Fall Quinoa Spinach Salad
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Published Sep 23, 2018, Updated Nov 19, 2021
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This quinoa spinach salad is loaded with fall favorites like butternut squash, chopped apples and quinoa. It is packed with nutrition and flavor and you’ll love the apple cider vinegar tahini dressing!
I typically go crazy with pumpkin recipes as soon as fall hits, but today I have a pumpkin-less recipe that features more fall produce favorites – butternut squash, apples and greens. I’ve been eating these things separately or in other dishes, but finally decided to throw them all together for a tasty meal-sized salad.
Hearty fall salads are seriously the best! In this Quinoa Spinach Salad, the roasted butternut squash makes it sweet and satisfying, while the apple and pepitas add a nice crunch. Quinoa adds some staying power and the spinach nourishes the body in a way that no other food (besides other leafy greens) can. If you like my garlicky kale salad, you’ll love this one because the dressing is almost exactly the same – I just added a little maple syrup to sweeten it up a bit. And if you enjoy this salad, you should also check out my full roundup of quinoa salad recipes.
Health Benefits of Quinoa
I love using quinoa as a base for salads. It’s naturally gluten-free, high in protein and one of few plant foods that contain all nine essential amino acids (source). Not only that, but it’s also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants! Talk about a powerhouse ingredient!
Unfamiliar with making quinoa? I’ve got a great guide on how to cook quinoa and it’s loaded with information about this little seed too.
Here’s What You Need
- baby spinach and quinoa – the base of this meal-sized salad. You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa which is 1/2 cup dry quinoa.
- butternut squash – cut the squash into uniform, bite-size pieces so they roast evenly.
- apple – I prefer to use Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Fuji apples, but any variety will work. Uniform, bite sized pieces are ideal here too so you can get a bite with all the flavors together!
- pepitas – pepitas are pumpkin seeds without the shell, but if you can’t find them you can use regular pumpkin seeds or even pecans for a nice added crunch. Roast them alongside the butternut squash for a roasted flavor boost.
- dried cranberries – I love adding dried fruit to my salads for a little touch of sweetness and texture. Raisins would also be great in this recipe.
- tahini apple cider vinegar dressing – tahini, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, tamari, nutritional yeast, garlic and a touch of maple syrup make up this delicious salad dressing.
Steps to Build This Salad
Prep butternut squash – Prepare the squash by peeling it, cutting it in half and scraping out the seeds, then cut the squash into bite-size cubes. You can also buy pre-cut butternut squash to skip this step! Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice, until all the pieces are tender and have a few small brown spots.
Roast pepitas – If your pepitas or pecans are raw, you can toast them in the oven with the roasting squash. Spread seeds/nuts on a separate baking sheet and add to the oven with the butternut squash for 5 to 10 minutes or until the seeds/nuts are golden and crunchy, then remove from the pan to cool. Be sure to watch the seeds/nuts carefully because they can burn quickly. The pepitas will take less time to toast than the pecans because they’re smaller.
Assemble salad – While roasting the squash, toss together spinach, cooked quinoa, apple and cranberries in a large salad bowl. Add cooled pepitas (or pecans) once they’ve been toasted. Once the butternut squash is done roasting, allow it to cool and then place into the salad bowl with the other ingredients.
Make dressing – While while butternut squash is roasting, prepare the dressing by placing all remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Serve – Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Switch it up!
You can easily swap some of the ingredients in this salad and get an entirely different meal that will be equally delicious!
- Baby spinach – use another dark, leafy green like kale or collard greens. Arugula is a great salad base as well.
- Butternut squash – try roasted sweet potatoes instead, or even cinnamon maple roasted Kabocha Squash.
- Apple – instead of apple, you could use pears or even jicama.
- Pepitas – as mentioned above, you can also use pumpkin seeds or pecans. The idea here is to add some crunch so any kind of nut or seed will do!
- Dried cranberries – raisins or dried cherries would also be tasty!
How to Serve Fall Quinoa Spinach Salad
For me, this is a meal-sized salad I would eat on its own. But it would also make a great side salad if you want to serve it to more people! Here are some great ideas to serve alongside this salad:
- Apple Cider Vinegar Chicken
- Pumpkin Spice Salmon
- Eggplant Casserole with Ground Turkey
- Maple Glazed Salmon
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Healthy Turkey Chili
More Fall Favorites to Check Out
- Baked Butternut Squash Fries
- Kale Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Wild Rice Stuffing with Butternut Squash and Sweet Cherries
- Fuji Apple Salad
- Vegan Apple Bread
- Fall Breakfast Salad
More Quinoa Recipes you Might Enjoy
Fall Harvest Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa, cooked according to package directions (1/2 cup dry quinoa)
- ¾ cup butternut squash, chopped
- 1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup pepitas, pumpkin seeds or pecans
- 3 Tablespoons dried cranberries
Tahini Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
- 2 Tablespoons tahini
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium tamari or aminos
- 4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic, about 2 cloves
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
Instructions
- Prepare the squash by peeling it, cutting it in half and scraping out the seeds.
