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15 Quinoa Salad Recipes That Are Filliing, Nutritious and Anything but Boring

By Katherine Gillen

| May. 23, 2022

Some may consider quinoa the sad, overused alternative to rice, but we beg to differ. For starters, it cooks in a flash (about 15 minutes). It also lasts for days in the fridge, it’s gluten free and it’s one of the only plant-based sources of complete protein out there. And perhaps most importantly, it tastes good with just about everything, from curried cauliflower to barbecue chicken. Not yet convinced? These 15 quinoa salad recipes—like citrus, shrimp and quinoa salad with feta and even quinoa Caesar salad—will change your mind. Ready thy bowls.

RELATED: 29 Vegetarian Salad Recipes That Are Way More Exciting Than Your Go-To Chicken Caesar

Allison Day/A Modern Cook’s Year

1. Citrus, Shrimp and Quinoa Salad with Feta

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, make ahead, less than 550 calories

If your daily 1 p.m. slump is caused by your lunch rut, we’ve found the cure. This beauty can be made up to two days ahead, plus you can swap another protein for the shrimp if you so desire—leftover grilled chicken, thinly sliced steak, you name it.

2. Quick Guacamole Quinoa Salad

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: vegan, <10 ingredients, low sugar, less than 500 calories

If we could eat guacamole and call it a meal, we would, which is why we’re smitten with this fresh, Southwestern-inspired salad. If you already have leftover quinoa in the fridge, it will come together even quicker.

3. Vegan Fiesta Taco Bowl

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: vegan, high protein, make ahead

It’s our philosophy that salads should be fun, so yeah, you could say we’re throwing on the tortilla strips with abandon. Psst: Prep all the toppings in advance so you can assemble and go.

Photo: Michael Marquand/Styling: Jodi Moreno

4. Pesto Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Vegetables and Labneh

Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, vegetarian

On its own, quinoa can be a little, well, bland. One easy way to zhuzh up the grain (er, seed) is to add a flavorful sauce. Here, garlicky labneh does the trick nicely, but use Greek yogurt if that’s what you have.

Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell

5. The Ultimate Quinoa-Avocado Bowl

Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: high protein, low sugar, dairy free, gluten free

Crispy kale? Check. Spicy shrimp? Check. Avocado slices, watermelon radishes and quinoa? You betcha. We think this bowl has a bit of everything, but add cheese, a dressing or both if you want to take things OTT.

The Modern Proper

6. Curried Cauliflower Quinoa Salad

Time Commitment: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Why We Love It: vegetarian, gluten free

You had us at cauliflower, and again at yogurt-tahini dressing. Even though it’s vegetarian, this bowl is packed with protein and fiber to keep you satisfied.

Spoon Fork Bacon

7. Fattoush-Style Salad with Crispy Quinoa

Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, less than 500 calories

Fattoush is a Levantine salad made with toasted or fried flatbread, mixed greens and vegetables. This riff features a mustard vinaigrette, crispy quinoa and plenty of burrata cheese. Hungry yet?

What’s Gaby Cooking

8. BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients

Say hello to your new favorite make-ahead meal. To streamline the assembly, pick up a rotisserie chicken on your next grocery run, then toss the meat with your favorite store-bough barbecue sauce.

Two Peas & Their Pod

9. Easy Quinoa Salad

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, less than 500 calories, crowd-pleaser, vegetarian

The chopped cucumber, cherry tomatoes and fresh spinach in this 10-minute wonder keep the vibe light and refreshing, but you could swap in any chopped or cooked vegetables you have on hand. (Sweet potato and kale sounds mighty fine to us.)

Cookie and Kate

10. Southwestern Kale Power Salad with Sweet Potato, Quinoa and Avocado Sauce

Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: less than 500 calories, vegetarian, gluten free

This quinoa salad is hearty, healthy and packable—a triple threat, if you will. It’s already vegetarian, but nix the feta if you want to make it vegan and dairy free.

The Full Helping

11. Quinoa Chickpea Caesar Salad

Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: vegan, gluten free, beginner-friendly

Even though we know it’s not the most nutritionally dense, we simply can’t quit the flavors of a Caesar salad. This good-for-you twist is going in our regular rotation, thanks to crunchy roasted chickpeas and a cashew-based dressing.

Gimme Some Oven

12. Cucumber Quinoa Salad

Time Commitment: 10 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <15 minutes, gluten free, crowd-pleaser

Plenty of fresh basil and a lemony vinaigrette make this quinoa salad a no-brainer for your next backyard barbecue. If you’re feeding a crowd, it’s easy to double or triple, too.

13. Corn, Avocado, and Quinoa Salad with Marinated Tomatoes

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, vegetarian, gluten free

It’s nutritious but not devoid of flavor, plus it has tons of texture and color to keep things interesting. To make it a meal prep lunch, hold the avocado until the day you want to eat it.

Minimalist Baker

14. Rainbow Quinoa Salad with Chili Garlic Sesame Dressing

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: gluten free, vegan, less than 500 calories

The contrast between the soft quinoa and crisp cabbage will have you coming back for seconds. You know, if the spicy-nutty dressing didn’t already have you hooked.

Darn Good Veggies

15. Quinoa Veggie Bowls with Tahini Ranch

Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: dairy free, beginner-friendly, vegetarian

We’ll never say no to ranch dressing, and the same goes for leftover-friendly salads that come together in the span of a Seinfeld rerun.

RELATED: 21 High-Protein Salad Recipes That Are Crisp and Refreshing (but Still Satisfying)

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