Posted May 24, 2020, Updated Apr 01, 2024 This quinoa salad is one of my all-time favorite recipes. It’s light, fresh, flavorful and tastes like summer in a bowl. It’s, hands-down, the best quinoa salad I’ve ever had! In this recipe, quinoa, veggies, avocado & dill are tossed in a homemade lemon vinaigrette for a fresh and bright flavor! It’s a nutritious salad that’s perfect for BBQs & potlucks!
Quinoa Salad: Ingredients
Let’s begin by discussing the ingredients in this cold quinoa salad recipe, as well as possible substituions.
Quinoa. I prefer the look of white quinoa, but I have use a tricolor blend also and it tastes just as delicious. Fresh Dill. You can use freeze-dried dill if you don’t have access to fresh, but I don’t recommend omitting dill. Avocado. Another star of this quinoa salad is avocado. The creaminess of the avocado compliments the lemon dressing so well, but you can always omit it if you don’t love avocados. Corn. Corn adds a touch of sweetness to this recipe and I love it. Onion. Any onion variety works well in this recipe, sweet onions, red onion, etc. Bell peppers. If peppers aren’t your favorite, substitute your favorite vegetables. Suggestions include: chopped tomatoes, shredded carrots, blanched broccoli, fresh or frozen peas and summer squash. Olive oil. Avocado oil can be used in place of olive oil in the quinoa salad dressing. Honey. Maple syrup or sugar can be used in place of honey. Dijon Mustard. Any mustard variety works well in this recipe. Minced Garlic. Powdered garlic or freshly roasted garlic can be used in place of minced if desired.
How to Make Quinoa Salad
This cold quinoa salad recipe is very easy to make, but we’ll walk through the steps together to ensure your success!
Cook the Quinoa.
Cooking quinoa is an art, here is how I suggesting cooking it to make it perfect. Quinoa is really easy and quick to make, however it is also very easy to mess up! There is a fine line between perfectly fluffy quinoa and a chewy yet mushy mess that is totally inedible! So here are a few tips on how to cook quinoa perfectly every time! In this summer quinoa salad, cook the quinoa first, and then chill it in the refrigerator until it’s cold. I usually cook it the day before I want to make the quinoa salad. And that’s it! Please let me know in the comments below if you have any other questions about cooking quinoa.
Make the Quinoa Salad Dressing
I absolutely love this quinoa salad dressing. It is bright, fresh and lemony with just a touch of sweetness. All you need to do to make it is whisk the ingredients together, then set it aside to toss on the quinoa salad later!
Assemble
Put the chopped veggies, quinoa & dill into a large bowl and stir until the ingredients are evenly combined. Then add the quinoa salad dressing and stir until it’s evenly distributed.
Chill
I recommend chilling this quinoa salad for at least 60 minutes before serving to let the flavors blend, although I have eaten it straight away after mixing and it still tastes just as good!
Serve
Add the chopped avocado to the quinoa salad. To prevent the avocado from browning, toss it in a little bit of lemon juice before adding it to the salad. To serve, sprinkle the top of the quinoa salad with chopped fresh dill. Serve it as a side dish to your favorite main dishes or eat it as a main dish. I often make this salad on Monday and enjoy it all week long for a quick & healthy lunch.
Store
Store this quinoa salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
