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
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!
I have made this several times now and absolutely love it!! It makes me feel good just eating it. I cannot eat red onions so just leave them out and it still taste delicious!
This recipe is excellent! I made it as per your ingredients and directions two weeks ago. Both my husband and I loved it. So I am making it again for diner tonight. Thank you Kate.!
I love this salad, but i also add 1 grated carrot, chopped apple and crumbled feta cheese. Serve as is or with chicken. yum
I don’t usually rate recipes but this was exactly what I was looking for and it is SO good. It tastes so fresh with the perfect amount of tang. It has a great mix of textures. I cooked the quinoa according to the directions given and it came out perfectly. I sprinkled some feta on top. This is the perfect summer salad. Will be adding to my favorites.
This was very delicious. The only thing I changed was in the dressing, I cut way back on the salt and literally put a pinch in, and I added 1 teaspoon of honey. When I served it, I cut up some avocado and added goat cheese. Mighty good. It was literally the meal.
So delicious and filling. I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used cilantra.
One cup was only 4 WW points for the quinoa and olive oil, everything else was on the free list.
I just made this- Fabulous! I added chopped celery and pistachios and subbed in 3 green onions vs red onion. .
I used dried parsley because I didn’t have fresh and about ¾ a cucumber and it was excellent! (also I didn’t rinse my quinoa hehe oops)
Can I substitute olive oil with something else?
Hi Elaine, oil in salads enhances the flavor and texture, and many vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning they need a bit of fat to absorb into the body. This recipe has a modest amount as written, which is what I recommend, but you can adjust to fit your needs. If olive oil is the issue, you can try another neutral flavored oil.
I didn’t even think I liked Quinoa until I made this recipe. My husband and I loved it; it tastes even better as leftovers! Many thanks for sharing!
Sooo good! Accidentally used cilantro instead of parsley and left out the beans because of allergies. Love the hint of lemon, and all the flavor combinations are amazing!
My family loved it. My son asked, “This is so good – did you buy it?” Lol.
Saved as a favourite!
This recipe was so flavorful! Thank you!
Can you use cilantro instead of parsley
Made this recipe exactly as written and it was AMAZING. The entire family loved it. We’ve made it several times since and have added tomatoes and finely chopped kale and spinach and it’s amazing every time. It’s so healthy and fresh…and addicting. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
So glad you enjoyed! The chopped greens are a great addition.
A new family favorite! Great recipe all around. It did feel like something was missing, nothing major, but I couldn’t put a finger on it.
Glad your family has a new favorite! Did you measure the lemon juice? If you had smaller or less juicy lemons, it might have come up a bit short. The lemon really brings out the flavor!
I have made this recipe numerous times and have received raving compliments each time. Thank you for a delicious healthy recipe!!!
I made your Favorite Quinoa Salad and it is delicious !
I made this. It is very fresh and light. The red onion is overwhelming so I suggest less red onion. I added a little dijon mustard to the dressing for more flavor but the original version is great too! YUM
Hi Amber, thanks for sharing! One trick you can try if red onion flavor is too strong for you is to soak them in some cold water for 10 minutes.
Thank you, Kate for your take on cooking quinoa, uncovered. I used your base recipe, but used low sodium chicken stock, rather that water for the quinoa. I also added some Dijon mustard to the vinaigrette. There are the two of us, so I reduced the ingredient by one-half. The vinaigrette was so good, I made the full round. Leftovers will see that soon.
This salad is a family favorite! Sometimes add radishes and chives from the garden. It is so healthy and delicious! I make it a few times a month or more. We never get tired of it. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Excellent. I added red pepper flakes.
i was previously purchasing the quinoa salad at COSTCO till I actually READ the ingredients! NEVER AGAIN. I’ve been using the Success Tri-Color Boil-in-Bag Quinoa , microwaveable, so I thought I’d try your recipe. Made it yesterday & shared with three friends, They simply LOVED IT & wanted the recipe. Very light, freshing & HEALTHY! Thank you!
Wonderful recipe! Even my picky eaters enjoyed this.
This is the best salad recipe ever! It stays fresh for several days too!
Absolutely Delicious! Thank you
smells so good, and looks so pretty! fresh wholesome ingredients. And it is easy to make too
GREAT SALAD ! And it makes it way better when it comes to dog lovers !! I love your doggy !
