If the thought of a Quinoa Salad doesn’t exactly rock your world, you and I will probably be friends. But being fully aware of the nutritional benefits of quinoa, I decided it was high time to grow up and start getting excited about it. Enter: My Favourite Quinoa Salad!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Quinoa Salad
I’m not going to lie to you. Put me in front of a salad bar, and you won’t see me pause for a beat in front of any option containing quinoa.
It’s not that I dislike quinoa as such. In fact, when cooked well (psst, toasting it certainly elevates it to loftier heights!), I’ll happily scoff it down plain, just like I do rice.
I think it’s more how it’s heralded so staunchly by “healthy” foodies, who insist it’s a superior alternative to rice and other grains we love that makes me – somewhat childishly! – want to not follow the trend.
Anyway, I finally grew up. So I’m here today with my favourite Quinoa Salad. I have eaten a LOT of quinoa salad in the past year, in a bid to get on board the quinoa train. And this is The One! Call it a “fusion” salad, call it a “mash-up” if you like. Whatever you call it, this Asian-inflected salad has it all going on!
What goes in Quinoa Salad
Here’s what you need for the Quinoa Salad:
Quinoa – I’ve used tri-colour quinoa here just for added extra interest, you can just use one type if you wish. Tri-colour quinoa is simply a mix of red, black and white quinoas. Both black and red quinoa have slightly more flavour than white quinoa;
Vegetables – No newcomers here. Just cabbage, red capsicum/bell pepper, cherry or grape tomatoes, carrot, cucumber and green onions;
Edamame – Also known as fresh soy beans. Buy them frozen, either in their pods or already shelled, and just prepare per the packet (usually a 5 minute boil); and
Wasabi peas – Our “treat” ingredient! Wasabi peas are dried peas flavoured with wasabi, that make delicious snacks. Regular readers know I always include a “treat” in salads, for textural interest and deliciousness. Whether it’s candied nuts, plain nuts, crispy-fried shallots, croutons to name a few … or crushed wasabi peas, in this case! Seriously don’t skip this. It’s the cherry on top!
They can usually be found in the Asian section of everyday grocery stores – they’re very popular these days! Sometimes they’re even in the general snack aisle! 😱
Quinoa Salad dressing ingredients
And here’s what you need for the Quinoa Salad dressing:
Mayonnaise – Before you get turned off by the inclusion of (a bit!) of mayonnaise in the dressing, hear me out!
First, there’s only 2 1/2 tbsp.
Secondly, it takes the place of some oil in this recipe and adds a lovely creamy note without any cream. So if you skip the mayo, you’ll need to substitute with more oil.
Thirdly, it’s Kewpie mayonnaise. Everybody knows it’s the best mayonnaise around!
Rice vinegar – Less sharp than most Western vinegars. Substitute with cider vinegar, sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar;
Oil – Any neutral-flavoured oil will do there. Grapeseed is a good option;
Mirin – A sweet Japanese cooking wine, we only need a tiny amount to add depth of flavour into the dressing;
Soy sauce – Light or all-purpose. Not dark soy, it’s too intense. More on different soy sauces here;
Sugar – To balance the flavours;
Toasted sesame oil – For that irresistible sesame flavour we all know and love!
Fresh garlic and ginger – Don’t skip these! They really add essential fresh punch to the dressing. 🙂
How to make this Quinoa Salad
Nothing groundbreaking here!!
1. Shake the dressing
Combine dressing ingredients in a container and shake! I like to use a jar, for maximum emulsification! (And useful storage 😇)
2. Cook the quinoa
Cheffy tip: toast the quinoa in the oven! It’s effortless, but makes it soooo nutty. It’s free flavour, don’t skip it!
Spread quinoa on a tray;
Toast in the oven for 15 minutes at 200°C/390°F. It will smell deliciously nutty when it’s ready!
