This vegan quinoa salad features tiny pearls of quinoa drenched in tangy, chili-seasoned dressing, with cubes of avocado that melt in your mouth and cucumbers and chickpeas for a little bit of crunch.
Whenever my husband sees that I’m cooking quinoa, his eyes light up and he asks if I’m making “The Salad.” It’s our favorite quinoa dish, but for a while I made it only on special occasions because I couldn’t figure out how to make it without using olive oil. I was just afraid that it wouldn’t be as tasty–and who can stand to see a favorite dish diminished?
But I was determined to try to lighten up the recipe so that we could enjoy this fantastic salad more often, and I’m proud to say that I’ve done it. I think that this recipe is so good that you’ll never miss the olive oil.
It’s based on a recipe by Lorna Sass called Quinoa Salpiçon, a sort of South American version of the Middle Eastern grain salad tabouli, with lots of parsley as in tabouli but using quinoa instead of bulgur wheat. I like to think of it as a blend of cultures, a little of the Old World mixed with the New, though even the “new” ingredients date back thousands of years.
Quinoa was first cultivated 5000 years ago. It was a staple food of the people in the Andes Mountains in Peru and Bolivia and was considered a sacred grain of the Incas. Chickpeas were first cultivated around 7000 years ago in Turkey, but their use spread from there to western Europe, and they’ve become an important part of the diets of many cultures.
I took the original salad and added a few ingredients–the corn and chili powder to enhance its South American flavor and the chickpeas to complement its Middle Eastern roots. And, of course, I’ve made it oil-free by replacing the olive oil with vegetable broth. The result is wonderful–tiny pearls of quinoa drenched in tangy, chili-seasoned dressing, with cubes of avocado that melt in your mouth and cucumbers and chickpeas for a little bit of crunch. It’s a perfect marriage of ingredients–and cultures.
International Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa:
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa rinsed very well
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt optional
Vegetables:
- 1 large cucumber peeled, seeded, and diced
- 2 medium-large tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 ears cooked corn, kernels only about 1 cup, optional
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and diced
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup scallions thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup parsley minced
- 1/3 cup fresh mint — minced minced
- 1 ripe avocado reserve a few slices for garnish, peeled, pitted, and diced
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice NOT lemon
- 3 tablespoons vegetable broth or bean cooking liquid
- 1/2 teaspoon salt optional, or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 clove garlic pressed or minced
- 1/4-1 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa in a pressure cooker, place it and the water, garlic, and salt in the cooker and lock the lid. Over high heat, bring to high pressure and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. Fluff the quinoa and allow it to cool. (To cook it on the stove, use 2 1/2 cups of water. Rinse the quinoa and toast it in a saucepan over medium heat. Add water, garlic, and salt and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce heat, and cook until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff and cool.)
- Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and mix well. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Mix well and refrigerate until chilled. Taste before serving, and add more lime juice as necessary (you want it to be tangy). Garnish with avocado slices and serve. Makes about 8 servings.
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Bridgett
March 29, 2012 at 9:39 amI am wondering if the scallions in your recipe are scallions (mild small onions with flat side)or green onions ( I see green onions in your picture) thanks!
Susan Voisin
March 29, 2012 at 11:31 amMaybe you’re thinking of shallots? Scallion is just another word for green onion, which is what I used.
Casey
March 29, 2012 at 5:42 pmSusan,
I love this recipe, but I cook for one and I hate to waste food, even though it still happens way too often (I buy fresh produce that only comes in large quantities, especially alfalfa sprouts, but can never eat all of it before it goes bad) and as far as I know, no veggie broth comes in 3 tbsp amounts, I do know one that has four individual packets of 1 cup, but what can I do with leftover broth, does freezing it work?
Liz
April 8, 2012 at 10:49 amOh, how delicious it all looks. Will you come and be my mom? (I’m a grown up but still…..)
Lorna Beck
April 8, 2012 at 1:13 pmI made a similar salad to this some time ago, I am thinking of putting some acocado in the dressing and whizing it in the blender before pouring it over the salad.
Laurie
April 8, 2012 at 7:49 pmI made this today for part of our Easter dinner! It was delicious. I did have to use canned garbanzos so didn’t use the bean sauce & used just a touch of olive oil. I also used Red Quinoa since that was what I had on hand. Thanks for the recipe!
Nanci
June 26, 2012 at 6:33 amMade this yesterday to rave reviews! I did not have cucumber, so I threw in some celery and green bell pepper. It was delicious. Then, my neighbor came over last night and brought me cucumbers from her garden, so i added it to the leftovers. Now it’s even better! I will make this again and again, I’m sure. I think it would be good with green peas too. I love salad lunches in the summer, and lunch is always the biggest challenge for me in the vegan lifestyle. I can only make tofu sandwiches so many days a month without a mutiny! Thanks again.
Michelle
July 16, 2012 at 2:22 pmThanks! I made this salad today and it was great! Instead of Chipotle pepper I used a Cajun spice mix and it was lovely
Eve
August 2, 2012 at 9:55 amI love this salad. I made if for July 4th and again last night for a potluck, where it was loved by all (and appreciated by the gluten-free folks!). I leave out the chipotle pepper based on my own personal tastes, and I am amazed at what a great oil-free dressing this is! No one would suspect it’s oil-free, I think. There’s a whole lot of flavor in this salad. It’s a keeper for me for sure!
Marty
January 8, 2013 at 8:09 pmI have never cared for olive oil on my quinoa – thanks for taking some of the guesswork out!
