Favorite Quinoa Salad
This quinoa salad recipe is the best! Everyone loves this healthy quinoa salad made with quinoa, chickpeas, red bell pepper, cucumber, parsley and lemon.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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Introducing my favorite quinoa salad! I’ve published more than a few quinoa salads over the years and I genuinely love all of them, but this recipe is officially my favorite.
This quinoa salad is refreshing, crisp and delicious. It’s made simply with fresh cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, chickpeas, fresh parsley and a garlicky olive oil and lemon dressing. The salad sort of reminds me of tabouleh, an herbed Lebanese salad with tomatoes and bulgur.
The Best Quinoa Salad
Three reasons to love this recipe:
- This quinoa salad recipe is also very easy to toss together, especially if you use leftover quinoa (see recipe note). The recipe uses my preferred quinoa cooking method, which yields fluffy quinoa every time.
- This salad packs great for lunch, picnics, road trips and plane rides.
- Bring this allergy-friendly salad along to your next potluck—it’s vegan/dairy free, gluten free, and nut free, for all to enjoy.
This recipe doesn’t taste “basic,” but it has a lot of merits that make it a staple recipe in my kitchen. I hope it becomes your go-to quinoa salad recipe, too! Please let me know how it turns out for you in the comments.
Watch How to Make Quinoa Salad
My summer has been punctuated by fun, casual get-togethers with friends. Spontaneous afternoons at the pool, walks around the park, and potlucks—yes to all of the above. It’s nice to have supplies at the ready. My pool bag is packed with magazines and sunscreen, and my fridge is stocked with quinoa salad and Bota Box Wine (thank you, Bota Box!).
The “Bota Mini” size is super portable and easy to grab for an evening picnic at the park. The small boxes are convenient because you don’t have to remember to bring a bottle opener, and the empty boxes are lightweight and recyclable. Each 500 mL mini contains three glasses of wine, or just over half of a standard wine bottle. I recommend pairing their light, crisp Sauvignon blanc with this refreshing summer salad.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you and hope this quinoa salad becomes your favorite, too.
Craving more fresh and delicious salads? Here are a few more:
- Quinoa Broccoli Slaw
- Sun-Dried Tomato, Quinoa and Spinach Salad
- Mexican(ish) Kale and Quinoa Salad
- Herbed Quinoa and Chickpea Salad
Favorite Quinoa Salad
This quinoa salad recipe is the best! Everyone loves this healthy quinoa salad made with quinoa, chickpeas, red bell pepper, cucumber, parsley and lemon. It’s vegan and gluten free, too! Recipe yields 4 medium salads or 8 side salads.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed in a fine-mesh colander
- 2 cups water
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- ¾ cup chopped red onion (from 1 small red onion)
- 1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (from 1 large bunch)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa: Combine the rinsed quinoa and the water in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, uncovered, until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 15 minutes, reducing heat as time goes on to maintain a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes, to give it time to fluff up.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the chickpeas, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and parsley. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic and salt. Whisk until blended, then set aside.
- Once the quinoa is mostly cool, add it to the serving bowl, and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss until the mixture is thoroughly combined. Season with black pepper, to taste, and add an extra pinch of salt if necessary. For best flavor, let the salad rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- This salad keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 4 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Recipe inspired by the outrageous herbaceous chickpea salad in my cookbook (page 71) and my quinoa tabbouli.
*Quinoa note: If you happen to have 3 cups of leftover cooked quinoa, you can use it instead of cooking more.
Change it up: This salad is awesome as written. You can serve it on fresh greens with an extra drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice for dressing. Feel free to top it with crumbled feta cheese or a dollop of cashew sour cream (recipe in my cookbook, page 217).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This post was sponsored by Bota Box and I received compensation for my participation. Opinions are my own, always. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who support C+K!
This is a great recipe. I have made it several times since I found it in 2020 during Covid. Do you have the macro breakdown? Thanks.
I have the nutritional information, but don’t provide other breakdowns. Sorry!
Just made this and it is wonderful! I imagine it will be even better after it sits a little longer. I didn’t have red onion so left it out, but that works for me as raw onion doesn’t agree with me. Thanks for a great tasting healthy recipe!
Do u have a simple quinoa recipe ?
