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This refreshing quinoa salad has simple, fresh vegetables, chickpeas, quinoa, and balsamic dressing. It's nutrient-packed and travel-friendly for the best lunch any day of the week!
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Why you'll love this recipe
The BEST quinoa salad uses simple pantry ingredients and easily accessible produce from your local grocery store or, during summer, your garden. This budget-friendly, 20-minute wonder triumphs over packaged salads in flavor, texture, nutrition, and cost. No culinary expertise is required!
Whether planning a week of healthy lunches or contributing to the summer picnic, this quinoa salad is your go-to. It accommodates various dietary restrictions and can be made a few days in advance, making it ideal for stress-free meal prep.
If you already love everyone's favorite Greek chickpea salad and this mouthwatering kale salad recipe, you're in the right place with vegetable quinoa salad!
Ingredient notes
For the salad
- Quinoa - Cook quinoa from scratch using the stove method or make Instant Pot quinoa.
- Chickpeas - Use canned chickpeas for ultra convenience, or make Instant Pot chickpeas for a budget-friendly option.
- Carrots - Use baby carrots or whole carrots.
- Bell pepper - Use any combination of red, green, orange, or yellow bell peppers.
- Cucumber - Any cucumber variety works for this recipe.
- Sweet corn - Use fresh or frozen corn (if thawed).
- Red cabbage - Green cabbage is just as tasty!
- Cherry tomatoes - Any tomato variety can be used for this recipe.
- Red onion - White, yellow, or green onions can be used too.
- Parsley - Any fresh herbs like dill, basil, or oregano are delicious in this recipe.
For the dressing
- Vinegar - Use any vinegar variety for the salad dressing.
- Dijon - Or other mustard variety.
- Maple syrup - Or honey, agave syrup, or date syrup.
- Extra virgin olive oil - Or avocado oil.
- Salt and pepper - Add to taste.
How to make quinoa veggie salad
At any point during this recipe, you can cover and refrigerate any components (quinoa, beans, vegetables, or dressing) until ready to serve.
First, cook quinoa using the stove method (instructions below) or make Instant Pot quinoa. Cool quinoa to room temperature.
Prepare salad ingredients (chop, shred, etc) and place in a bowl. At this point, you can add this recipe to your Buddha bowl collection because it certainly resembles one.
Make the dressing by combining vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon. Whisk in olive oil until the dressing becomes creamy. Season with SALT and PEPPER.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine.
Serve and devour!
Recipe tips
- Select fresh, crisp vegetables for the best flavor, nutrients, and visual appeal.
- When cooking quinoa for this salad, ensure that it cools completely before adding it to the salad.
- When making ahead, wait to dress the salad just before serving to ensure optimal freshness.
- If the salad has lost some crispness, you can freshen it up by adding extra fresh vegetables just before serving.
- Adjust the ingredients and quantities based on your personal preferences. Feel free to add or omit ingredients to suit your taste. Visit the recipe variations section for ingredient swap suggestions.
Recipe variations
- Toss in some fresh leafy greens like spinach, arugula, or kale for added nutrients and a pop of color. Once dressed, enjoy the salad on the same day.
- Sprinkle in nuts (like almonds or walnuts) or seeds (such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds) for crunch and extra nutrients.
- Be mindful of the texture. Don't overcook the quinoa, and keep the vegetables slightly crisp for a satisfying crunch.
- Top the salad with feta cheese, crumbled goat cheese, or Parmesan for extra richness and flavor.
- Fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, or mint can enhance the flavor and freshness of the salad.
- Use any combination of vegetables. There are no rules, so add your favorites! You can even use roasted vegetables in place of fresh veggies.
To meal prep this recipe, prepare the salad components but don't add dressing yet. Instead, portion the salad and dressing separately into containers and refrigerate. To serve, add dressing, toss to combine, and devour!
Try these other quinoa recipes
📖 Recipe
Fresh Vegetable Quinoa Salad Recipe
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Note about scaling
When scaling (2x or 3x), the light gray ingredient amount doesn’t scale. Please adjust those accordingly.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Dried Quinoa, or 2 cups cooked quinoa
- ⅛ teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 (15-ounce) can Chickpeas (drained), or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 medium Carrot, shredded (1 cup)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced (1 cup)
- ½ large Cucumber, diced (1 cup)
- 1 cup Sweet Corn, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup Purple Cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, chopped
- ½ small Red Onion, diced (½ cup)
- ½ cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
Dressing ingredients
- 2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar, or any variety
- 1 teaspoon Dijon
- 1 teaspoon Maple Syrup, or other liquid sweetener
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Sea Salt, to taste
- Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook QUINOA according to package instructions along with SALT.
- Allow to cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, combine COOKED QUINOA, CHICKPEAS, CARROTS, BELL PEPPER, CUCUMBER, CORN, CABBAGE, TOMATOES, ONION, and PARSLEY. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Make the dressing In a separate mixing bowl by whisking together VINEGAR, DIJON, and MAPLE SYRUP.
- Slowly drizzle in OLIVE OIL and whisk until creamy. Add SALT and PEPPER to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- To serve, add dressing to salad and toss to combine.
- Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Select fresh, crisp vegetables for the best flavor, nutrients, and visual appeal.
- When cooking quinoa for this salad, ensure that it cools completely before adding it to the salad.
- When making ahead, wait to dress the salad just before serving to ensure optimal freshness.
- If the salad has lost some crispness, you can freshen it up by adding extra fresh vegetables just before serving.
- Adjust the ingredients and quantities based on your personal preferences. Feel free to add or omit ingredients to suit your taste. Visit the recipe variations section for ingredient swap suggestions.
