These Cold Quinoa Salads are all easy to make, meal-prep recipes that are perfect for weekday lunches. They are simple and healthy quinoa salad recipes that taste delicious straight out of the fridge.
Tips For Cooking Quinoa Perfectly
- Rinse the quinoa before cooking. Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin, which can make quinoa taste bitter or soapy. Rinse the quinoa under cold water for 60 seconds before cooking it to remove the saponin.
- Use a 2 to 1 water to quinoa ratio. Generally, you will need 2 parts water for 1 part quinoa. If you like slightly less “mushy” quinoa, you can use a ratio of 1 ¾ cups water to 1 cup quinoa instead.
- Use chicken or vegetable broth. If you want to add more flavor to your quinoa salad, you can cook the quinoa in broth instead of water.
- Let it steam. Once the quinoa has cooked, turn off the stove and keep the pot covered in place for 10 minutes. Then, remove the pot from the stove and fluff the quinoa with a fork. This helps make the quinoa grains light & fluffy.
Cold Quinoa Salads
This Southwest Quinoa Salad is an easy to make quinoa salad made with black beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper and cilantro, topped with a chili lime vinaigrette.
This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is an easy to make, Mediterranean inspired salad made with quinoa, black olives, red onion, feta, red bell pepper and cucumber. Topped with a lemon oregano vinaigrette, this is sure to be a favorite quinoa salad to meal prep for the week!
This Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad is a healthy quinoa salad made with roasted sweet potatoes, kale, pumpkin seeds & feta. Then it’s topped with a creamy balsamic date vinaigrette. Easy to make, tasty and great for meal-prepping lunches!
This Kale and Quinoa Salad is a simple, healthy quinoa salad recipe that is great as a light lunch or a side dish recipe. Made with quinoa, roasted chickpeas, feta, almonds, bell pepper, sunflower seeds and topped with a lemon dijon dressing.
This is the best Black Bean Quinoa Salad! It is a nutrient-dense, filling quinoa bowl recipe made with onions, bell pepper, mixed veggies and spices.
This Strawberry Quinoa Salad is the perfect cold quinoa salad to make this spring or summer. Made with strawberries, feta, spinach and a homemade balsamic dressing.
This Kale and Quinoa Caesar Salad is just like a regular Caesar salad, but it’s made with kale instead of lettuce. Packed with nutrient rich quinoa and kale, this is a healthy twist on a classic Caesar salad.
This Quinoa Chickpea Salad is made with quinoa, spinach, chickpeas, and cucumber. Then it’s tossed in a lemony vinaigrette and topped with cubes of creamy Brie cheese. This healthy quinoa salad is perfect served cold.
This tasty Thai Quinoa Salad with peanut sauce is crunchy, flavorful and packed with protein. This is a great cold quinoa salad pot luck idea that everyone will love. Loaded with fresh red cabbage, green onions, peanuts, and carrots, this delightful and crunchy salad has a yummy Asian-inspired peanut dressing. It’s great to meal prep for quick lunches throughout the week, and is a perfect summer side dish for a BBQ, potluck, or cookout.
This Grape Quinoa Salad makes a delicious cold quinoa salad recipe that is perfect for meal-prepping lunches. Made with quinoa, sliced almonds, green onions, red grapes and fresh spinach. Topped with a tangy orange dressing that brings the whole salad together.
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