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!
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!