I added black olives and a few cherry tomatoes.
YUM !
Thank you
amazing!!! I double this and make it for my mom and I to eat all week. I have made it every week since I discovered this recipe! Thanks SO much!!
Made this salad for dinner tonight, however, since neither my husband nor myself like chickpeas, I omitted them and added some dried cherries and pecans. It was a hit.
Not big on parsley so I knew I should halved it or omitted it all together but overall this was really good! Nice spring/summer lunch!
Really great base recipe… I added shredded carrots, mint, and feta, used less quinoa and olive oil…eyeballed everything else… turned out amazing. Thank you!
my salad just had a super bitter flavor, almost inedible. not sure what went wrong. one or more of my ingredients may have been spoiled. Living in Florida ,it’s difficult preserving or buying fresh produce. can you recommend a quinoa salad recipe more on the sweeter side. I always have trouble eating bitter.
Hi Elaine, I’m not sure what coudl have made it bitter based on these ingredients. Perhaps your lemons were past their peak? But I have many other quinoa recipes that are on a sweeter side. This colorful beet salad gets natural sweetness from the beets and carrots. Or maybe this quinoa salad that features pomegranates will be more to your taste.
Thank you. I saw that beet recipe and plan to try when I get beets. Happy to see your recipes . We are 76and78. Nutrition super important than ever. Thanks again
Did you soak and rinse the quinoa first? It comes covered in saponins, which give it a soapy, bitter taste. Maybe that was the bitterness?
I’ve made this salad so many times and people always want the recipe. It’s great to eat on the beach, take to a picnic, for holidays or every days. I’ve added different proteins and added a little extra vinaigrette when it needed it, and like other commenters pointed out, feta is a great addition. Thank you, Cookie
and Kate!
I made the recipe often, perfect for potlucks, and to bring as a side to anothers home.
I made no changes or additions. I love it just the way Kate wrote it.
Amazing!! Adding to my summer salad, added a little bit of spinach before serving but delicious without!!!
I made this delicious salad just now. So perfect and easy to make and very healthy! Cleanup was also a breeze.
Thanks a lot!
Yummy and So colorful. Subbed green onions for purple onions
Added mango for tanginess
served with roasted beets and roasted sweet potatoes.
This salad was a big hit when my mom made it for some friends.
I have been asked to make 50-one cup servings for a training class. Please help!
Hi there, this recipe scales well for a big batch. Best of luck!
So good! Have been following this recipe since last year and it’s always a favorite!! Thanks so much. If I’m feeling cheeky I’ll add a dollop of mustard and a goood amount of grated Parmesan into the dressing, which is also worth a try!
I make this recipe almost once a week for myself and just munch on it for a few days. I never get tired of it. Love the freshness and the flavors.
Thank you!
Very delicious and healthy+filling. I followed the directions to a T for two times the original amount, and it ended up being a little too much, lol. I personally had to add a little more lemon juice, vinegar and salt bc my taste buds are a little fried and need more flavor. Other than that so good and made me feel skinny
Delicious!!! I did not have chick peas but still wonderful!
Followed the recipe and liked it. I had a lot left over so after a couple of days, I ended up adding fresh sweet tomatoes and a nice drizzle of tahini to give it a bit more heft and to make it feel more like a meal.
I made this today, and it IS delicious. I can’t eat red onions, subbed sweet onions, everything else as stated. Happy to have found this recipe, thanks!
How long will this last in the refrigerator?
Hi April, this salad is a great meal prep option and should last a few days in the refrigerator.
Great salad with feta
Hi Julie, thanks for taking the time to rate and review. I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I’ve just made this recipe.
It looks, smells and tastes beautiful.
Next time I’m definitely going to add some coriander/cilantro in it.
It’s so nice to eat some natural food.
I look forward to making this again.
Thank you.
This recipe is so good and refreshingly healthy. I made this and brought some for my co-worker who was also doing IF and she loved it. Even my kids enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’ve made this several times…and love it! Everyone I’ve shared with love it. I sometimes add a can of summer crisp or other corn for extra texture. A great way to include quinoa in my diet.
Another delicious salad! I had extra quinoa and was looking for a recipe to use it up. This is definitely a winner, perfect for summer. Thank you!
Your quinoa salad is absolutely amazing I have it with avocado and cherry tomatoes and with some protein. It’s my go to salad and it’s gf!