Strawberry Quinoa Salad Recipe
This easy Strawberry Quinoa Salad recipe is fresh, healthy, gluten-free, and perfect for summer picnics, meal prep, or a light lunch.
Servings: 6
Calories: 320kcal
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 cup Quinoa
- 2 cups Water
- 2 cups Strawberries chopped
- 1 Large cucumber chopped
- 1 Avocado medium
- 5.3 oz Feta cheese cut into cubes
- 3-4 tablespoons Mint chopped
- ½ cup Pecans/walnuts roughly chopped
For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons Olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Maple syrup
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa under cold running water using a fine-mesh sieve. This helps remove any natural bitterness.
- Transfer the washed quinoa to a medium saucepan, add 2 cups of water and ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, for another 5 minutes. This helps absorb any remaining moisture. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Prepare the salad ingredients: While the quinoa is cooking, chop the strawberries, cucumber, avocado, feta, and nuts. Finely chop the fresh mint leaves.
- Make the Dressing: In a small jar, combine olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup (or honey), salt, and black pepper. Seal the jar and shake vigorously until the dressing is well emulsified.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped strawberries, cucumber, avocado, feta, nuts, and mint. Add the cooked and cooled quinoa to the bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss everything together until well coated.
- Serve & Enjoy: Serve immediately, or chill for 15–30 minutes for enhanced flavor. Garnish with extra mint and nuts before serving.
Video
Notes
- Rinse the Quinoa: Always rinse quinoa before cooking to remove its natural coating (saponin), which can make it taste bitter.
- Cool the Quinoa Properly: Let the quinoa cool completely before mixing it with the salad to prevent wilting the ingredients. If short on time, spread it on a baking sheet for faster cooling.
- Dressing Adjustment: If you prefer a tangier dressing, add an extra squeeze of lemon. For more sweetness, increase the maple syrup.
- Sweetener: In this recipe, I used maple syrup, but you can use any sweetener that you like, such as: honey, agave syrup, date syrup or skip it if you prefer so.
- No Quinoa? You can easily substitute it with couscous, bulgur, farro, or even brown rice. Just make sure it’s cooked and cooled before adding to the salad.
- Storage & Meal Prep: This salad keeps well for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. However, add the avocado just before serving to prevent browning.
- Customizations: Feel free to switch up the ingredients! Try adding arugula, baby spinach, or grilled chicken for a heartier meal.
- Read the FAQs: For troubleshooting, substitutions, and topping ideas, check out the FAQ section on the blog.
- Watch the Video: For best results, watch the step-by-step video tutorial included in the post.
Nutrition
Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 358mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 327IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 176mg | Iron: 2mg