Published on July 21, 2023 Everyone at the table will love this easy Summer Quinoa Salad! It’s filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, hearty quinoa, and the most refreshing homemade lemon dressing. It’s the perfect summer salad for BBQ’s, picnics, pool parties, or every day eating! This salad is easy to make, and with quinoa as a base, it’s hearty enough to eat as a lunch or dinner. Plus, it’s loaded with all of summer’s finest ingredients: tomatoes, corn, peaches, basil, and MORE! It’s perfect for those hot months when you want a light, refreshing, and delicious meal.
How to Make Quinoa
Cooking quinoa is simple. To make sure your quinoa turns out perfect every time, follow these tips!
Always rinse your quinoa before you get started. Rinsing removes quinoa’s natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter. Start with a medium saucepan, one cup of dry quinoa, and 2 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, then cover the pan with a lid. Reduce the heat to low, until it’s just a simmer, and let it cook for 15 minutes. At this point the quinoa should be tender and the small grains will look like they’ve popped open. Pull your pan off the stove and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and that’s it! Your quinoa is ready to go!
Salad Ingredients
I love this blend of summertime produce and delicious, wholesome flavors! It’s such a fresh and filling salad. The quinoa is a perfect base, and then I add…
Peaches Tomatoes Fresh sweet corn Avocado Red onion Feta cheese Fresh basil
If you wanted to add a protein, you could mix in shredded or grilled chicken or chickpeas!
How to Make Summer Quinoa Salad
Are you ready to make your new favorite salad? Let’s get started!
Once your quinoa is cooked, let it cool while you make the dressing. You are going to love this simple lemon dressing. It’s a mix of olive oil, lemon juice, golden balsamic vinegar, honey, and garlic. Give it all a good whisk (or shake in a jar!) and it’s ready to go. If you want to mix things up, this salad would also be good with my basil vinaigrette or balsamic vinaigrette. In a large bowl, add the quinoa, peaches, tomatoes, corn, avocado, onion, feta cheese, and basil. Step back and admire your colorful summertime salad! Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss it gently to distribute the yummy flavors. You can serve this salad cold or at room temperature–delicious both ways!
Prepping and Storing
This is a great meal prep salad because you can make a lot of it in advance. The dressing and cooked quinoa will keep in the fridge for up to one week. So you can get those done and out of the way. You can also cut the corn off of the cob and dice the red onion ahead of time. I would wait to slice the tomatoes, peaches, avocado, and basil until you are ready to serve so the ingredients stay super fresh. This salad is best the day it is made, but you can keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. I always enjoy the leftovers:)
Serving Suggestions
This salad is great on it’s own, but if you want to serve it with other recipes, here are a few of our favorites.
Lemon Butter Chicken Steak Kabobs Best Grilled Chicken Sandwich Turkey Burgers Honey Mustard Chicken Corn & Zucchini Enchiladas
More Summer Salad Recipes
Favorite Fruit Salad Summer Pasta Salad Easy Cucumber Salad Panzanella Salad Caprese Pasta Salad Watermelon Feta Salad
Find all of our salad recipes HERE! There are lots to choose from! I love a good salad!
Summer Quinoa Salad
Nutrition
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