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    Home » Salads

    Vegan Quinoa Salad

    Published: Oct 29, 2019 Updated: Aug 19, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Quinoa Salad

    This vegan quinoa salad with a sesame soy dressing is simply bursting with healthy flavor and goodness. Delicious and satisfying. 

    Vegan quinoa salad topped with fresh lime and avocado in a wooden salad bowl with salad spoons.

    So, quinoa is all the rage because it’s healthy. Even people who prefer not to eat grains love quinoa. Because it’s not a grain, it’s a seed!

    But I don’t eat it because it’s healthy (though it is), I eat it because it’s totally delicious.

    It has a crunchy nutty flavor and mixed in with salad and a great dressing it makes the kind of meal to get very excited about.

    It’s a simple mix of cooked quinoa with shredded romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, sliced olives, cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper and avocado with some freshly squeezed lime juice over the top and some chopped chives. Sooo yum. 

    The sesame soy dressing is also really simple, a mix of sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup and crushed garlic.

    So let’s get started!

    Vegan quinoa salad topped with fresh lime and sliced avocado in a wooden salad bowl with salad spoons.

    How To Make Vegan Quinoa Salad

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • Add cooked quinoa to a salad bowl along with shredded romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, green olives, cherry tomatoes, sliced yellow bell pepper and avocado.
    Cooked quinoa in a salad bowl and then other salad ingredients piled on top.
    • Toss together. Squeeze half a lime over the top.
    Quinoa salad in a salad bowl and then squeezing lime over the top.
    • Throw in some chopped chives.
    Sprinkling fresh chives over quinoa salad.
    • Prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing together.
    Dressing ingredients added to bowl and whisked together.
    • Pour over the top of the quinoa salad and mix in.
    Pouring dressing over salad and then tossing it to mix.
    • Garnish the salad with some sliced avocado, fresh lime and a sprinkle of oregano.
    Vegan quinoa salad in a wooden salad bowl.

    How To Cook Quinoa

    This salad uses 3 cups of cooked quinoa and you can really cook it any way you like. My favorite way to cook it though is to add 1 cup (170g) of uncooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked quinoa makes around 3 cups cooked) to a pot with 2 cups (480ml) of water. Bring it to the boil, and then turn down the heat to low, cover the pot and leave it to simmer until most of the water has been absorbed (about 15 minutes) and the quinoa is tender. 

    Fluff with a fork and your quinoa is ready to go! 

    Vegan quinoa salad topped with sliced avocado in a wooden salad bowl.

    Storing Instructions

    If you think you’ll have leftovers then only add avocado and dressing directly to the portions that you serve. Keep the leftover salad and dressing separately in the fridge. That way the salad will keep nicely in the fridge until the next day, and you can then add more avocado and the remaining dressing to the leftover salad when you serve it.

    As long as the salad and dressing are kept separate (and avocado only added to the portions served) then this can last 2-3 days in the fridge. 

    Vegan quinoa salad lifting out of a salad bowl with wooden salad spoons.

    More Delicious Vegan Salads

    1. Vegan Couscous Salad
    2. Vegan Caesar Salad
    3. Vegan Chickpea Salad
    4. Vegan Greek Salad
    5. Vegan Macaroni Salad
    6. Vegan Pasta Salad

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan quinoa salad in a wooden salad bowl.

    Vegan Quinoa Salad

    This vegan quinoa salad with a sesame soy dressing is simply bursting with healthy flavor and goodness. Delicious and satisfying.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course, Salad
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 757kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    For the Quinoa Salad:

    • 3 cups Quinoa Cooked
    • 3 cups Romaine Lettuce Shredded
    • 2 Small Cucumbers Sliced
    • 16 Green Olives Pitted, and sliced in half
    • 16 Cherry Tomatoes Sliced in half
    • 1 Medium Yellow Bell Pepper Sliced
    • 2 Medium Avocados Peeled and sliced
    • ½ Small Fresh Lime Squeezed
    • ¼ cup Chives Chopped

    For the Sesame Soy Dressing:

    • 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
    • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
    • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
    • 1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic

