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This easy Quinoa Salad has a savory lemon and shallot dressing, white beans, crunchy cucumber and bitter radicchio and radish for a bright, summery and fresh side dish.
Grain salads are such a reliable and easy dish. You can make them ahead of time (they get even more flavorful when they’re left to sit for a day or two!). They’re easy to customize with whatever you have on hand. And they’re often very allergy-friendly.
This quick quinoa salad is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and packed with plant-based protein.
How to Make Easy Quinoa Salad
The key to this salad is to pack it with as many crunchy, fresh veggies as you can.
Here’s what I like to use:
Cucumber for crunch and refreshing flavor.
Zucchini and squash which are lovely raw, when thinly sliced
White beans for protein and creaminess
Radicchio and radish for a slightly bitter and bright flavor
Shallot Vinaigrette
Watch as the fluffy quinoa soaks up the savory lemon shallot dressing, which is made with:
Shallot. Mince it nice and small so you get a little in every bite.
Garlic
Maple syrup for a hint of sweetness. You can also use agave or vegan honee.
Lemon juice for brightness. You can swap it for lime, vinegar or orange juice, too.
Olive oil. Choose a nice extra-virgin oil for this dressing, as the flavor makes a big difference.
Storage
You can make the quinoa salad the day before you plan to serve it. The grains will take on more flavor as they sit in the lemon shallot dressing.
This is best served chilled, so if you plan to serve it right away, make sure your quinoa is chilled before you add the veggies! Using warm quinoa will wilt your veg and you’ll end up with less crunch.
Other Mix-Ins
It’s easy to customize this salad with other veggies and mix-ins. Try:
Toss all of your salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
To make dressing, shake all ingredients vigorously in a jar or whisk in a bowl. Alternatively, you can food process, if you prefer something a little smoother. Add to salad, toss again and enjoy!
So I stumbled across this blog while searching for some vegan recipes and I was like, “yo, this looks like sadd papi’s girl!” After a moment of guilt at defining someone based solely on who they’re dating, I decided to give this recipe a go and lemme tell you, so worth it! My friend is hosting a bbq this weekend and this is the dish I’m going to bring. Can’t wait to check out the rest of your content!
Absolutely love this super easy salad! Perfect for meal prep (with the dressing on the side) and it’s great for any season depending on which veggies I have #KinCookingClub
This salad was so refreshing! I didn’t have any quinoa on hand so I used couscous instead, and I absolutely loved the summer squash in it. So glad I got Remy’s email this morning about the #KinCookingClub❤️
obsessed with this salad! so refreshing and I love not spending time over the oven in the summer! the flavor combo is so delicious! added a little hot pepper to mine. #kincookingclub
obsessed with this salad! so refreshing and I love not spending time over the oven in the summer! the flavor combo is so delicious! added a little hot pepper to mine. #kincookingclub
Hi there, I’m Remy! Welcome to Veggiekins Blog, home to nourishing vegan + gluten-free recipes and tips to live your best balanced and holistic life. I’m a human on a mission to empower you to be well and be kind to your mind, body and soul with the healing power of plants.
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