This herby lemon quinoa salad is a hearty side dish that’s bursting with bold flavors. Parmesan, onion, and garlic pair well with bright lemon notes and herbs in this healthy flavored quinoa recipe.
Sometimes people ask me if my blog is all healthy food, and sometimes other people will ask if I get sick of “all the desserts” that must come along with running a food blog.
In all honesty, neither is super applicable. I know I don’t have a narrow niche, with the nearly 400 (!) recipe posts ranging from better-for-you main meals to special occasion desserts to nearly everything in-between.
That’s not to say I haven’t flirted with the idea of having a stronger central theme for my recipes. But rather I chose for the recipes on this blog to mirror how I eat in real life: a fair amount of health-minded recipes that don’t feature too too many processed ingredients but are still bold and flavorful. And it sounds like a lot of you eat the same way. 🙂
Here’s a time when this balance comes into play. After a few weeks of indulgence, including one friend’s wedding, another friend’s bachelorette weekend, and quite a few rounds of chips and queso, it was time to take a break from all the celebratory foods and lean into something healthier – quinoa.
As we dig into this herby lemon quinoa salad, a fair warning to all the lemon haters out there. You might want to skip this one.
Reason being is that the lemon flavor definitely shines through!
Recipe ingredients
Let’s start with that lemon flavor. 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 do a taste-test. Add the other one at that point if you want.
The base of this lemon quinoa salad is one cup of dry quinoa, which I prefer cooking in reduced-sodium chicken broth. While you can absolutely use water if you like, cooking quinoa (and rice) in broth adds an extra boost of flavor that I love in simple flavored quinoa salads like this.
As for the rest of this recipe, it leans heavily into other Mediterranean flavors such as olive oil, garlic, onion, fresh parsley, fresh basil, Parmesan, and sliced almonds. All good things.
Easy prep recipe method
Since this lemon quinoa salad is as simple as preparing the quinoa and stirring in all of the other ingredients, you can certainly zhush up just about any of the ingredients in the quantities that you like. More or less Parmesan, different types of herbs (maybe add mint?), almonds or no almonds, etc.
The only place I wouldn’t veer off the recipe would be with the quantities of quinoa and broth. Two cups of liquid to one cup of dry quinoa are what you need to result in fluffy cooked quinoa. Since we’ll be adding some liquid later on (lemon juice and olive oil), we want our quinoa to be as fluffy and dry as possible once it’s done cooking.
And speaking of quinoa be sure to rinse the dry quinoa before cooking, as this helps remove the quinoa’s bitter coating (which is called saponin) and leads to better tasting cooked quinoa.
Just a heads up that after you add the olive oil and lemon juice, the quinoa may appear too wet. The grated Parmesan will soak up some of the excess moisture. If you like you can also put the sauce pan back on the warm burner (turned off) to help speed up the process of reducing the moisture.
Recipe notes
- 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.
Herby Lemon Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (or water)
- 2 lemons zest and juice (see note)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tbsp diced onion
- 2 tsp fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds roughly chopped
Instructions
- Rinse uncooked quinoa using a strainer. Add rinsed and drained quinoa and broth to a medium-sized sauce pan and stir.
- Let broth come to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer, letting quinoa cook for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Once all of the broth has been absorbed by the quinoa, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let quinoa sit in the pot for a few additional minutes to cool off a bit and soak up any extra liquid.
- After quinoa has cooled slightly, stir in remaining ingredients until quinoa is evenly coated. This quinoa salad is great to eat warm, or after being chilled in the refrigerator. Garnish with extra almond slices and herbs for serving.
Notes
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.
This 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!
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!
Terri says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE lemon and will add it to almost anything. I’ve just added this Quinoa salad to my list of favorites! It sounds absolutely delicious and will be making this side dish to share with the family this holiday weekend.
Keep those recipes coming!!!!
Alyssa says
Thanks Terri! Yes, lemon is a favorite, in both sweet and savory dishes. So light and refreshing! 🙂 Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!