- Cut the squash into bite-size cubes, place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast at 400° for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice, until all the pieces are tender and have a few small brown spots.
- If your pepitas or pecans are raw, you can toast them in the oven with the roasting squash. Spread seeds/nuts on a separate baking sheet and add to the oven with the butternut squash for 5 to 10 minutes or until the seeds/nuts are golden and crunchy, then remove from the pan to cool. Be sure to watch the seeds/nuts carefully because they can burn quickly. The pepitas will take less time to toast than the pecans because they’re smaller.
- While roasting the squash, toss together spinach, cooked quinoa, apple and cranberries in a large salad bowl. Add cooled pepitas (or pecans) once they’ve been toasted.
- Prepare dressing by placing all remaining ingredients (tahini through maple syrup) in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Once the butternut squash is done roasting, allow it to cool and then place into the salad bowl with the other ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love the idea of using Quinoa in a salad for some protein staying power! I’ve never tried it but I definitely will! Nothing better than roasted squash and dried cranberries in a salad!
I hope you love it Amanda!
I hope the storm doesn’t end up being as bad as anticipated; all over the news here in Ireland too….
How could anyone not LOVE pumpkin! I’m eating it pretty much everyday in one form or another, can’t get enough. When you can’t get pumpkin…eat butternut squash! Totally with you! Love your salad! The dressing sounds delicious!
Thanks Michelle. I agree, pumpkin is amazing!! 🙂
I’m a BeachBody coach and love P90X it is more strength, less cardio – Insanity is GREAT too! Let me know if I can tell you anything about BeachBody fitness programs or answer P90X questions for you 🙂
Hi Sarah – I do have a quick question. Would you recommend the classic or lean P90x program for me?
It truly depends on your goals – lean will focus more on lenthening your muscles not as much on definition, classic (what I did in prep for my wedding this past July) will give you more definition…I push for classic for those already in shape 🙂 Lean is a bit less strenuous
I feel like I should have prepared for this thing a little more than I did. Toly just informed me that we are low on bottled water so that could be a problem. :/ Stay safe love!
Love your website – I’m addicted! 🙂 I have done P90X before and LOVE it! It makes you want to puke the first week but it gets better as you go along – good luck!
Thank you Amber. I really hope I don’t puke. 😉
OOH your salad looks to DIE for!!! Yum yum yum!! And I love quinoa as well!! Ahhh lol! I’m also hoping this storm is not as bad. I’m in Alexandria, VA & just praying everyone stays safe. Stay safe there! 🙂
Stay safe Kanoe!
Mmmmmm I love giant fall salads too! I jumped on the P90X bandwagon about a year ago but quickly fell off. I think the program didn’t work for me because I get bored very easily and once you learn the routines your doing the same thing all the time it felt like. On the bright side, the work outs themselves are really great and you do see the benefits quickly. I like to incorporate the workout separately into my own routine each week.
Yum! Can’t wait to try this!
I’ve done two full rounds of P90X. The first time, I did the “traditional” rotation and was very disappointed with my results. The second time, I did the “lean” rotation and added 3 additional runs per week and was THRILLED with my results! Yes, it can get monotonous, but I’m happy I found a way to make it work for me!
That’s awesome Victoria. I was curious as to the difference between the traditional and lean and which one I should choose. After reading your comment, I think I might try the lean program.
I’ve never done P90x before, but I would definitely recommend sometime of structured workout program for the months leading up to your fitting. If you decide P90x isn’t for you, maybe you could sign up for some group classes? Since you’ll have signed up and paid for the class, you might feel more motivated to go. No matter what program you choose, I’m sure you’ll look fit and fantastic on your big day! 🙂
Hi!
I can honestly say that I have never followed a blog before yours. I have always been a health food junkie (without the junk of course). I stumbled onto your blog and I have been reading and rereading it over and over again. I am living abroad in the Republic of Georgia, and whenever I feel homesick I read your blog. Your positive attitude helps me feel less homesick. I bet you didn’t expect to hear that on a salad recipe comment;) Anyways, I did buy P90X before coming to Georgia. I wasn’t sure there would be a gym. It is pricey so I bought it from Amazon.
