Easy Quinoa Salad

Name: Easy Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
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

By Brittany Mullins

4.43

212

Published Apr 12, 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.

Bowl of quinoa salad with feta, spinach and tomatoes.

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

Ingredients measured out to make Easy Quinoa Salad: olive oil, quinoa, cherry tomatoes, avocado, feta, lemon juice, baby spinach, salt, pepper and red onion.

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!

Side by side photos. First is a bowl of avocado, onion, quinoa, spinach, feta and tomatoes. The second photo is of all the quinoa salad ingredients tossed together in the bowl.

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

Be sure to check out all of my quinoa recipes as well as the full collection of salad recipes on EBF!

Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.

This post was originally published on April 5, 2021, updated on September 7, 2023 and republished on April 12, 2024.

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