Hi Lynda, Is this what you are looking for: How to Cook Perfect Quinoa & 10 Quinoa Recipes
I tripled the recipe for an event and everyone loved it! I cooked the quinoa like I always do with a dash of soy sauce, salt and cumin, and added lots of crumbled feta cheese. Turned out wonderful and kept well for several days. Thank you!
Omg. Just made this and it was amazing. I was always disappointed with quinoa, but this recipe totally brought it to life. I’d love to try it with lime and cilantro as an alternative to lemon and parsley . Thank you for the amazing recipe.
So delicious!! Added feta and it took it to another level! Thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Jessica!
I’ve made this salad 5 times now. It always turns out great. Today I someone come over who is gluten intolerant so I put a bowl aside without the quinoa and mixed in some gluten free pasta. Worked perfectly. It’s a great summer dish. Thanks! Really kind of hard to go wrong with this recipe.
My kids ate this up! I LOVE this recipe and have already made it a few times. It’s so good, I need to double-up on the recipe because it doesn’t last! Thanks, Kate!
You’re welcome, Tess!
Delicious! This will become a staple in our house.
That’s great to hear, Karen! I appreciate your review.
I’ve made this recipe so many times I don’t need the recipe. Tonight I had the brilliant idea of putting it into bell peppers to make an awesome stuffed bell peppers. It worked! I love a great versatile recipe!
That’s great to hear, Leslie!
This is a great recipe! Really tasty and a great gluten-free alternative to traditional tabouli. My modifications:
1. Mince the garlic and cover with the olive oil. Let stand while the quinoa cooks to infuse the oil.
2. I added the zest of two lemons for extra lemon flavor.
3. Mine needed a bit more more dressing, so I added few more tablespoons of lemon juice and another drizzle of olive oil.
4. In total, I added another 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Sooo goood!! I made this with chicken thighs and chimichurri sauce, BUT if you’re a garlic lover, like myself, don’t add more than the garlic recommended. I added 4 more and it overclouds the rest of the ingredients. So sad.
This was outstanding! Recipe was perfect as written. I wouldn’t change a thing!! Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Christine!
I love, love, love this salad. I can make it Saturday and have it for lunch and dinner for the weekend. Dinner I add shrimp. It’s a perfect healthy meal. I did add feta to mine as well.
I’d like to know the nutrition info please. I’m county cholesterol and calories.
Thanks.
Susan
Hi Susan! The nutrition information is below the notes section of the blog. You will need to click to expand.
I am grateful for your recipe. I didn’t plan ahead, and had no chickpeas except those in a store bought jar of 3-bean salad so used that. And no fresh garlic. And couldn’t find the sea salt at home, with a messy kitchen. But I just used what I had and used garlic salt instead of sea salt. Threw in black olives for color. Used tomatoes for red because I had yellow pepper instead of red. No problem. Everyone loved it! You cannot go wrong with quinoa and this dressing, I think!
I’m excited you loved it, Margaret! I appreciate your review.
I don’t have red wine vinegar. Can I substitute something else?
You could sub white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar or something similar. Let me know what you think!
Mostly followed the recipe, I added a can of black beans. The dressing is awesome. I just made this and its delicious, I am looking forward to trying some more for dinner after it melds in the frige for a few hours.
I made this recipe today and used half of the quinoa stated in the recipe. Just a personal choice. I did not use all of the dressing, since there is less quinoa. The recipe is delicious and I will definitely make it again. The flavours meld when you make it a few hours before serving
Patricia
Could you replace the red bell pepper with sugar snap peas?
You could try it! Let me know what you think, Deb!
Kate, this was superb! I made it tonight – added lemon zest to the dressing too for extra zing and had left over fresh basil and chives that I added to the salad. It was awesome. My husband said he could eat that every night (and he gets tired of salad easily). Another win for me in the healthy food can be tasty too dinner prep.
Chi-Miigwech! Kim
Hi Kate. I made this recipe and everybody loved it! I just became a vegetarian and wanted to add this salad to some of my meals. So I have a few questions –
How much protein does it have?
How long does it last in the fridge?
Does it have iron if so how much?
And any other nutritional facts
I think you had added a nutritional facts label but it only saw it for a split second when reloaded the page.
Thank you for the recipe.
Hi Nazy, All the nutritional information can be found below the notes section. It can take a second to load depending on your connection. You can click to expand if it disappears.
I love this recipe! I jazz it up a bit by adding drained and washed black beans, cilantro instead of parsley and feta cheese. Delicious!