I read the top comment and I am sorry, to the Beachbody coach. I have to watch the P90X tapes with the sound off, Tony…he is a little too motivated, however, now that he is some of the only English I hear…starting to appreciate his lame jokes. Overall I have been a very fit person for a long time. I ran DI track and cross country all throughout college. I only just graduated in May, and P90X has many of the moves that we did to stay lean and race ready. It really gets your heart pounding. I highly recommend it. Also there is no coffee here in Georgia, if you don’t count instant or Turkish, and I don’t, but when I get home I am totally making your pumpkin spice latte:) Thanks for writing this blog. You are a lifesaver to this homesick teacher.
p.s. Sorry this is so long, obviously I haven’t been using English too much, and it all comes out on a post!
Hi Mary – I’m excited to be the first blog that you’ve followed. Thank you for such a sweet comment.
Did you do the full P90x program? I’m wondering if I should do the classic or lean program?
Thanks for the reply:)
I have two weeks left of the classic. I am a fan of strength training. 1) because I like that more muscle burns more calories when my body isn’t working 2) I have always been a fan of toned over super thin. You are already thin, so the classic will get you toned for the dress. Plus with the arms workout, I think toned might be the goal here. I would go classic:)
Also I didn’t bring weights with me or a pull-up bar. I am using bands, and have really great results!
This salad was so so good! My boyfriend and I said it was the best salad we ever ate!
Oh wow!!! I’m so happy to hear that you all loved it!
Looks like the perfect fall combo!
Thanks Michelle!
i have to go pick up some NOOCH!
This looks great. I think I need to get some spinach!
Hi! I discovered your blog the other day and love it. I made this salad today with just a few tweaks based on what I had at home. Instead of spinach, I roasted some broccoli and at the same time roasted the butternut squash seeds (I had roasted the squash last night for some soup), as well as some chick-peas tossed in olive oil, pepper, paprika and turmeric. I tossed all of that plus the squash in the dressing with the quinoa, apple, cranberries and some diced red pepper I had. Super good, thanks for the recipe!
Just made this tonight and it was really freaking good! Even the boy ate it! Had to adapt on the fly by replacing tahini with peanut butter but it was excellent nonetheless.
I want to make this for a Thanksgiving gathering. How many servings is it?
Finally got to make this last night. Everyone loved it. I added some mushrooms and some cucumber, put more than 3/4 of squash. I was serving 3 adults and I just approximated the quantities. It was soooooo good! I’ll be keeping this in our fall rotation for sure!
Thank you!!
made this today for a pot luck Christmas dinner with friends – was so delicious! I was mad that there weren’t any leftovers!! will make again just for me : )
Neat combination. Thanks for sharing!
The first thing I noticed when I looked at this page was the beautiful bowl of salad. I love that it only takes a short amount of time (relatively short anyway) to get this from all the lovely ingredients to chopped up and ready to eat. Not only that but practically everything in here is so healthy for you that you can eat as much as you want.
Cool recipe but when I got excited at the top of the card with the 15 minute total time to make, but that doesn’t include the 30-40 minutes to prep the squash 🙁
Bummer! I’m so sorry about that! I’ll updated the time.
This was delicious!!!!! I’m definitely going to make it again this week 🙂
Hooray. So glad you liked it Caitlin.
Accidently came on this site! LOVE this blog! Thank you!
This looks delicious!!
Rebecca | http://www.peppermintdolly.com
Making this salad for a potluck. Love all your vegan recipes! Keep them coming! Your tempeh bowls with coconut rice are a weekly dinner at omg house
This looks delicious! Is there something you can substitute for the nutritional yeast? Or can you just leave it out?
Thanks.
Hey Raquel. It adds an amazing nutty, cheesiness to the dressing. I’d highly recommend trying to find it at your local grocery store because it really makes the dressing!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. Love all the salad ingredients and the dressing is amazing. I will definitely be making this again.
My husband & I loved this recipe. I have PCOS & I can’t have gluten or dairy so this recipe worked out great for me.
Hello! Can I make this ahead of time and serve chilled? Also, how long will it keep refrigerated?
Thanks!
Totally! I prep everything and keep the dressing on the side until you’re ready to serve.
I was a little nervous about the dressing but I am SO glad I tried it. This recipe is absolutely delicious. Thank you!
Yay, I am so happy you went for the dressing and enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank you for trying this dish and for taking the time to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it, Pauline! <3
I have been CRAVING a really good salad — like Sweetgreen good (I hope that’s okay to say)! But, my husband and I are not visiting restaurants now in an effort to really quarantine. This recipe HIT THE SPOT! It was so, so good and so filling! I used freeze dried blueberries instead of cranberries and slivered almonds for the nuts since that’s what I had. Can’t wait to make this again!
Of course that’s okay to say. I LOVE a good salad shop salad. We don’t have a Sweetgreen in Richmond, but I like to eat there whenever we visit a city that has one so I get it! I’m so glad this salad hit the spot! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It seriously helps my site so much so thank you. If you’re looking for another good one to try, this Mexican Street Corn Kale Salad is a favorite of mine lately!