Rinse briefly in a sieve or strainer. Why? To remove quinoa’s natural coating (called saponin), which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Boxed quinoa is usually pre-rinsed, but it doesn’t hurt to get into the habit of rinsing;
Scrape into a saucepan and add water;
Simmer on low for 15 minutes with the lid on; and
Rest 10 minutes – Once all the liquid has been absorbed, remove from the stove and rest for 10 minutes with the lid on. In this step, the quinoa absorbs residual water and becomes beautifully fluffy. If you skip this step, the quinoa will be watery.
Cool quinoa completely before making the salad.
3. Toss salad!
After all the preparing and chopping up all the vegetables, I always find this part so therapeutic!
Nothing tricky here, just throw it all into a (very!) big bowl, pour over dressing then toss enthusiastically. And I’m not just saying “enthusiastically” to be cute. I mean it. To get everything mixed up properly, you need to toss, toss, toss with gusto!
How to serve this Quinoa Salad
This is one of those salads I like to call meal-worthy. It’s got:
That interest factor;
It’s pretty – should I have called it 🌈Rainbow Quinoa Salad?!
It’s filling – and keeps you full. Thanks Mr Quinoa! And;
It’s totally more-ish. It’s an overused descriptor but there really is something about this salad that makes it highly addictive.
Just to illustrate – a response from my neighbour, after I took some over to them:
Being not too heavy and without proteins, it also absolutely has a place as a side salad. But I’ll be impressed if you make this as a side for a quick midweek dinner. Rather, I’m thinking you could take it to book club, or a pot luck, or have it as part of a salad spread for lunch with friends. It’s got the oomph to stand on its own two feet and certainly a step up from a basic garden salad! 🙂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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My Favourite Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa:
- 1 cup quinoa , tri-colour (or other colour, Note 1)
- 2 cups water
Salad:
- 1 cup cucumber , finely diced (Note 2)
- 1 carrot , medium, peeled and finely shredded (Note 3)
- 3 cups red cabbage , finely shredded (~1/4 small or 1/8 large cabbage)
- 2 green onions , finely sliced
- 250g/ 8oz cherry tomatoes , small ones quartered, large ones cut into 6
- 1 cup shelled edamame , cooked per packet then cooled (Note 4)
- 1 red capsicum/bell pepper , finely chopped
- 1/2 cup coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped
Dressing:
- 5 tbsp soy sauce , light or all-purpose (Note 5)
- 2 tbsp mirin (Note 6)
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (sub: cider, sherry or champagne vinegar)
- 2 tbsp sesame oil , toasted (Note 7)
- 2 1/2 tbsp canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil
- 2 1/2 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise (sub whole-egg mayo such as Hellman's or S&W, Note 8)
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar (white or brown)
- 2 tsp ginger , freshly grated
- 1 garlic clove , crushed using garlic press or finely grated using microplane
Garnishes:
- 1/3 cup wasabi peas , crushed (Note 9)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds , toasted (Note 10)
Instructions
Cook quinoa:
- Toast for extra flavour: Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180° fan) Spread quinoa on a tray. Bake 15 minutes, stirring halfway, until it's lightly browned and smells nutty.
- Rinse: Transfer to fine mesh sieve or strainer. Rinse under running water for 10 seconds, shake off excess water well.
- Cook: Scrape into a medium saucepan. Add water, place lid on. Bring to simmer on medium heat, then lower stove to low and simmer for 15 minutes (or until all water is absorbed, tilt pot to check).
- Rest: Remove from stove (lid still on) and rest for 10 minutes.
- Fluff & cool: Remove lid, fluff quinoa with a fork and allow to fully cool before using. (Spread on a tray if you want to speed things up).
Salad:
- Dressing: Place ingredients in a jar and shake well.
- Toss salad! Place quinoa in a large bowl. Add all salad ingredients. Pour over dressing, toss very well.
