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This Quinoa Salad is delicious, easy to make, and protein rich. The homemade dressing is made with a delicious Thai peanut sauce that you will love.
This quinoa salad is loaded with flavor, color and crunch! The base of quinoa is an amazing source of protein, which makes this recipe even better. It is then loaded with finely chopped red cabbage, carrots, red onion, red pepper, green onions and cilantro. They are not only pretty but so delicious!
The homemade dressing is thai influenced, with a base of unsweetened natural peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, honey, and vinegar. This adds more flavor and protein to this already amazing salad.
Ingredients Needed
- Quinoa, Instant Pot Quinoa is my favorite way to cook quinoa, but you can also use the stovetop.
- Red Cabbage
- Red Bell Pepper
- Red Onion
- Carrots, shredded
- Cilantro
- Green Onions
- Cashews, you can also use peanuts
- Natural Peanut Butter
- Minced Garlic
- Soy Sauce
- Honey
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Sesame Oil
- Olive Oil
How to Make Quinoa Salad
- Boil 2 cups of water in a pot.
- Add quinoa, stir and cover.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork and cool
- Finely chop vegetables.
- Combine peanut butter and honey in a microwavable bowl and heat for about 25 seconds.
- Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and oils.
- Stir until smooth.
- Add dressing to quinoa to taste.
- Add diced vegetables and toss.
- Garnish with nuts
- Chill or serve at room temperature.
- Veggies Feel free to add in any of your favorite veggies.
- Crunch Add in cashews or peanut to give the salad a great crunch.If you wanted a little heartier fare you could add some shredded chicken to the dish too.
Tips from leigh Anne
- Quinoa cooks just like rice. I use a ratio of two cups of water to one cup of quinoa on the stove top and a 1:1 ratio in the Instant Pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make quinoa salad ahead of time?
Quinoa salad holds up really well in the refrigerator and will last for 3-4 days. The peanut sauce does absorb into the quinoa as it sits and sometimes I like to add a little bit more sauce on the second or third day to give it a bit more flavor.
For other delicious salad and Thai inspired recipes try:
Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup green onions diced
- ½ cup cashews or peanuts
Dressing
- ¼ cup natural peanut butter creamy
- 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in a medium pan. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil, add quinoa, stir and cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Cool.
Dressing
- Place peanut butter and honey in a microwavable bowl and heat for about 25 seconds.
- Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and oils. Stir until smooth.
- Add dressing to quinoa to taste.
- Add in remaining ingredients.
- Garnish with nuts
- Chill or serve at room temperature
Nutrition Facts:
Tracy says
Made this for my teenage girl’s lunches. We all absolutely loved it! Yum, yum, yum!
Leigh Anne says
So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Michelle says
I thought this was a bit heavy on the peanut butter. Made the dressing and then had to cut it in half and make it more of a vinegar/lime based dressing. It was just a personal preference. I like a sour and sweet flavor
foody schmoody says
Thanks for sharing this recipe and your yummy dessert recipes at Tuesday Tastings last week. I have a new obsession with quinoa so this recipe comes at the perfect time. Just when I was running out of things to do with it! So a super special thanks for this!
Don’t forget to come back Tuesday to see if you get a feature.