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!
Best salad!!! Literally make this recipe to a T every single week! my favourite be ever made. I don’t even have to look at recipe anymore I’m a pro now haha
My 9 month old is obsessed too!
I love that!
Thanks from Kerala for the recepie.it was great .My family enjoyed it.
I love this so much! I serve it on arugula with a little maple syrup and some feta (maybe a little avocado if I’m feeling dangerous)
That sounds delicious!
This is easily my new favorite quinoa dish. It is SO INCREDIBLY GOOD. My friend recommended it to me, and I loved it. I recommended it to my parents, and they loved it (despite my Dad not liking chickpeas). Definitely a winner…and SO EASY! Thank you!
I just had to comment because I make a triple batch at least once a month, but wow. It’s often so hard to find a salad recipe that is easy, healthy, and tasty, but this checks all of those boxes. Fantastic stuff.
Thank you for sharing, Peyton!
My favorite thing about this salad is that it doesn’t call for tomatoes, which so many others do. I love tomatoes, and I often top this one with a few small ones as I serve individua portions, but I prefer to leave them out during preparation because they make the salad soggy and/or not last as long.
This salad is colorful, satisfying, refreshing, and easy to make with not a single “specialty” ingredient. I make mine with hothouse (“English”) cucumbers and a little less parsley than the recipe calls…just because I don’t love parsley. The garlic in the dressing is a great touch!
They added watermelon with this and tasted so good. The one i bought today tasted so sour, l’m gonna be acidic with it!
I love this salad and it’s on my regular weekly lunch menu. I make a batch on a Sunday to get me through the week. I add some pepitas and cranberries which just add a touch of sweetness to cut through the savoury flavours. Delicious and so healthy!
I love that you make this weekly, Margaret! Thank you for your review.
This is such a great adaptable recipe. I’m sensitive to beans so I subbed kohlrabi for the chickpeas and cilantro (just because I love it) for the parsley. Also tossed in some spinach and increased the amount of dressing. I’ll probably be adding all kinds of leftover things to this in the future. Thanks!
I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Teena!
I made this twice, once exactly as written and the second time I swapped the red onion for green onion and the pasley for cilantro because I had it handy. Both times it was great but my kids find red onion on the “hot” side so the green onion in a smaller quantity worked a bit better for my family. Another fresh and healthy recipe.
Thanks Kate!
Holly
This salad is basically good, but dressing wasn’t flavorful enough for us, so to the leftovers I added a tahini lime sauce which worked very well.
I’m sorry you didn’t love it, but I appreciate your review!
This is now my favorite quinoa salad! So much more flavorful than I expected, and it was still really good after 2-3 days in the fridge. I don’t usually use oil in salads, so I reduced the olive oil to a scant tablespoon and the dressing was still great.
My husband and I loved this dish! Very healthy and very flavorful. Will make over and over again!
I’m always looking for a reason to eat chickpeas, and quinoa used to intimidate me, but this recipe is simple and oh so delicious! I try to make it regularly so I have healthy lunches (and snacks!). My only tweak is umboshi vinegar (plum vinegar). I use it in everything veggie that calls for it, it is stronger but the bite and flavour is deep and satisfying. Thank you for the recipe! I visit your recipes often and have so far loved every one!
I’m glad you made it and enjoyed it, Gen! Thank you for sharing how you made this fit for you.
Hi! A question please. Am not good with understanding numbers easily. The chart says:
Serving Size 1 side salad
Serves 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 205
So, is this 8 servings? And each serving is 205 calories? Therefore, in all 1600 calories? Trouble is these salads feel so good, one eats too much!
Hi, Yes, one serving is the nutrition information. You have it correct!
Turned out great. As a personal preference, the next time I make it, I might half the amount of parsley. I discovered I’m not the biggest fan of it’s flavor and that it kind of took over the recipe for me.
This is delicious! Our new favorite. Added Kalamata olives and feta cheese when serving to guest. They went back for thirds!