Ashley @ ashleymarieskitchen says
Yum! This looks amazing 🙂
Alyssa says
Thank you, Ashley!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Haha I would totally eat this straight out of the bag too – who has time to get a bowl? I love the sound of all those flavors in here and would totally make mine a little zippy too 🙂
Alyssa says
Haha, glad to know I’m in good company, Kelly! No time to grab a bowl is right. 🙂
Anna @ shenANNAgans says
Nom Nom Nom! Quinoa is tha bomb. We use it as a substitute for pasta, rice and starch in my household. 🙂 Reckon this salad would go down a treat, a bowl of lemony goodness mixed with yummy delicious fresh herbs. Hmmm… Feeling hungry now. 🙂
Alyssa says
We’ve been subbing in quinoa more often into our diets too, Anna. Delish and super versatile – I love it! 🙂
Bisa says
This is great recipe! Bought quinoa but didn’t use it yet.
Starting now with this recipe!
Alyssa says
I hope you enjoy, Bisa! I love how versatile quinoa is.
Ashley says
Bahaha I would love to see you eat this out of a plastic bag!! That would be kinda amazing.
And I can totally see why you do it. This sounds so good – loveee the lemon and all the herbs!
Alyssa says
Hahaha! Truthfully I was getting a little hangry and had forgotten to get a paper bowl from the work kitchen. No time to waste, bag it was! This quinoa is worth getting the side eye from my coworkers. 🙂
Deb says
I adore cooking with lemons, sweet or savory I’m in! The flavorful quinoa herb salad sounds divine!
Alyssa says
Thanks Deb! I love lemons in both sweet and savory dishes, too. Tart lemon bars are one of my very favorite desserts. The more lip-puckering, the better! 🙂
Danielle says
I love the flavors in this dish, so fun and unique! I love adding new things to quinoa when I can 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Danielle! I love it when you find a fun new spin on things you typically eat. This was a winner for us!
Helen @ Scrummy Lane says
Nah … don’t worry, I wouldn’t think you were weird – I would probably be sitting there eating something similar. I love quinoa – and of course it’s so healthy – but often ‘forget’ about using it. Thanks for the reminder to get using it again!
Alyssa says
Haha…whew! It’s funny how ‘on display’ people’s eating habits are in a big office setting. I tend to ‘forget’ to use certain ingredients, too. Right now it’s a bag of brown rice I’ve had every intention of cooking for the past month. Whoops! Glad I could serve as a reminder for you and quinoa!
Consuelo - Honey & Figs says
I love the sound of this salad! The flavor combo looks unreal uuuughhhh. I must make it for lunch when I start uni! xxx
Alyssa says
I bet you’d love it Consuelo! So, so good – it’s fab for lunch!
marcie says
Oh, this sounds so nice and lemony, which has to taste so great with all of those fresh herbs! This is a quinoa salad I would love! And I wouldn’t think you were weird to eat it out of a bag. Why waste a bowl? 🙂
Alyssa says
Lemon and fresh herbs is such a wonderful flavor combination, Marcie. I’ve been adding basil to just about everything lately thanks to the overabundance our one mighty basil plant has produced. And glad to hear my bag vs. bowl decision isn’t too weird! 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
Oh yum! I have never thought to mix lemon and quinoa together! I really love how simple and different this is! Just what I need for lunches!
Alyssa says
This is definitely the perfect lunch, Annie! I eventually graduated beyond eating it straight from the bag haha – it’s great as the protein element in a wrap, too!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
This sounds like a great way to use quinoa. I love anything lemony.
Alyssa says
Thanks Dannii – lemony everything is a favorite for me, too!
Kathi @ Deliciously Yum! says
I love when healthy looks this delicious! Parmesan, herbs, quinoa – what’s not to love? I can totally see why you had to restrain yourself from finishing it all ;). Yay for super foods and pizza!!
Alyssa says
Thanks Kathi! And I’m all about a balanced diet…as evidenced by this post haha
Zainab says
I love quinoa salads and can’t get enough of them. This is just so wonderful!! Love the cheese and zippy addition!
Alyssa says
I’m the same way, Zainab! Cheesy, zippy quinoa is a new favorite. 🙂
Chris @ Shared Appetite says
What a beautiful, healthy dish! I love the addition of sriracha! Yum!
Alyssa says
Thanks Chris! There are few things in our kitchen that sriracha doesn’t find its way into…quinoa is no exception!