This vegan quinoa salad with a sesame soy dressing is simply bursting with healthy flavor and goodness. Delicious and satisfying.
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.
I was reading this thing once where this personal trainer was going on about how if you tell people they can eat whatever they want then they will just eat pizza all day every day. No one would ever eat a salad.
Well, I took major issue with this because, firstly, who died and made him the arbiter of what others are ‘allowed’ to eat. Secondly, who needs to be given permission to eat whatever they want? You’re an adult, I’m an adult, we actually DO get to eat whatever we want! And then thirdly, what a load of hogwash.
I like pizza as much as the next person – probably more, it’s one of my favorite things (a good vegan pizza is something special!), but I don’t hold it in higher regard than I do salad.
And that’s because I eat salads like this vegan quinoa salad! Salad isn’t a chore or a duty, it’s a joy. I hope it is for you too. And if it’s not (yet) then this salad could be the one to turn it all around for you.
How To Make Vegan Quinoa Salad
When I made my roasted stuffed butternut squash recipe, we stuffed the butternut with a quinoa salad (without lettuce though).
Jaye was so blown away by the quinoa salad alone before we stuffed it inside the butternut that I knew then that I needed to do a standalone recipe for a vegan quinoa salad.
Because yes, it is that good!
So this salad is 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.
Sesame Soy Dressing
The dressing is also really simple and it’s a mix of sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup and crushed garlic. Pour it over the top of the salad, toss it up and then serve with some extra sliced avocado, a sprinkle of oregano and some fresh lime for garnish.
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!
How Long Does This Salad Keep In The Fridge?
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.
More Delicious Vegan Salads!
- Vegan Couscous Salad
- Vegan Caesar Salad
- Vegan Chickpea Salad
- Vegan Greek Salad
- Vegan Macaroni Salad
- Vegan Pasta Salad
Vegan Quinoa Salad
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 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
For Decoration:
- Sliced Avocado
- Fresh Lime
- Sprinkle Oregano
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Toasted sesame oil is the most delicious for this, but regular sesame oil also works great.
- Gluten-free. Use a gluten-free soy sauce or sub for tamari if you want this meal to be gluten-free.
- 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.
Totally delicious thank you! My partner loved this too.
I added some pumpkin seeds 😀
Awesome, thanks Emma!
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 !
Wonderful! Thanks Farida!
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!!!
One of the staples in my house, delicious.
Tried it with cous cous, one time worked out really well.
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hello,
Would you use something else with that salad instead of quinoa? To make it more varied and interesting
Sure, you could try different things!
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.
i assume you let the quinoa cool off before adding the vegetables?
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. 🙂
I added some cashews to it!! it was amazing !!
Wonderful! 🙂
I love this quinoa salad, it’s so filling and the dressing is totally divine!