Sounds delicious, Jean! Thank you for your review.
I tried this recipe and it is absolutely the best! I’ve made it many times over. It’s hard to get teenagers to eat healthy, but my daughter is always asking me to make this. Thank you! We love it with a few sprinkles of feta.
Thank you for sharing, Dawn!
Yep. Just as clean and delicious as I expected it to be. The kind of food you don’t feel guilty about eating.
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I’ve made a lot of quinoa salads but this is by far my favorite. I think the dressing with red wine vinegar & fresh lemon really set It off perfectly!
I brought it to a family gathering and it was gone in moments!
That’s great to hear, Theda! I appreciate your review.
Oh my goodness I didn’t expect to reply how nice! I have been asked by my family members to please bring it again for this weekend’s birthday party!
I used part multicolored quinoa and part soft white wheat berries to add a nutty ‘chew’ and I think it complemented your recipe perfectly! After all recipes of yours I have made over the years I can’t believe I never knew that Cookie was your dog LOL what a cutie!
I love it! Thank you for sharing. Yes, Cookie is my trusted sidekick.
I made this and its so refreshing and delicious.
I’m out of red wine vinegar. Can balsamic vinegar work?
Hi! Sure, it will change your flavor. Let me know what you think!
My daughter-in-law made this for a picnic. It was really delicious, can’t wait to make it myself
I have never made a quinoa salad before. Cooking the quinoa wasn’t difficult at all, and that was what I was concerned about. The salad came together nicely and tasted great. And that is without allowing the flavors in the dressing to marinate for a little bit. Oh, it will be delish tomorrow. Now, I need to buy your cookbook.
Thank you for your review! I’m glad you enjoyed it, Donna.
Just made this salad. Fabulous! Easy and really delicious. Thank you!
This is the best recipe ever! I’ve never left comments on blogs but I love it so much that I had to give credit where it was due. I have made it over and over again. Makes me feel like I can cook (and cooking is not my forte at all) thanks Kate!
I love this recipe… I could eat it every day for lunch… if serving for guests at a luncheon what would you suggest I serve with it . A bread of some sort, a protein? I just would like to offer a few additional items for the plate
Thank you so much
Hi Bev! Quinoa offers a lot of protein and substances. But, you can serve with another salad or main dish to round it out.
Ok thank you… I was hoping you could suggest a specific salad that might compliment the Quinoa salad … one of your others perhaps
Hi Bev, or a sandwich could be nice. https://capital-fly.pro/search/?q=sandwich
This recipe is delicious! We mostly eat a plant based diet and finding something this tasty with a wow factor is a hit every time!
I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Mary! Thank you for your review.
Can this salad be made a day in advance? I have a lot to prepare for an upcoming luncheon and was trying to get some tasks out of the way early. Super excited to make this!
Hi! Yes, this can be made in advance. Thank you for your review!
Excellent recipe! Very versatile. I only had lime and cilantro on hand today, so subbed those out. I also added minced jalapeño, a bit of cumin, some olives, and served with a side of guacamole and tomatoes. It was fantastic! I love the way this recipe allows you to play around with herbs and flavors. Thanks!
I’m happy you were able to enjoy it, Julie! Thank you for your review.
I’ve made this two times in the last few days! It’s so delicious! I made it for a small gathering of a few vaccinated friends and left out the garlic accidentally and only used the juice of one lemon because I wasn’t specific and that’s all my husband got it. I also used more like 1/4 cup of red onion. Anyway, it was SO good that I decided I needed to make it to have for lunch this week at work. I got a little burst of inspiration and made it just like I’d already made it, but added about a 1/4 of dill weed. OMG, when I sat down to lunch today…this delight made Monday a little more bearable. Just figured I’d share for any dill fans out there who might want to experiment with this already amazing salad.
That’s great, Andrea! Thank you for your review.
One of my favourite salads ever! I add feta and kalamata olives. So tasty, thank you for this recipe!