    For Decoration:

    • Sliced Avocado
    • Fresh Lime
    • Sprinkle Oregano
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Take 1 cup of uncooked quinoa and cook it according to package instructions or as per your preferred method. 1 cup of uncooked quinoa = approximately 3 cups cooked quinoa. Use it all in the salad.
    • When your quinoa is cooked, add it to a salad bowl along with shredded romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, green olives, cherry tomatoes, sliced yellow bell pepper and avocado. Toss together. Sqeeze half the lime over the top and throw in some chopped chives.
    • Prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a bowl and mixing together. Pour over the top of the quinoa salad and mix in.
    • Garnish the salad with some sliced avocado, fresh lime and a sprinkle of oregano.

    Video

    Notes

    1. Quinoa. My preferred method for cooking quinoa is to place 1 cup of quinoa (170g) into a pot with 2 cups (480ml) of water.  Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (~15 mins). Once cooked, fluff with a fork.
    2. Lime. The half small fresh lime squeezed equals around 1 Tablespoon of fresh lime juice. Use the other half of the lime as garnish for the salad.
    3. Toasted sesame oil is the most delicious for this, but regular sesame oil also works great.
    4. Gluten-free. Use a gluten-free soy sauce or sub for tamari if you want this meal to be gluten-free.
    5. Prep time for this recipe includes time spent cooking the quinoa, because while the quinoa is cooking, you can prepare all the other ingredients and the dressing.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 757kcal | Carbohydrates: 107g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 779mg | Potassium: 1678mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3860IU | Vitamin C: 88mg | Calcium: 133mg | Iron: 8mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emma says

      February 13, 2022 at 9:29 am

      Totally delicious thank you! My partner loved this too.
      I added some pumpkin seeds 😀5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 17, 2022 at 12:50 pm

        Awesome, thanks Emma!

        Reply
    2. Farida says

      October 29, 2020 at 9:11 pm

      Another recipe of yours that was a hit in our house ! Thank you ! I didn’t have salad so used kale instead (that I allowed to wilt in the pan as quinoa finished cooking). Making your apple crisp tomorrow !5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 31, 2020 at 11:52 am

        Wonderful! Thanks Farida!

        Reply
    3. Macedonio Sanchez Sarmiento says

      June 30, 2020 at 10:19 pm

      In a couple days I’ll prepare this delicious quinoa salad, I just checked and have all the Ingredients, chives,limes and cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden.
      Thank you!!!

      Reply
    4. Hazel says

      March 04, 2020 at 12:48 am

      One of the staples in my house, delicious.
      Tried it with cous cous, one time worked out really well.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 04, 2020 at 12:54 pm

        Fantastic! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Magdalena says

      February 06, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      Hello,
      Would you use something else with that salad instead of quinoa? To make it more varied and interesting

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 06, 2020 at 2:02 pm

        Sure, you could try different things!

        Reply
    6. Denise says

      December 12, 2019 at 4:04 am

      Hi everyone,
      I think that tamari sauce is also made from soy. There’s an alternative called Coconut Liquid Aminos, made from coconut blossoms. It’s not as salty but adds just enough flavor. Your first photograph of the large round bowl of salad sure is beautiful – simply mouth-watering! I’ll definitely have to make this. Something I do before cooking any grain is to pre-soak (or sprout) overnight and rinse well to reduce amount of lectin. Something I learned is important for preventing and dealing with auto-immunity issues.

      Reply
    7. terry says

      October 29, 2019 at 5:01 pm

      i assume you let the quinoa cool off before adding the vegetables?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 30, 2019 at 10:46 am

        Hi Terry! I usually don’t, but I don’t mind it a bit warm. You can definitely let it cool first before adding the salad veggies. 🙂

        Reply
    8. lorraine says

      January 28, 2019 at 8:59 pm

      I added some cashews to it!! it was amazing !!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 29, 2019 at 10:35 am

        Wonderful! 🙂

        Reply
    9. Karen says

      August 24, 2018 at 2:57 pm

      I love this quinoa salad, it’s so filling and the dressing is totally divine!5 stars

      Reply

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