I have been searching for a quinoa salad recipe now that I have found one I’ll try it out. Many Thanks.
Hi Eve, I just made this quinoa salad. It’s delicious, also added pomegranate seeds. Thank you. Eileen
Such a delicious salad, and so versatile! I ended up substituting a few things to use what I had on-hand, and it was perfect. I omitted the beans, and used cilantro, apple cider vinegar, and veggie broth to cook the quinoa. SO GOOD!
So clean and fresh tasting. Didn’t change a thing in the recipe. Will enjoy grating for days. Glass of white wine, sourdough w/kerrygold
This was my first time making quinoa and it turned out delicious following your tips! I used avocado oil instead of olive oil, and added kalamata olives, feta cheese and avocado. Very light and healthy summertime salad!.
This is a Perfect recipe! It’s creamy, crunchy, satisfying, HEALTHY with no lack for flavor❤️ I could eat it everyday! Thank You for Sharing
Made today very nice used zucchini instead
Kate , I love your recipe for Quinoa Salad ! I’ve made it twice now ! All protein and minerals ! It’s power food …sustains me for my swimming ! I want to try the Sun Dried Tomato’s and Spinach next ! I am so, curious about your cookbook …such passion, enthusiasm and zest for creating delicious healthy cuisine ! You can be proud of yourself !
I’m glad you love it, David! Thank you for your review.
Just yum!! So fresh tasting. I wish I had read the reviews first because I think it would be great with feta too! Next time. I always love your recipes.
Thank you, Janis!
Delicious. Definitely a “keeper” recipe. Flavors are so fresh!
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Marianne!
Yummeee. My new go quinoa salad recipe!!!I did add some chopped tomatoe !
That’s great to hear, Alexandra!
Is this freezable, if can’t eat up fast enough.
This doesn’t make a great freezer option, sorry!
Can I sub cauliflower for the chickpeas? Or should I sub in cubed sweet potato? What do you think would be better?
You can omit them or add another vegetable instead. I think that is based on your preference.
Excellent warm weather salad, and great to have in the fridge! Only change was adding a little maple syrup to lemon juice. Made it for a lunch, but it is so good I ate it for breakfast. Will make it again. Thank you.
Thank you for sharing, Dana!
This is an amazing salad. I have made it often and it is always a hit! Thank you for sharing with us!!! 5 stars!!
You’re welcome, Judi!
Wow delicious salad. I did not have chickpeas but the salad is truly delicious without it. I will make this again for sure. Thank you for sharing.
Great to hear, Chantal! I appreciate your review.
I’ve made this several times and neglected to thank you for it. It’s a lovely recipe as is, and sweetly accepts modifications to accommodate what’s in the refrigerator. So if you’re shy of sufficient parsley but do have cilantro to make up the shortfall, great! Have some avocado? Go for it. Out of lemons, but lots of limes? Same deal. It’s just that perfect kind of recipe.
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate your review, Jeanne.
So good! Thank you for the great instructions. I had never made quinoa before. I did add 1TBSP of maple syrup. It did not make it too sweet but balance it as I think I overdid the lemon. So fresh and delicious. Perfect for summer and these 98degree days! Thank you!
I enjoyed this salad! I did not like the parsley, but that is a personal preference. Next time I’ll use cilantro or mint instead. Red bell peppers are not available where I live, so I substituted corn and peas. Overall, I really enjoyed this salad and will definitely make it again! It had a really good ratio of chickpeas to quinoa, etc.
This was so delcious and fresh! Everyone loved it! I did add a little feta and I doubled everything in the dressing accept the oil.
Absolutely amazing! I added some Thai basil for more depth of flavor & WOW! This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Would extra virgin olive oil be good also for the dressing? I’m excited to try this recipe out! Thanks
I recommend this best as written. You can try to add a dressing you would like.
I used less parsley, added feta, cherry tomatoes and avocado. I soaked the quinoa. Added a bit more red wine vinegar. It turned out great.
This is a perfect building block. Do you have other travel-friendly recipes?
Hubby found this recipe for me to try and it came out well… thank you!
You’re welcome, Grace! Thank you for your review.
This is my go to recipe for any group events. Everyone loves it. I’m asked to make it it all the time. My only alternation is that I use fresh coriander instead of parsley. But that’s because I love coriander.
I didn’t have any red pepper or parsley, but it was fine without them. I can’t stop eating it!
So light and delicious! This is a keeper for sure.