This Quinoa Salad is a gorgeous salad full of bright ingredients that’s so delicious and healthy for you. With layers upon layers of fresh flavor, this good-for-you salad will leave you craving more. Simply Delish!
This quinoa salad is fabulous! It’s Ah-ma-zing! Like comfort food that is actually good for you. But let’s be real here, how can this salad not be delicious? Let’s check out some of the ingredients: mangoes, shredded coconut, raisins, slivered almonds, and edamame, all tossed in a lime balsamic vinaigrette. All delicious and good for you!
Look at all those gorgeous colors. I’m already excited that I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Ingredients
Keep scrolling for to the recipe card for the full list of ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
Salad
- Quinoa – Start off with either dry quinoa or left over cooked quinoa – either will do in a pinch!
- Water
- Mango – Preferably fresh, but you can cube up frozen mango if needed.
- Red onion – Any type you like best will work.
- Bell pepper – I used a red pepper. Any color will be great.
- Coconut – Shredded, unsweetened.
- Almond – Slivered or sliced. Toast them first for a flavor boost!
- Raisins – Other dried fruits like apricot or craisins can be substituted.
- Edamame – Frozen, fresh, or canned.
- Cilantro – Use parsley instead if you’re not a cilantro fan.
Dressing
- Lime juice – Fresh or bottled. Lemon juice will work too if that’s all you have.
- Balsamic vinegar – Other vinegars you can use: Sherry vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar.
- Honey – A bit of sweetness to balance the tart. Agave, simple syrup, or granulated sugar works too.
- Olive oil – Other oils that work well with salads: avocado oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
What else can I add?
This quinoa salad is loaded up to the brim, but why not add a few more ingredients? Here are a few ideas for you:
- Chopped kale or spinach
- Avocado, cubed
- Corn
- Peas
- Carrot, shredded
- Beans, drained and rinsed
- Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Pomegranate seeds
- Pineapple
- Cheese- feta, queso freso, blue cheese, goat cheese.
How to make this quinoa salad
- Cook the quinoa: According to package instructions; set it aside and allow it to cool.
- Combine the dressing: Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Finish the salad: In a large bowl toss all the salad ingredients together including the cooled quinoa and add the dressing. Toss it well and serve cold.
What to serve with quinoa salad
This recipe is so big in flavor and ingredients, I like to let it be the star of the show and serve with some simple, light proteins such as:
Chicken
- Baked Chicken Breast
- Cilantro Lime Salmon
- Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
- Garlic Paprika Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
or seafood
- Cilantro Lime Salmon
- Baked Lemon Garlic Halibut
- Lemon Garlic Scallops
- Garlic Butter Shrimp
- Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon
How to store leftovers
Unlike salads that are made with lettuce, spinach, kale, etc., there is nothing in this quinoa salad that will wilt. It’ll stay fresh for 3-4 days refrigerated. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container before storing in the fridge.
The only issue you might observe is that some moisture will release from the ingredients when they all sit together. To me, that is just some extra dressing!
Looking for more refreshing salad recipes?
- Tabbouleh Salad
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Salad
- Kale and Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
- Mushroom Arugula Warm Salad
- Cobb Salad
- Chopped Salad
- Avocado Tomato Salad
- Black Bean Corn and Avocado Salad
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Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
For salad
- 1/2 cup quinoa dry
- 1 cup water to cook quinoa
- 1 large mango chopped in small pieces
- 1/4 small red onion chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- 3/4 cup almond slices or slivers, toasted if preferred
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup edamame shelled, thawed if frozen
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped, or parsley if you don’t like cilantro
For dressing
- 4 tablespoon lime juice from 2 limes
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to package instructions. Let cool.
- Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl toss all the salad ingredients together including the cooled quinoa and add the dressing. Toss it well and serve cold.
Recipe Notes
- Unlike salads that are made with lettuce, spinach, kale, etc., there is nothing in this recipe that will wilt. It’ll stay fresh for 3-4 days refrigerated. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container before storing in the fridge.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Hi! I have everything to make this but the mango..is there anything you would reccomend to replace it with?
You can leave it out completely or substitute with anything else you can think of! Oranges, peaches, raspberry, strawberry – whatever you think you would like, try it out!! There’s no wrong answers.
Awesome! I’m addicted 😊 thank you!
This is always a hit, everyone loves it! It can be made it advance so that is a definite bonus!
Thank you so much for this wonderfully delicious and nutritious salad recipe. I have made it twice now and just love it but the dressing what can I say but…….WOW! It is our new favorite go-to dressing for just about everything. Just a few simple ingredients, quick and easy to whip up but the end result is pretty close to perfection.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!
My pleasure, so glad you liked it!
Loved this recipe! Unfortunately the mangos didn’t look great at the store so I threw kiwi’s I had in there. Oh and I added Avocados!
I’ve made this salad for myself quite a few times and was always pleased. This past weekend, I made 30-40 portions for my son’s wedding. Everyone raved about it. It was the first dish to disappear.
My changes: chives instead of raw onion…red wine vinegar instead of balsamic, combined cilanto and parsley, no salt or pepper.
That’s awesome, love your changes!
I made this this weekend for a family get together – everyone loved it! I added some fresh pineapple as I did not have quite enough mango. It was delicious. My husband liked it too! I will be enjoying this again for lunch today, and sharing your recipe on Today I Ate a Rainbow FB page – it’s perfect and so colorful!
Thanks Jo!
Karen
Glad you liked it Karen! 🙂
What would you recommend instead of mangoes? I don’t like to buy them out of season and some family members do t like them at all. Thanks!
Peaches would be great. 🙂
This quinoa salad looks amazingly delicious! I love coming across new ways to utilize quinoa so I definitely will be trying this recipe out. Thanks for the recipe Jo!
You’re welcome Thalia, you’ll love it, it’s delicious!
What a cheery salad. I wondered what would constitute a California salad. Now I know :). It looks delish. You are making a lot of salads, because it’s that time of year and that’s what we eat. So those are the recipes we are interested in viewing.
Glad you approve Carol, hope you try this, it’s the best. 🙂
Your husband cracks me up with his methodology for healthier eating! My husband isn’t a fan of quinoa either unless it is completely disguised. I’m always on the lookout for new, healthy salad options! This looks fabulous. Pinned!
Thanks Lindsey, you’ll love this! 🙂