s basically the same process as normal, but I like to make my quinoa a day in advance, let it cool and chill it in the fridge overnight and then use it for the salad the next day.
- baby spinach – baby spinach has a mild flavor and texture that works perfectly in this quinoa salad. I like thinly slicing it or shredded it so the pieces are bite-size and easy to eat.
- cherry tomatoes – these little guys add such great flavor to the salad.
- red onion – the perfect way to add a bit of flavor and crunch. You can use yellow onion if needed.
- lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and pepper – instead of an elaborate dressing, we’re using these four items to add a light and refreshing flavor to the salad.
- avocados – for some creaminess and healthy fat.
- feta cheese – this adds such a good flavor to the salad so I wouldn’t recommend omitting it. If needed you can use a vegan feta.
Recipe Variations
- Dairy-free: Use a vegan feta cheese like the Follow Your Heart dairy-free feta crumbles.
- Add protein: Each serving of this salad already has 8 grams of protein, but you could always add more by tossing in about 1 cup of chickpeas or white beans or adding in some chopped grilled chicken.
- Swap veggies: Have different veggies on hand? Use whatever you have! Cucumber, broccoli, bell peppers or a different green would all be great additions!
- Add herbs: For some added freshness, mix in some fresh herbs like parsley, dill, basil or cilantro.
- Add nuts: For some crunch, mix in some nuts or seeds like sunflower seeds, pistachios or almonds.
- Looking for more quinoa salad variations? Try this greek quinoa salad, roasted broccoli quinoa salad or southwestern quinoa salad. They’re all so good!
How to Make Quinoa Salad
One your quinoa is cooked and veggies are chopped this quinoa salad recipe comes together in a matter of minutes. Here’s how to make it:
Step 1: Cook your quinoa by first rinsing and draining it. Then add the quinoa and water to a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 5-10 minutes. This step can be done in advance!
Step 2: In a large bowl, stir together your cooked quinoa, chopped spinach, tomatoes, red onion and feta.
Step 3: In a small mixing bowl whisk together your lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture and gently stir to make sure everything gets coated with the dressing.
Step 4: Add avocado chunks and serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge a couple hours before serving. If chilling, you can add the avocado right before serving to prevent browning.
What to Serve with Quinoa Salad
Honestly, this salad pairs well with just about anything! It’s my go-to side for cookouts and potlucks and I always get asked for the recipe. Here are some pairing ideas:
- Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken – my go-to grilled chicken recipe!
- Grilled Curry Chicken – looking for a little extra flavor? Try this curry chicken recipe.
- Blackened Salmon – the creamy and refreshing quinoa salad is the perfect way to balance out the spice from the salmon.
- The Best Tempeh Veggie Burger – make these delicious vegan burgers as your main and serve this salad alongside it!
- Baked Falafel – because this quinoa salad reminds me of tabbouleh and has Mediterranean vibes, I think it would be delicious paired with homemade falafel and creamy hummus.
How to Store Leftover Quinoa Salad
This salad stores super well, making it perfect for meal prep!
To make it in advance: I would recommend leaving the avocado out and adding that in right before serving. The rest of the salad can be fully assembled and stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
To store leftovers: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Most Salad Recipes
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Fattoush Salad
- Couscous Salad
- Easy Spinach Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
- Arugula Salad
Be sure to check out all of my quinoa recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Easy Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup chopped baby spinach
- ½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 ripe avocados, chopped or sliced
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Rinse and drain quinoa. Add quinoa and water to a saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool for 5-10 minutes. This step can be done up to 1-2 days in advance
- In a large bowl, stir together cooked quinoa, chopped spinach, tomatoes, red onion and feta.
- In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Gently stir in dressing and avocado chunks.
- Serve immediately or let the salad chill in the fridge a couple hours before serving. If chilling, you can add the avocado right before serving to prevent browning.
- Store salad in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- Want to add more protein to this salad? Toss in about 1 cup of cooked chickpeas or white beans or add in some chopped grilled chicken.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
This post was originally published on April 5, 2021, updated on September 7, 2023 and republished on April 12, 2024.
This is the first recipe that I tried from your website and I must say I was not disappointed! This was an excellent quinoa salad. The acid from the lemon/olive oil dressing, the creaminess from the avocado and the heartiness from the quinoa/salad/tomato mix sprinkled with feta was just dreamy. The only thing I should have done was rinse the half cup garbanzo beans before putting them in. Beans are one thing I don’t use very often in cooking, so I wasn’t aware that they should be rinsed. Let’s just say my tummy wasn’t too happy with the excess oligosaccharides. Overall, though, I loved this. Looking forward to trying the Jennifer Aniston salad next! Thanks! ~A new fan.
Hi Millicent! This makes me so happy to hear. I am glad you’re loving this salad and it is a hit. Hope you love the Jennifer Aniston salad just as much. Thanks for coming back and sharing your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
Wonderful recipe! Added 2 cans of cannellini beans for more protein. It’s been too hot to turn on the oven so I have enjoyed making some of your salad recipes. Thanks
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe, Victoria. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Great recipe. Such a good flavor and love that it’s healthy with lots of protein! 😉
WOO! I am so glad you are loving this salad and it turned out great for you, Sarah. Thank you for your review & star rating, it means so much to me!
Delicious and simple. Caught short so instead of Quinoa used black rice (cooked in a rice cooker). Also substituted Cos lettuce leaves (chopped) for spinach.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Of course! I am so glad you enjoyed this salad and it turned out great for you, Frances! Thank you so much for your review + star rating, I appreciate it!
I just made this salad last night. I had some leftover quinoa which I usually just eat with chicken, but I wanted to try something different. It was pretty delicious. My husband and I loved it. I would definitely make it again.
I am so happy to hear that you and you husband are loving this recipe, Marilyn. Thank you so much for sharing your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
I was surprised how filling this salad is and how good it taste! I’ll be making this again and again.
Ah yay! I am happy to hear that you are loving this recipe, Cindy. Thank you so much for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
We made this recipe to go with our favorite chicken dish. It was perfect but we loved the dressing so much we made extra.
WOO! I am so excited to hear that this recipe was a hit, Scentsy! Thank you for coming back to leave your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
I have made/shared this recipe several times since I found it!
I was looking for a salad dressing recipe today and found your blog again and figured I would give cred to this recipe as it is one I reuse often! 100%!
Aw yay! I am so happy to hear that this recipe is a hit! Thank you so much for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it.
How do I make quinoa without clumps, like in your picture? I prefer the grains to be separate. Thanks.
Hi Catherine – How are you cooking your quinoa? I always recommend rinsing and draining the quinoa then adding the quinoa and water to a saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork (this is key to breaking up the quinoa so you don’t have clumps) and let cool for 5-10 minutes. If you give this method a try, let me know how it works for you!
I just made this tonight and I love it! I can definitely see myself making this more and more. But I’m not really understanding the serving size? Is it possible to get how many grams in a serving? To make counting calories a little easier? I understand it’s just a rough estimate but I feel like using grams or an actual measurement will give me a better idea. Thank you.
Hi Vince – I am not sure the serving size in grams for this recipe, but a serving should be about 3/4 cup. Hope this helps!
My family has always been avoiding quinoa until this salad recipe came along.
Thank you Brittany!
YAY! I am so happy that you and your family are enjoying this recipe, Ruchira. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
What do you think about adding a chopped boiled egg to the salad? This looks amazing, and I really love some egg in my salad.
Hi Nicole – I have not personally tried boiled eggs in this salad but it would be a great addition of protein and I am sure would be delicious. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it works out for yoU! Enjoy!