This easy lemon quinoa salad is a hearty side dish that's bursting with bold flavors. Parmesan, arugula, and garlic pair well with bright lemon notes and a medley of fresh herbs in this healthy flavored quinoa recipe.
To be honest, quinoa has taken a backseat lately to other grains in my kitchen, namely farro (for farro salad) and polenta. But a craving for a lemony cold side dish salad jogged my memory of this lemon quinoa salad with herbs and I was in the kitchen in a flash.
Originally posted five years ago, I took the opportunity to update the photos, then zhushed the recipe by adding a few extra vegetables and herbs given what was plentiful in my backyard garden.
Ooh did this satisfy my craving. It features a simple dressing of fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic, with the salad full of other Mediterranean-inspired flavors: arugula, fresh herbs, Parmesan, onion, almonds, and cucumber.
But what's great about this recipe is that you can really do your own thing! Add tomatoes, switch out the nuts or cheese, leave an ingredient out, etc. Lots of wiggle room for you to make it your own.
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- Have you ever thought that quinoa was a little bit plain? This lemon quinoa salad is cooked in broth for a big foundational boost of flavor.
- Think of this recipe as a jumping off point. Once you cook the quinoa, you can easily switch up the add-ins, add more or less of your favorite herbs, use up a smattering of vegetables, etc.
- It's versatile and can made ahead of a get-together. These ingredients work as a warm or cold quinoa salad.
Recipe Ingredients
- Quinoa: Either white or tri-color (white, red, and black) quinoa are good bets for this salad. Go for white if you're a quinoa newbie as it has the most mild flavor.
- Broth: While you can use water, I find cooking quinoa in broth provides a really nice boost in flavor. Either reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth (if not serving to vegetarians) are good.
- Lemons: I include the juice and zest of two lemons, which brings a bold citrus flavor to the final dish. If you're not a huge lemon fan, start with using the zest and juice of one lemon and then taste to see if you'd like more.
- Parmesan: Freshly-grated provides the most flavor, though refrigerated tubs from the supermarket deli department are pretty good, too. For a twist, substitute in crumbled feta.
- Fresh Herbs: A combination of mint, Italian parsley, and basil all pair well with the lemony flavors here. That said, feel free to add more of one, less of another, or omit one if you don't have it on hand.
- Cucumber: I usually go with standard supermarket cucumbers and peel and chop them. If using English cucumbers (also called hothouse) you don't need to peel.
- Almonds: Slivered or sliced are fine.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Rinse quinoa under cool water. This helps remove the quinoa's bitter coating (which is called saponin) and leads to better tasting cooked quinoa.
- Add the quinoa to a pot of broth (or water). Cover and bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed. This will take around 15-20 minutes or so.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients together.
- Once the quinoa has cooled off, add to a large bowl with the herbs, veggies, almonds, and Parmesan.
- Pour in the dressing.
- Stir the lemon quinoa salad up with a large spoon or toss everything with tongs. Take a taste and add additional lemon juice, zest, salt, pepper, etc. to taste.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Zest the lemons before you juice them as they're easier to hold onto while whole.
- You can use any kind of broth or water for this lemon quinoa salad. Just be sure to follow the one part quinoa to two parts liquid ratio to result in fluffy cooked quinoa..
- The quinoa can be made up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated for easy day-of prep.
- If assembling this herbed quinoa salad ahead of time, consider dressing it with two-thirds (or so) of the dressing and reserving the remaining for dressing just prior to serving. The quinoa will naturally absorb the dressing as it sits, so saving some for serving ensures it will be nice and moist.
Related Recipes
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!
Lemon Quinoa Salad with Herbs
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 2 cups reduced-sodium broth vegetable or chicken (or water)
- 2 medium lemons zest and juice (see note)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely-minced or pressed
- 1 ¼ cups arugula roughly chopped
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta
- ⅓ cup sliced or slivered almonds
- ¼ cup finely-diced onion red or white
- 2 Tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade more or less to taste
- 2 Tablespoons finely-chopped Italian parsley more or less to taste
- 2 Tablespoons fresh mint chiffonade more or less to taste
- Salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse uncooked quinoa under cool water using a fine strainer. Add rinsed and drained quinoa and broth to a medium-sized sauce pan set over high heat and stir.
- Let broth come to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer, letting quinoa cook for about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Once all of the broth has been absorbed by the quinoa, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes covered. Then fluff quinoa with a fork. Transfer quinoa to a separate container to cool off while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Add olive oil, the zest and juice of one lemon, and the minced garlic to a bowl or measuring cup and whisk well until combined. Reserve the juice and zest of the remaining lemon.
- After the quinoa has mostly cooled off, add it to a large serving bowl along with the arugula, cucumbers, Parmesan, almonds, onion, basil, parsley, and mint. Give the dressing another quick whisk and pour it over top. Stir to combine so that everything is evenly coated. Take a taste and add the remaining lemon zest and juice if you'd like a more pronounced flavor. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
Notes
- Adjust the ingredients to your taste. This is a very forgiving recipe! Change up the ratio of fresh herbs, switch to feta or pine nuts, add in tomatoes, leave out the arugula, etc.
- Hold off on adding the juice and zest of the second lemon until the salad has been assembled. It's easier to add more to taste then to come back from an overly sharp and acidic flavor.
- This lemon quinoa salad is great to eat warm, or after being chilled in the refrigerator.
- If preparing this dish ahead of time, consider reserving a portion of the dressing for stirring in just prior to serving. This is because the quinoa will absorb the liquid as it sits.
- As it's best to combine everything once the quinoa has cooled, consider cooking and refrigerating the quinoa a day ahead of time for streamlined day-of prep.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition DisclaimerThis post was originally published in August 2014. The photos were updated in June 2018.
Liking the flavors in this lemon herb quinoa salad?
Then check out another oldie but goodie recipe - lemon chicken quinoa soup with spinach. It's a speedy soup recipe that uses leftover or rotisserie chicken. Healthy, too!
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Erin says
Yum! I have made this at least 4 times already. I always double this recipe because my kids love it so much!
Alyssa says
I'm so glad you and your family like this quinoa! Thanks for letting me know how it went. 🙂
Cindy @ Pick Fresh Foods says
Yum! This looks delicious! You know I love me some good quinoa and I can't wait to mix this combination up.
Alyssa says
Thanks Cindy! I love quinoa a bunch of different ways, but this definitely was a favorite!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I am a massive quinoa fan. This salad looks and sounds definitely delicious.. I have to recreate the recipe!
Alyssa says
Thank you, Thalia! 🙂
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
I have GOT to get on the quinoa band wagon! It's all the rage, and not only have I never cooked with it - I've never tasted it either! This looks like a great dish to start with! Quinoa - here I come! 🙂
Alyssa says
Oh man Kristi, you've got to give it a shot! Haha it's so versatile and can 'fit in' with so many different cuisines. Perfect!