This easy, healthy quinoa salad recipe is a fantastic healthy lunch option and makes for awesome healthy meal prep.

The recipe below is my go-to for an easy quinoa salad. I also love my Superfood Black Bean & Quinoa Salad and my Vibrant Curry Quinoa Salad. If you’re looking for more variety, check out my fantastic quinoa recipes here.

This easy quinoa salad is full of flavor and packed with protein and fiber, making it the perfect meal for any occasion.

All it takes to make a delicious quinoa salad is some tasty ingredients and a few minutes of prep work.

Ingredients

• Quinoa: You’ll need ½ a cup of uncooked quinoa or 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa. You can use white, red, or whatever type of quinoa you prefer. I like to mix it up now and then but if I’m looking for a type that has more protein, fiber, and antioxidants then I’ll opt for red.
• Chickpeas: I use one 15-ounce can of drained and rinsed chickpeas. Chickpeas are a great source of fiber and can help lower cholesterol levels. I love including them in salads to add some texture.
• Cucumber: Use half a large seeded and diced English cucumber. I prefer to use English cucumbers for this quinoa salad recipe but you can always use any type of cucumber you have on hand.
• Bell pepper: For this recipe, I use one medium red bell pepper, diced. You can use yellow or orange bell peppers but I’d avoid using green ones since they’re less sweet and more bitter, unless that’s your preference.
• Carrot: Dice or grate one medium carrot. Carrots will add some beautiful texture and sweetness to this quinoa salad.
• Red onion: You’ll need ⅓ cup of minced red onion. Red onions are deliciously sweet and perfect to add to salads. A white or yellow onion would be too sharp in a salad but super sweet and tasty when cooked.

• Sunflower seeds: Add ½ cup of sunflower seeds. Many studies have shown that consuming seeds helped lower rates of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. So I try to add seeds to my diet whenever I can, plus they add an amazing crunch to any dish.
• Parsley: I like to add ¼ cup of roughly chopped parsley. Just like you would add a squeeze of lemon to a dish, adding parsley brings the whole salad together with its mild bitter flavor.
• Mint: You’ll also need ¼ cup of roughly chopped mint. Mint is amazing for your digestion. If you suffer from IBS then mint is perfect to soothe bloating. It’s also full of nutrients and vitamins.
• Salad Dressing: For this quinoa salad dressing, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, and sea salt (I like to use Redmond’s Real Salt).

Check out the printable recipe card below for the recipe and detailed instructions.

Saving on Ingredients

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How To Make My Favorite Quinoa Salad

1. Make the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl. Let the smashed garlic sit in the dressing while you prepare the ingredients to infuse the dressing, and discard it before adding the rest of the ingredients.
2. Cook the quinoa and prepare (chop, slice, grate) the rest of the ingredients. Allow the quinoa to cool for at least 15 minutes before adding it to the bowl.
3. Add the cucumber, red onion, bell pepper, chickpeas, parsley, mint, carrot, and sunflower seeds to the bowl.
4. Toss it all together and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes to allow the quinoa to absorb all the flavors.

If you’re completely new to the world of quinoa, here’s a quick guide on How to Cook Quinoa Perfectly.

And if you love salads like I do and want to include them in your diet more often, here are 11 Awesome Salad Recipes you can try.

Cooking Time

50 minutes

This quinoa salad only takes 20 minutes to make, but make sure you to let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Storing

You can refrigerate your quinoa salad for up to 3 days in a sealed container in the fridge.

Yield

This recipe serves 4 people, give or take, depending on your preferred portion size.

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