Equipment
- 2 quart saucepan to cook quinoa
GigiCT says
This is fabulous. It makes a lot (!), but I only added the dressing to each plate, so the leftovers didn't get soggy. I also added about 4 oz of high quality feta cheese. I highly recommend this dish!
Traci says
Yess!!! So glad you're enjoying it. And yes to dressing portions, as stated in my recipe tips. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! Much appreciated!
Sharon says
I love this salad! It’s my go to work salad when I meal prep! Thank you for this, it’s so easy to make it’s a life saver 🙂
Traci says
Yay!! I'm so glad you're enjoying this one. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Ro says
What can I substitute for corn.
Traci says
Hi Ro, you can substitute it with any other vegetable that's already in the recipe or add a different vegetable. Or you can leave it out entirely. Totally up to you. Let me know if I can help you further. Thanks and enjoy!
Joanne says
I made this for my sister and I to share. I made changes according to what I like, so I left out the chickpeas, and the red cabbage. I cooked the quinoa according to my InstaPot cookbook, it came out very well. I then mixed the vegetables into the quinoa and added the dressing. This is an excellent hot weather meal, I'm in Massachusetts and we've been having a lot of hot/humid weather and this is a welcome dish...easy to do, doesn't heat up the kitchen, colorful and delicious! I encourage you to give it a try.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! I'm so glad you gave it a try and sounds like you love it as much as we do 🙂 Thanks for sharing your experience, it's much appreciated!
Robin says
Wow! This is an amazing salad! It hits all the right buttons: crunchy, fresh, varied and with the lightest dressing imaginable. Thanks for a great meal! This is going to become a summer staple!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed and such a compliment! It's definitely a staple for us too. Thanks so much for the feedback 🙂
JB says
Ok I'll admit, I've never really been a quinoa kind of person, but this quinoa salad is absolutely delicious, especially with the crunchy summer vegetables. The dressing is perfect too! Great recipe, great salad!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yayy! I'm so glad you love it as much as I do 🙂 Thank you!!
Louise says
So colourful and flavourful too! Perfect for picnic weather!
The Kitchen Girl says
Thanks!! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. Yes, love quinoa salad for picnics 🙂
Katherine says
What a stunning rainbow of salad! So pretty and tasty.
The Kitchen Girl says
Thank you 🙂 So glad you're enjoying it!
Amanda says
What a gorgeous salad - full of flavours, crunch and colour. Love the maple syrup in the dressing too.
The Kitchen Girl says
Thank youu! So glad you're enjoying it 🙂 This is def one of my favorite salads.
Tara says
Such a beautiful and vibrant salad! The flavors sound amazing and I love how it comes together in 20 minutes.
The Kitchen Girl says
Thank you! So glad you're enjoying it 🙂
Seema says
This is the most colourful salad I have made in a long while. Love how it prompts me to eat.
The Kitchen Girl says
Omgosh I feel the exact same way when I open my fridge and there it is 🙂 It just begs to be eaten LOL. So glad you enjoyed!
Dannii says
Quinoa is a great way to bulk out a salad in a healthy way. Loving all the colours going on here.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Dannii...I'm such a fan of quinoa! 🙂
Cindy Gordon says
First it was words "meal prep" that caught my eye, then quinoa! This is a winning recipe for me! YUM
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Cindy! I feel the same way about it 🙂
Lisa Bryan says
I love to meal prep salads for the week - so much easier! Will have to give this recipe a try as it sounds delicious!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Lisa...hope you love it like I do!
Lindsay says
This looks so fresh and yummy Traci! Pinned!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Lindsay...it's one of my fav salads, for sure!
Lauren says
I love this recipe! I have a small addiction to quinoa and am always looking for new ways to use it! This salad is a great way!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Lauren...I'm right there with you on that addiction LOL.
Sandy says
Such a great idea for a healthy meal and I love your tips for keeping the salad fresh for a few days.
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Sandy...glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
Jenni says
This looks fabulous. I love all of the bright color and crunch! This would make a great packable lunch for me to take to work!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Jenni...that's exactly what I had in mind for this salad 🙂
Jessica Robinson says
Loving the colors and flavors with this salad. Also love that you added a little crunch with pumpkin seeds! Definitely will be trying this yummy salad for summer gatherings!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Jessica! Yep, I add pumpkin seeds to so many things...love those things 🙂
Allison says
I love having healthy meals prepped and ready. This chopped salad looks fabulous! Thanks for sharing!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks so much Allison!...Hope you can give it a go sometime 🙂
Tina says
I should do more lunch meal prep, this is inspiring. It's so easy, just takes some planning. Lovely salad!
Traci Antonovich says
Thank you 🙂 Yep, this is one of my easier meal prep days when I make this! Hope to inspire you to do it.
Sandi says
This is a fabulous salad recipe. I would even love this for a light lunch!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks Sandi! Yep, that's exactly what I make it for...meal prep lunches. Love having these done on a Sunday to start the week!
rikA says
Looks so healthy and delicious! I love quinoa but don't really make it often at home.
Traci Antonovich says
Thank you! I don't make quinoa often enough...so many things to make, so little time 🙂
Luci says
I love a good quinoa veggie salad and this looks like it wouldn't disappoint! Yummy!
Traci Antonovich says
Thanks! Yeah, it does not disappoint at all. In fact, I miss it when I haven't made it in a while 🙂
Elaine says
Mmmm. That quinoa salad looks so delicious! I love how loaded it is. Loaded with flavor and delicious ingredients. I don't meal prep for myself but I do make hubby's lunch on the weekend so he has what he likes during the week!!
Traci Antonovich says
Thank you! Yeah I make this on the weekend for our weekly lunches...it's part of the rotation anyway.