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This delicious Avocado Quinoa Salad is loaded with fluffy quinoa, crisp veggies, chickpeas, salty green olives, and a zesty lemon vinaigrette. It makes a great vegan lunch on its own, or a side paired with chicken, salmon, or steak for dinner. Ready in under 30 minutes!
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If you love a hearty salad filled with flavor, this Avocado Quinoa Salad is for you! Simple green salads are great, but if you’re craving a salad that’s super satisfying and filled with incredible taste and texture, give this quinoa salad a try.
Summary
- Nutrient-rich: This quinoa salad is filled with vegetables, plant-based protein, and many essential vitamins and minerals. You can choose to enjoy this as a well-balanced vegetarian main or a healthy side dish.
- So tasty: The combination of crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, hearty quinoa, nutty chickpeas, and a tangy dressing creates a refreshing flavor profile. You’re going to love it!
- Quick and easy: Once you have the quinoa cooked, this salad comes together in no time at all. To make this even quicker, prep the fresh ingredients while the quinoa cooks. Since you don’t have to worry about lettuce wilting, and the salad lasts several days in the fridge, this recipe is great for meal prep, too!
- Versatile: This recipe is customizable! Not a fan of green olives? No big deal, use black olives or leave them out. Prefer roasted red peppers over fresh bell peppers? Use that! There are so many ways to mix things up and use what you already have in your kitchen.
Ingredients needed
This avocado quinoa salad recipe is filled with plant-based protein from quinoa and chickpeas, crisp veggies, and a simple, light lemon dressing. It’s also vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free! Here’s everything you’ll need:
- Quinoa: Use any quinoa you like best! We went with regular, white quinoa for this recipe.
- Chickpeas: They add protein, fiber, and wonderful texture to the salad.
- Veggies: A mix of green olives, English cucumber, yellow bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and red onion adds freshness, nutrients, and crunch!
- Avocado: Use one large Hass avocado for major creaminess.
- Lemon: Lemon zest and juice add brightness.
- Apple cider vinegar: Adds a slight tang.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: Combines with the lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to dress the salad.
- Kosher salat and pepper: To taste!
How to make This recipe
Once you’ve chopped the vegetables, this salad comes together in no time! Here’s the simple process:
- Cook the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa under cold water, then add the water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Allow the cooked quinoa to completely cool.
- Prep the vegetables: Meanwhile, prepare the veggies and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Combine: Add in the quinoa, chickpeas, olives, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, and oil.
- Serve: Season to your taste and stir to combine. Enjoy!
Expert tips
- English cucumber: We recommend the longer, more narrow English cucumber rather than a regular cucumber. English cucumbers are sweeter and contain very few seeds. They are much more likely to stay fresher longer and less likely to become soggy.
- To cool the quinoa quickly: You don’t want the quinoa to be hot when you combine it with the fresh vegetables. To cool it quickly, place it in the freezer and toss occasionally until cooled.
- To take the bite out of the onions: If onions are a bit strong for your taste, soak them in a small bowl with cold water while you prep the other ingredients.
- Add the dressing just before serving: To keep the salad fresh, it’s best to toss the salad with the lemon juice, olive oil and apple cider vinegar just before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Quinoa pairs well with a variety of ingredients from meats to veggies and herbs. Sometimes we also include greens like chopped fresh spinach, arugula, or massaged kale. You can dress the salad with any favorite dressing or just use a simple mix of olive oil and lemon juice. Finish it off with some grated or crumbled cheese, if you’d like.
Quinoa is quick to cook and is delicious and served both warm and cold. With salads like this one that are made with crisp cucumbers and fresh juicy tomatoes, it’s best served chilled.
Yes! However, sometimes quinoa can taste bitter, but there is an easy fix. Quinoa has a coating that contains saponins, bitter-tasting bioactive compounds. To remove them, place the uncooked quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under running water while agitating the seeds.
Variations
- Add more protein: If you’re not vegan or vegetarian, add in some chopped grilled chicken or serve alongside this baked salmon!
- Use different veggies: You can add in whatever you have in your fridge or whatever sounds good to you. Artichoke hearts, snap peas, corn, or sliced mushrooms would be delicious in this salad.
- Add some sweetness: Change up the flavor and enjoy some chewy texture with dried cherries, dried cranberries, raisins, golden raisins, or chopped dates.
- Add nuts and/or cheese: Sprinkle on some toasted nuts like peanuts, almonds, pecans, or walnuts. Some crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese would also be a welcome addition.
Serving suggestions
Quinoa salad goes great with everything from burgers to steak. Here are some great pairing options:
- Blackened Shrimp
- Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
- Baked Harissa Chicken
- Honey Mustard Salmon
- Lemon Garlic Cod
Storage recommendations
This easy quinoa salad will keep well for about 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. We do not recommend freezing this salad.
More salad recipes
- Zesty Quinoa Salad
- Persian Shirazi Salad
- Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Chicken Cobb Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
- Avocado Chickpea Tuna Salad
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Avocado Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup pitted and sliced green olives
- 1 English cucumber, finely diced
- 1 Hass avocado, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 large lemon, zest, and juice of
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa under cold water, then add the water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Allow the cooked quinoa to completely cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the veggies and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Add in the quinoa, chickpeas, olives, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, and oil.
- Season to your taste and stir to combine.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
