Quinoa Salad

Name: Quinoa Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked quinoa; 2 Persian/Lebanese cucumbers; 2 roma tomatoes; ½ small red onion; ½ large avocado; 10 kalamata olives; handful fresh mint leaves; ½ lemon; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar; sea salt and ground black pepper

Published: Nov 8, 2022 by Ayeh Manfre 50 Comments

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This Quinoa Salad is colourful, fresh and super filling as it’s packed with protein and fibre. It's also vegan, gluten free and dairy free.

I’ve had this Quinoa Salad the last five days in a row, so it’s about time I share it with you! It’s one of those salads that make you want more with each delicious spoonful 🙂

It’s a combination of my 3 favourite salads recipes put into one which are my Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, Shirazi Salad and my Chickpea Avocado Salad.

This quinoa salad is so colourful, fresh and super filling as it’s packed with protein and fibre.

It's also vegan, gluten free and dairy free too so everyone can enjoy it.

I love having meals prepped in advance so that it’s ready to eat on busy days when you don’t have time to cook. This quinoa salad can be made in bulk for meal prep as it keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

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Ingredients and Substitutions
How to make Quinoa Salad
Tips to make Quinoa Salad Recipe
More Chopped Salads
Recipe
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Ingredients and Substitutions

Quinoa I love using Tri Colour Quinoa for its pop of colours but you can also use white, red or black quinoa
Persian or Lebanese Cucumbers are my preference as they’re full of flavour and have less water, however standard cucumbers can also work
Roma tomatoes are my favourite tomatoes to use. Cherry tomatoes also work great
Red onions give a nice sweetness, shallots or spring onions can also be used
Avocado gives a lovely creaminess
Kalamata Olives are my preferred olives as they have a nice salty taste and adds great flavour to the salad
Mint leaves add a nice freshness, parsley can also be used
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is always my preferred oil especially for salads
Lemon or lime juice is added for its zesty acidity
Balsamic Vinegar is subtle and sweet. Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar can also be substituted

How to make Quinoa Salad

Time needed: 25 minutes.

Cook Quinoa
Cook the quinoa and allow it to cool down. Here is my recipe on how to cook Quinoa
Prepare ingredients
Dice cucumbers, tomato, red onion and avocado into small cubes. Dice kalamata olives and into small pieces. Then add all to a salad bowl.

Once Quinoa has cooled, add to the bowl and top with freshly chopped mint leaves
Add dressing and serve
Squeeze in some lemon, add extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Mix together and enjoy!

Tips to make Quinoa Salad Recipe

Cook the quinoa first and allow it to cool so it doesn't make the salad warm or ruin the vegetables from its heat
I soak the onion in a bowl of water while I prep the rest of the salad to remove the harsh onion flavour
Make sure to use a ripe avocado that isn't too soft as it can become mushy in the salad
If making this salad in bulk for meal prep, I'd suggest not dressing the salad as it can get soft and will lose its crunch. I also recommend not tossing all the ingredients together until you are ready to serve
Add the avocado on the day of eating so it keeps and won't brown or becomes mushy

More Chopped Salads

I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to rate the recipe, comment and share your Quinoa Salad photo on Instagram so I can share the love!

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