You’re welcome, Aleisha!
I love this quinoa salad! It is so refreshing and delicious!
One of my batches came out too garlicky. Any recommendations to calm down the garlic taste. I may have added too much. Help!?
Hi! Did one of your cloves seem large? I’m sorry to hear it’s too garlicky. I’m not sure about toning it down after it’s been made. Sorry! Sometimes it can mellow as it sits.
Yes the glove was a bit large. I added more cucumbers, chickpeas, and another drizzle of lemon juice. Doing so helped balance out the dish. Im glad i didn’t pitch it! Thank you for the recipe!
Did no one else have a problem with the parsley going bad once you added the dressing? Something with the acid of the lemon mixed with the parsley made it taste awful. Or did I do something wrong?
Hi, I’m sorry to hear that. I wonder if you had a bad lemon or parsley.
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s a family favorite side dish. The only thing I do differently is add some honey to cut the acidity and saltiness. Otherwise, great recipe!
I had some leftover quinoa/bulgar and googled salads to use it up. Your recipe is definitely a winner! I omited the cucumber and added feta and a can of well drained Costco chicken breast. So good! That olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine dressing really makes it special. I could eat this salad every day. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing, Karen! I’m happy you were able to enjoy it.
Absolutely delicious! I made it as written (other than using whit kidney beans instead of chickpeas) and topped the salad with crumbled feta. Flavorful, nutritious and presents beautifully.. I’ll be making this again and again. My quinoa was still a wee bit too wet, maybe because after the rinsing there was too much water residue). Thanks for a great recipe.
This is a very good salad – great taste, nice textures, healthy. I added crumbled feta, which worked. It still tastes great the next day as well. Last summer it was farro salad. This summer, quinoa salad!
I’ve made a version of tabouli similar to this since I was short on wheat burger one time. Yours is a great recipe and I make it often, always following your method of cooking the quinoa. I like to serve it as a meal on a bed of chopped romaine with feta and a drizzle of good olive oil. It’s delicious and refreshing as well as nutritious!
Love it, make it every week for lunch, never gets boring!
Hi, is it possible to make this without the oil?
Sorry I don’t have a great option for you!
I made this very delicious salad for my lunch this week! So good! I didn’t have any red onion so I omitted it. I used onion powder instead. This is a perfect high protein and healthy and filling!
The best quinoa salad looks amazing, but my daughter has a bladder disease and can’t have lemon juice. I have tried substituting apple cider vinegar in other recipes and it just doesn’t taste as good. Do you have any other ideas??
Thank you so much!
Hi! You can use apple cider vinegar, or omit if you don’t prefer the taste of it. Sorry I don’t have a better solution!
Just what I needed. I’ve been wanting to know how to use quinoa. Thanks a lot. I’m vegetarian and my husband vegan. We love the variety you give in this area.
Margaret Hubbard
This recipe was so good! I switched out the cucumber for zucchini. Perfect work day lunch that I don’t have to heat up.
How many calories is this?
Hi Sara, nutrition information is below the recipe notes for my recipes. You need to click to expand.
Hi Kate!this salad is wonderful i’ve made it several times thanks for sharing.:
Delicious!!! I added a fresh jalapeño, seeded, slivered almonds and craisins. I also used English cucumbers, so no seeding. And, used balsamic vinegar. Taking this on my next flight across country. Yum!!!
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Suzanne.
I’ve made this salad many times, and it’s one of our favs! I need to make salad for my book club, and we always choose foods that go with the book (and in our most recent book, about the Great Depression, the characters ate a lot of beans and potatoes). Do you think this recipe would work with black beans or cannellini beans in place of the chickpeas? And would it also work if I threw in some cubed, roasted sweet potato? Thanks!
We LOVE this recipe! It is cool and refreshing and healthy, After we eat this for a meal we feel so good! The flavors are perfect for each other. We do need to add a little salt. But of course!