5 Easy Quinoa Salad Recipes {Meal Prep}

These 5 Easy Quinoa Salad Recipes are full of protein! Choose from five flavours: southwest, curried, Mediterranean, caprese or green goddess.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Quinoa – use white, black or red quinoa.
• Salt – to taste.

Southwest quinoa salad

• Black beans – swap out for another bean of your choice like pinto, kidney or red beans.
• Corn – fresh, frozen or canned corn would all work. If you don’t like corn, swap out for another veggie of your choice.
• Red pepper – use any colour bell pepper of your choice.
• Lime juice ­– freshly squeezed lime juice is best but bottled will work in a pinch.
• Cilantro – leave this out if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
• Chili powder ­– make your own using a blend of paprika, cumin and cayenne.

Mediterranean quinoa salad

• Cucumber – substitute for another vegetable like zucchini or leave this out entirely.
• Red onion – white or yellow onion would also work.
• Sliced kalamata olives – use any kind of olive of your choice.
• Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but bottled lemon juice can be used as well.
• Parsley – chervil will provide a similar flavour.
• Oregano – use basil instead or double up on the parsley.

Curried quinoa salad

• Shredded carrots – you can buy bags of shredded carrots at the grocery story. Shredded zucchini or celery would also be good.
• Red pepper – use any colour bell pepper of your choice.
• Red onion – white or yellow onion would also work.
• Green onions – add in some more red onion or use chives instead.
• Curry powder – cumin or coriander are the best substitutes here.
• Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but bottled lemon juice can be used as well.

Caprese quinoa salad

• Cherry tomatoes – plum or grape tomatoes would also be good in this salad.
• Bocconcini pearls – if you can’t find bocconcini pearls, slices of fresh mozzarella would be yummy.
• Fresh basil leaves – basil is classic to caprese salad but in a pinch, you can use fresh oregano.
• Balsamic vinegar – make your own by mixing together 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar and 2 tbsp. maple syrup.

Green goddess quinoa salad

• Edamame – use green peas, garbanzo beans or snap peas instead.
• Broccoli – swap out for another green vegetable like spinach or kale.
• Cucumber – zucchini or celery would also be good in this salad.
• Basil leaves – swap out for some fresh oregano instead.
• Cilantro – leave this out if you’re not a fan of cilantro.
• Parsley – chervil will provide a similar flavour.
• Lemon juice – freshly squeezed lemon juice is best but bottled lemon juice can be used in a pinch.
• Garlic – use freshly minced or jarred minced garlic.

How to make quinoa salad

Step 1: Add quinoa and water to a pot.

Add quinoa and water to a large pot on the stove. 

Step 2: Cook the quinoa.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease to med-low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3: Stir the cooked quinoa.

Remove from heat, stirring quinoa once more.

Step 4: Let it cool.

Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Step 5: Add in your chosen salad ingredients.

While quinoa is cooling (you can also do this while it's cooking), prepare the toppings of choice for whichever salad you are going to make (choose from one of the headings). Once quinoa has cooled slightly, mix in toppings and toss to combine well. 

Step 6: Serve or store for later!

Frequently Asked Questions

The Best Quinoa Salad Recipes

The following quinoa salad recipes will give you a place to start with experimenting with combinations. Feel free to mix and match with different ingredient and flavour combinations.

Southwest quinoa salad

Caprese quinoa salad

Curried quinoa salad

Green goddess quinoa salad

Mediterranean quinoa salad

Meal prep tools for this recipe

• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning these salads into meal prep lunches.
• Freeze cooked quinoa in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.