Mediterranean Quinoa Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
This vegan, gluten free Mediterranean quinoa salad is the best make ahead recipe for a healthy lunch or dinner. It’s easy to make and super nutritious.
You know those meals that you just feel HAPPY eating? This is one of them for me. Everything about this Mediterranean quinoa salad just makes me feel good. It’s a quinoa salad you’d order at a cute vegan cafe, or grab and go for a picnic lunch.
This recipe is super easy to make, with no complicated ingredients. It’s vegan and gluten free, so you can share with loved ones who have dietary restrictions. Additionally, it’s so tasty, fresh, and filling on it’s own, but makes an excellent side dish, too.
More delicious healthy quinoa recipes to try: red quinoa salad with feta cheese, kimchi fried quinoa, quinoa beet salad with butternut squash, and quinoa salmon bowls with broccoli and squash.
What’s in this Mediterranean quinoa salad?
Here are all the ingredients you need to make this salad. Everything is plant based, and the summer vegetables are in season right now!
- Quinoa: This pseudo-grain is the base of the salad. It has a mild, nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture. Quinoa also packs more protein than other grains. One cup cooked has 8 grams!
- Cherry tomatoes: Choose the smallest ones you can find.
- Cucumber: I recommend using English or greenhouse cucumber, because they have very few, small seeds.
- Bell pepper: I used a red one, but any color will do.
- Red onion
- Parsley
- Basil
- Kalamata olives
- Lemon
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
How to make Mediterranean quinoa salad
- Cook quinoa on the stovetop according to package instructions.
- Chop the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion.
- Mince the fresh herbs.
- Slice kalamata olives in half.
- Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil.
- Mix everything together in a large bowl, and toss everything in the dressing with a generous shake of salt and pepper.
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- Salt the cooking water before cooking quinoa. This adds subtle flavor to the quinoa.
- Wait until quinoa cools to mix into the salad. Prepare the quinoa ahead of time so it can cool completely before you make this salad. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.
- Chop veggies into small, uniform pieces. Smaller pieces mix up better in this quinoa salad than larger ones.
If you love this recipe, you may also like
- Greek Quinoa Salad with Lentils
- Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Feta Cheese
- Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad
Let me know if you love this recipe by leaving a comment or rating below, and check out Instagram and Pinterest for more healthy lifestyle inspiration. Thanks for stopping by!
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: main dish
Description
This vegan, gluten free Mediterranean quinoa salad is the best make ahead recipe for a healthy lunch or dinner. It’s easy to make and super nutritious.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 1 English cucumber, diced small
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced small,
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
- 1/4 cup parsley, minced
- 1/4 cup basil, minced
- 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Add a pinch of salt to the cooking water. Let cool completely before adding to the rest of the salad.
- Once quinoa is cooled, combine it in a large mixing bowl with all the chopped veggies, olives, and herbs.
- Whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil.
- Pour dressing over the ingredients, along with a generous shake of salt and a fresh cracked pepper.
- Mix everything together, so all ingredients are well dispersed and coated in the dressing.
Notes
- Can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. Makes for great leftovers of a meal prepped lunch recipe.
Keywords: vegan, gluten free, Mediterranean quinoa salad
This recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. My question is if it gets mushy after storing for a few days? Or is it best to keep the dressing separate until serving? Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks Morgan! Every time I make this, the salad does not get soggy. The key to keeping it fresh is using room temperature/completely cooled quinoa! Don’t add the quinoa to the veggies while it is still hot, and the veggies will stay crunchy and fresh. Hope this helps!
Love this quinoa salad. I made it exactly as written the first time. It was soooo good. The second time I added dill weed. It added a bit more flavor. It lasts for days in the refrigerator. I love it either way. It’s my go to salad!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, LuAnn! This is one of my all time favorite salad recipes. I appreciate your kind comment and review, enjoy!
Great for lunch meal prep
★★★★★
One of my favorites to meal prep!
This was delicious! So light and refreshing, great summer lunch. I had some fresh dill on hand and a small fennel bulb so I chopped that up and added it. Sooo good. Will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Thanks Karen! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed this 🙂
This was really good. I didn’t have some of the ingredients, so I replaced basil with oregano, and some heirloom tomatoes. I added some goat cheese, which made it fantastic! Thank you!
★★★★★
Leanne, all your subs and additions sound so delish! Thanks for sharing and for your kind review.