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:

• Bell peppers
• Olives
• Vegan feta cheese
• Pumpkin seeds
• Red onion
• Shredded cabbage
• Fresh herbs

More Easy Recipes with Quinoa

• Creamy Quinoa Mushroom Bake (vegan, gluten free, grain free)
• Three Mushroom Quinoa Soup (vegan, gluten-free, oil free)
• Golden Garlic Quinoa (vegan, gluten free, oil free)

If you make this easy quinoa salad with lemon-shallot vinaigrette, let me know what you think with a comment below!

Easy Quinoa Salad with Lemon Shallot Dressing (vegan, gluten free)

• Author: Remy
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 5-6 servings 1x
• Category: salad
• Method: no cook
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Make a fresh, summery easy quinoa salad with lemon shallot dressing, white beans, cucumber, squash and zucchini for a refreshing side dish.

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1–2 cups cooked quinoa (cooled)
• 8oz cooked white beans or chickpeas
• 3 mini cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow squash, thinly sliced
• radicchio, shredded
• handful radish, thinly sliced

Lemon Shallot Dressing

• juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp shallot, finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

1. Toss all of your salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
2. 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!

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Keywords: salad, quinoa, no cook, summer, one bowl, summer recipe, quinoa salad, cold quinoa salad