Casey
January 16, 2013 at 1:12 amMmmmm, having this for dinner tomorrow!
Bianca
March 30, 2013 at 9:41 pmAdded this to the usual Easter fare and got nothing but compliments all around! 😀
Katie
May 16, 2013 at 12:22 pmHi! I want to try making this tonight for a dinner party. My problem is that I hate mint and cilantro (which I read was a good sub for the mint)….can this be left out without the flavor suffering too much?
Susan Voisin
May 16, 2013 at 2:35 pmYes, it should be fine without.
Katie
May 16, 2013 at 3:05 pmAwesome, thanks…can’t wait to try it! 🙂
LLHB
May 16, 2013 at 6:34 pmI cannot stand cilantro either,tastes like soap!! so I double up on the fresh parsley instead and this dish always is all gone at potlucks!! I cannot get mint, unless I pay a lot for it
Joy
August 24, 2013 at 2:59 pmSusan,
This is my first comment here although I’ve made quite a few of your dishes and love them all. I’ve been making this salad for years now. It is always extremely popular everywhere I bring it, with veggie/grain lovers or not. And it is extra amazing being that it is so delicious without using any olive oil which I almost always use in salads. It’s flavor delivers so well from the tangy lime juice and interesting herbs and pepper and chipotle that no oil is needed, making it the perfect healthful food. SOOOO good.
Thank you!!
Joy
VeganJ
April 29, 2014 at 9:04 amHow would you cook quinoa in an electric pressure cooker?
Susan Voisin
April 29, 2014 at 9:15 amIt should work the same in an electric pressure cooker as a regular one. Most of the cooking will be done in that standing time as it falls in pressure. If you’re worried, you could cook it for 2 minutes rather than one.
Honestly, I no longer use the PC for quinoa because it’s just as fast to cook it on the stove.
Robin
May 1, 2014 at 11:47 amOne of your best!!! We loved it!!! Thank you.
DC
May 22, 2014 at 10:35 pmThat sounds delicious Susan. Thank you so much for sharing such wonderful recipes. I will never run out of things to make thanks to you. I cannot wait to try this version. It seems a had made a recipe from Jill Nussinow of The Veggie Queen a few years ago that was also called International Quinoa Salad. I loved it. It too was absolutely delicious. Yours sounds quite different than hers and look forward to making it once I get moved. It’s driving me crazy that I can’t find the notebook I had some of her recipes in so that I could at least see if the name was the same, and if so compare ingredients. Guess I’ll go to her website and find out. Not that it matters one iota because I adore collecting healthy recipes regardless of names. You just can’t beat a good quinoa recipe. Thanks again for all you do for your subscribers. You rock Susan!
Kristy Schnabel
July 8, 2014 at 9:16 pmJust made this and it’s wonderful! Thank you for this recipe! I will happily be eating this for days. I love how it has grains, legumes, vegetables and terrific flavor (love the lime!). This will be my next potluck dish. 🙂
Jamie
July 9, 2014 at 7:20 pmWow! I underestimated this recipe. I’ve seen it numerous times, and every time just thought that it was just quinoa salad, nothing special. Made it tonight and I am so in love (although, I will admit, I used the olive oil. I’m breastfeeding, so extra fat is okay here). It’s like summer in a bowl!
Robin
September 22, 2014 at 2:55 pmJust made this again this weekend and brought to a dinner party. It got raves!! What a great dish!!! I was the only vegan there and everyone thought it was fabulous and it was!!! You are a genius!
Ainsley
March 4, 2015 at 5:37 pmHOLY SMOKES! I never liked quinoa ever. Now, I love it.
Although….8 servings? I tuned mine into 5 nice servings. hehe….
Liz
March 18, 2016 at 5:51 pmCould I sub israeli couscous?
Susan Voisin
March 18, 2016 at 7:58 pmYes, just prepare it according to package directions. I would use about 1 1/2 times the amount of quinoa because Israeli couscous is bigger.
Deanna
May 20, 2016 at 8:18 amI have been looking for a quinoa salad recipe some time now, and I came across this. I would love to try it, but I do not have a pressure cooker. I attempted to look thru the other comments to see if someone had already touched on this subject, but there are just too many to go thru! Is there any other way to cook this if a slow cooker is not available? I have a rice cooker, but thats about it! Thanks!
Deanna
May 20, 2016 at 8:20 amNever mind!!!! LOL.. I should learn to read the whole recipe before freaking out! LOL
Melissa Kelly
March 30, 2017 at 1:47 pmThis is the only salad *in my life* I have cravings for, much less regular cravings – chocolate yes, salad, no. This is such a great, satisfying combination of flavors, though. I do love to add diced papaya to this salad. If there isn’t any around I add nectarine – sometimes both. At any rate, I make this many times a year – and sometimes just as a little love gift for my mom, who also loves it.THANKS SUSAN!!
Melanie
April 3, 2018 at 11:11 amOK, but with a whole avocado in it, it is not “fat free” – might as well add olive oil at that point. I’m looking for a recipe that truly has no fat but tastes good. I will try it without the avocado since the dressing sounds good for being fat-free.
Mary
July 1, 2019 at 5:18 pmDelicious! I made the salad as directed except I used only half of an avocado. The flavors all blend well for a unique taste! I will be serving this on the 4th of July.
Lori
September 1, 2019 at 12:44 pmDid you use canned or dried chickpeas? Did you cook them or roast them? Thank you!
Look forward to making this!
Susan Voisin
September 1, 2019 at 2:03 pmI use canned of already cooked chickpeas. Hope you enjoy it! It’s one of my favorites.