Quinoa Salad Recipe

4.79 from 23 votes

Wonderfully fresh and flavor and dressed in a honey vinaigrette, this quinoa salad is one delicious side dish. Simple to make it's a great side salad to serve with all your favorite mains.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Total Time55

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Becky Hardin

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried basil

For the Salad:

2 tablespoon salted butter
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 ½ cups water
15 ounces chickpeas drained
7.5 ounces black beans half can, rinsed and drained
1 avocado peeled, pit removed, and chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
¾ cup cucumber peeled, chopped (~½ cucumber)
½ cup carrot shredded (~1 medium carrot)
½ cup red onion chopped (~½ red onion)
¼ cup parsley chopped

Instructions

In a bowl, mix together the extra virgin olive oil, honey, white wine vinegar, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, and dried basil. Whisk until everything is combined. Set aside.
Take a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté the quinoa in the 2 tablespoons of butter. Sauté for 3-5 minutes.
Add the 3 ¼ cups of water to the saucepan and let boil with the quinoa for 20 minutes or until quinoa is completely softened and cooked.
Set aside quinoa in the refrigerator to cool.
Once the quinoa has completely cooled, place it in a bowl with the chickpeas, black beans, avocado, grape tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, red onion, and parsley.
Mix together and then add in the dressing.
Toss the salad again to make sure the dressing is evenly coated and then plate and serve.

Notes

Feel free to add in any other favorite veggies to this recipe. Bell peppers and shredded cabbage works great!
You can make double the amount of quinoa and freeze it for later use. It keeps well for up to 6 months.
Store in an airtight container to keep the salad fresh.

Nutrition