This Easy Quinoa Salad is a lovely fresh, simple meal. It’s packed with flavour and contains a powerhouse of nutrients.
Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch, a light dinner, or a nutritious meal prep option, this quinoa salad ticks all the boxes.
With protein-rich quinoa, lots of green veggies and an easy avocado salad dressing, it’s a really lovely dish that’s delicious and satisfying too!
Why You’ll Love This Easy Quinoa Salad
- Simple to make – Just cook the quinoa, steam the veggies, blend the dressing, and toss everything together.
- Nutrient-packed – Loaded with plant-based protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals.
- Perfect for meal prep – Stays fresh for days, making it ideal for batch cooking.
- Customisable – Swap or add ingredients to suit your taste and dietary needs.
- Satisfying and filling – A balanced meal that will keep you energised for hours.
- A dressing you’ll love – I think dressing are the key to a great salad and this one is one of my favourites.
It’s also the ninth recipe in my series of Fifty Fantastic Salads. If you want to see the other recipes, you can find some of them linked at the bottom of the page.
Why should I make this Easy Quinoa Salad?
This healthy quinoa salad is a perfect blend of nutrition and taste. Lots of green veggies so great for boosting your antioxidants. It’s also high in fibre with edamame beans and quinoa so fantastic if you are looking to increase your fibre intake.
It’s vegan, gluten-free and pretty high in protein too! Plus, it’s easy to make, customisable, and great for meal prep!
Is this salad suitable for meal prep?
Absolutely. In fact, it’s perfect for meal prep. You can make it in advance and store in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
This works with the dressing already mixed in or you can keep the dressing separate in a jar, up to you.
Can I customise this recipe?
Of course. You can swap out vegetables based on your own preferences or change which beans you use. You can even throw in some toasted nuts or seeds for extra crunch.
The dressing is also customisable. You can use a different herb rather than parsley. For example, coriander (cilantro) works well.
Is this quinoa salad high in protein?
I would say it’s relatively high in protein for a green salad. It has about 16g per portion. Obviously if you are looking to add more protein, feel free to serve with another protein source.
How to make an Easy Quinoa Salad
Firstly, cook with quinoa. This only take about 14-15 minutes, and whilst it is cooking you can get everything else ready.
Next, lightly steam the broccoli and green beans for about 3-5 minutes until they are cooked but still bright green and slightly crisp. Chop the broccoli and defrost your edamame beans (I just add some boiling water to them to defrost.
Once the veggies are ready, make the dressing. Simply blend avocado with lime juice, tahini, garlic and parsley and some seasoning. Add water to loosen and it’s good to go.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss everything together to combine. Serve and enjoy!
What ingredients do you need for an Easy Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa
- Broccoli
- Green beans
- Cucumber
- Edamame beans
Quinoa
Quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. It’s also high in fibre, which helps with digestion and maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Quinoa is naturally gluten-free and packed with iron, magnesium, and B vitamins, making it an excellent choice for a nutritious salad.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a nutrient-dense vegetable rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. It contains powerful antioxidants that support the immune system and is great for detoxification too.
Green Beans
Green beans provide a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate. I like to chop them into small bite size pieces.
Cucumber
Cucumber is really hydrating, composed of over 90% water. It contains potassium, vitamin C and is rich in fibre. Great for crunch and very low in calories too.
Edamame Beans
Edamame is a great source of plant-based protein and fibre. In addition it is rich in iron, folate, and vitamin K. Peas also make a good substitute if you don’t have edamame.
What ingredient’s do you need for an avocado salad dressing
- Tahini
- Lime juice
- Avocado
- Garlic cloves
- Parsley
- Sea salt
- Water
Storage and Shelf Life
This Easy Quinoa Salad is great for meal prep and can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- For best freshness, store it in an airtight container.
- Avoid freezing, as the texture of the vegetables and quinoa may change.
Recipe Tips
Don’t overcook the vegetables: steaming for just a few minutes keeps them bright green and slightly crisp.
Adjust the dressing: If you prefer a thinner dressing, add more water or an extra splash of lime juice.
Add extra protein: If you want even more protein, toss in some chickpeas or tofu.
Add in extra toppings: Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or toasted almonds work well as an extra crunchy topping.
Swap the veggies: If preferred, you can swap out any of the veggies for your favourites.
Use leftovers: This is a great one to make if you have leftover veggies that are already cooked from the night before.
Swap the herbs: Use coriander (cilantro) or basil if you don’t have (or like) parsley.
Here are some other fantastic salad recipes:
Easy Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 1 cup quinoa (180g)
- Small bunch of tenderstem broccoli (100g)
- 20 green beans (100g)
- ½ cucumber
- 1 cup edamame beans (120g)
Dressing ingredients:
- 6 tbsp tahini
- Juice of 2 limes
- Half an avocado
- 2 garlic cloves
- Small handful of fresh parsley
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 6 tbsp water
Instructions
- Add the quinoa to a pan with 2 cups (500ml) of water. Put the lid on and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 14-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed, and the quinoa is fluffy. Let it cool slightly.
- Whilst the quinoa is cooking, lightly steam the broccoli and green beans for about 3-5 minutes until they are cooked but still bright green and a little crisp. Once cooked, I like to quickly blanch in cold water to keep their colour and freshness. Chop them into small chunks.
- Chop the cucumber into small chunks and add some boiling water to the edamame to defrost then drain.
- In a blender, add the dressing ingredients. Blend until smooth. Adjust the water, if needed, until you get a creamy yet pourable consistency.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa, steamed vegetables, chopped cucumber, and edamame beans. Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss everything together. Add additional seasoning to taste.
Notes
- This will store in the fridge for about 4 days.
- I don’t recommend freezing.
- The nutritional information is based up the recipe serving 4 but depending on portion sizes this could stretch to 6.
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