- Garnish: Either transfer to a large serving platter or individual bowls. Sprinkle generously with crushed Wasabi Peas and sesame seeds. Devour!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Inspection of new herb and veggie garden underway! He approves. 👌🏻
What a gorgeous salad, visually, texturally and especially in flavor! I made a couple of blunders, forgot to buy tomatoes, and thought the recipe said sunflower seeds too so added those with the sesame seeds. Will be making this often. Thanks Nagi, love your recipes.
It’s very versatile so I’m sure those few changes didn’t affect the end result! N x
Super salad!
I am glad you liked it Gillian! N x
Hi,
Are the calories per 100g ? Looking forward to making this
This is a delicious salad. Full of flavour.
Definitely worth making.
Thanks Treina!! N x
Really really nice tasted even better the next day. Will definitely be making. again and again. Thanks for another great recipe.
Excellent combination of textures and very delicious. It also stores well in the fridge for a few days.
This is the most colorful tasty quinoa salad ive ever made, and ive made a LOT! Its going to feature as a christmas day salad this year, thank you!
No worries Tracy! I’m glad you liked it! N x
OBSESSED with this salad!! So delicious and perfect to pack for lunches for the week. I don’t like wasabi peas, so I added in fried noodle topping for a nice crunch!
So glad you enjoyed it! N x
Hi Nagi, this looks delicious! Any tips for people who hate wasabi? What could we use as a treat ingredient instead?
Hmm! Let me think…. crispy fried asian shallots! Just the packs you buy at grocery stores 🙂 Anything salt and crunchy really! Otherwise, try those store bought crispy fried noodles!
Love this salad.It’s the best quinoa salad I made. It was a huge hit with my family. I followed the recipe however I did not have Mirin so left it out.The salad was still delicious.Certainly one I will be making again and again .😀
Nagi, I’m not a salad person, but this is hands down the best salad I’ve ever made / eaten!
The DRESSING! I delivered some (contactless) to my friends (happy lockdown), and they loved it too! Will be making again for sure. I’m thinking Christmas Day <3
Made this for dinner tonight and loving it. We added corn to make it rainbow color, and used leftover quinoa in the freezer. This would be a regular! Thanks, Nagi.
I made this yesterday and it was amazing. Toasting the quinoa gives it so much flavour. i was unable to find mirin but used what was suggested in place of it. I used vegetable stock to boil the quinoa instead of water. Now my favourite salad.
Thank you so much for getting us on the quinoa train with this recipe! I make it all the time, everyone in my family loves it including the kids. I leave out the Mirin because of the alcohol, though I know it’s not much, and it’s still so good!
I was skeptical that I would like this since I’ve never been huge on quinoa. However…this is now tied with Nagi’s 12 minute couscous salad for my favorite salad ever. A couple comments: First, 15 minutes at 390 was unfortunately too long for quinoa in my oven. I burned the first batch. So I kept and eye on it the second time and took it out much sooner. Second, I couldn’t find wasabi peas, but I’m going to keep looking because I’m sure I’d love them. Third, I added grilled chicken to it to make it a more filling meal and would definitely do it that way again! I LOVE the dressing!
You’ve inspired me Nagi, I never thought I would love quinoa this much! And I’ve made this again and again, and experimented with different variations.
My favourite combination is with tri-colour quinoa, edamame, grated red cabbage, grated carrots, roasted eggplant and kale (I use your method of scrunching it up with olive oil, salt and pepper – see, that’s another thing you’ve made me love, kale!) with your French dressing.
So healthy and delicious, thank you Nagi ❤️
What an incredible salad – it was a flavour sensation! We’ve never tasted anything like it! I nearly didn’t bother with the wasabi peas, but I’m so glad I added them, as they took this salad to the next level. Thanks, Nagi!
Th wasabi peas make all the difference, I’m so glad you loved it!! N x
Simply delicious! Lots of complex flavours in the dressing that mixed together, formed a beautiful symphony! This is a keeper.
Sensational Salad Nagi! The dressing is superb!
Another great salad. Really tasty and even the kids tucked in! Will definately make it again.