This is my absolute favorite fall salad. The dressing is incredible and so so flavorful.
Husband has declared this “The best salad he has ever had!” Seriously though, it’s delicious.
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Jeannine!! I’m so pumped this salad was a hit. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
LOVED this salad recipe, especially the dressing which I can’t wait to use on all kinds of other things too! Perfect for transiting from fall to summer.
Yay!! I’m so glad this salad was a hit. Thanks for making it + for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Kristen. I so appreciate it.
Love this salad, second time making it. I have been subbing ingredients with what I have in hand, but the dressing makes it all come together!😊
Woo!! I’m so glad this salad was a hit. Thanks for making it + for coming back to leave a comment + star rating, Jan. I so appreciate it.
Made this tonight to go with fall pork chops
So good! Only sub I made was added a few chickpeas for the quinoa and used sweet potatoes instead of butternut:) definitely making again!
Yay! So glad this salad was a hit, Marly. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
I WILL be making this! Everything about this recipe looks yumm! Thank you for posting.
Do you use ground nutritional yeast or flakes?
I use the flakes, but either should work!
This turned out so good! I subbed chopped dates for dried cranberries and it was delish!!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this salad, Zora. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Amazing recipe! Simple ingredients, short prep time 🙂 I love it!
So glad you loved this salad, Veronica! I so appreciate you making it and coming back to leave a comment + star rating!
Made this salad the 3rd time this month! Can’t get enough of it, its sooo delicious!
I left the dressing – don’t like them in general – but still perfection! The taste combo is just AMAZING! <3
You are the best, Eva!! Thank you for your review! 🙂
Ummm..AMAZING! I don’t like to eat salads, but I needed to find something to use what I have at home and to eat cleaner. This was it! I subbed sweet potatoes for the butternut, because it was what came in my CSA, and walnut for pecan. The dressing was amazing. I love anything with nooch in it. What did it for me was that it was more salty than sour, which was my initial concern when I saw both ACV and lemon juice. I’m not big on soury things. It makes me nauseated, but this was just perfect.
Isn’t it so good?! I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Another great EBF recipe! I used kale because it was what I had on hand and it was delish!
So glad you loved this salad, Jennifer!!
I love a bulky flavorful salad and this one fits the bill! I wanted to try this as “something different” since the ingredients looked interesting to me, and the combinations pleasantly surprised me! This has since been on my menu more than once and is sure to keep making appearances.
I’m so glad you tried and enjoyed this salad, Cayla! Thanks for leaving a review. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Can I make it without the Nutritional yeast
The nutritional yeast is a big component to the dressing, so I wouldn’t skip it! It adds an amazing flavor and some cheesiness without cheese. If you don’t have nutritional yeast I highly recommend picking some up 🙂 But you could use a different dressing instead.
This salad has all the flavors of Fall!🍁🍂 We did take an extra step and coated the squash with a small amount of coconut oil, cinnamon and sea salt just to add to the fall vibe…other than that the dressing and all the other components of this salad are super tasty!! ❤️❤️❤️
So happy to hear you loved this salad, Suzy! Thanks so much for the review and the star rating. It means so much to me.
Haven’t tried the salad yet as I’m meal prepping for my upcoming week. Ingredient list/ directions would be more helpful if they told you how much uncooked quinoa would make 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa. Now I am stuck with a huge pile of quinoa 🤦🏽♀️.
Hey Ashley – Thanks for the feedback, sorry about the confusion. I just added how 1.5 cups of cooked quinoa = 1/2 cup dry quinoa. Let me know what you think of this salad!
We tried this salad tonight and it was delicious – a very flavorful, Fall salad! I didn’t have any butternut squash on hand so I substituted roasted sweet potatoes instead. Will try again with butternut squash but either way, we’ll definitely be adding this to our meal rotation! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Woo!! So happy to hear this salad was a hit, Megan! Roasted sweet potato is such a great substitute for the butternut squash. Thanks for the review. I really appreciate it!
Delicious salad, full of different flavors and textures. The butternut squash was so soft and every ingredient played their part.
I used a quinoa that had basil and dehydrated tomatoes and also added its part.
I can imagine variations for my next try.
The only disappointment I got is how little it endured in our dishes… all this effort and love gone after just a couple of minutes.
(a glass of white wine goes perfect with this!)
this was absolutely delicious. I also added roasted Brussel sprouts. the dressing makes all the difference
thanks for another winner!
Absolutely! I am so glad to hear that you are loving this recipe, Nancy! Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
this has a wonderful balance between sweet and salty. definite make again! thank you!
WOO! This is wonderful, Julie. I am so excited you are loving this recipe and it turned out amazing for you!