Quick Quinoa Salad (with Curry Dressing!)

Overhead shot of blue and white bowl on a white background filled with quinoa, chopped veggies, chickpeas, and basil.

Quick Quinoa Salad (with Curry Dressing!)

This quick quinoa salad is made with crunchy cucumber, apple, and bell pepper, along with curry powder to add an earthiness to the nutty quinoa & chickpeas. Soaked in a homemade lemon-garlic dressing, this makes a perfect lunch, dinner side, or brunch!

Course Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword quinoa salad, salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Rest 1

Total Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 350

Author Robyn Conley Downs

Ingredients

2 cups dry quinoa
2 Tablespoons mild curry powder
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 small cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups English cucumber, diced (from about 1 large)
2 cups green apple, diced (from about 2 medium)
2 cups red bell peppers, diced (from about 2 large)
¼ cup packed basil leaves, thinly sliced
⅓ cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa. Combine the rinsed quinoa with the curry powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 4 cups of cold water in a large pot. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 18 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit, covered, for an additional 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, make the dressing by combining the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic.
To the dressing, add the chickpeas, cucumber, apple, and bell peppers. Add the warm quinoa and stir until well combined. The mixture will be on the wet side. Let it sit at least an hour for the dressing to absorb and flavors to develop.
Stir in the basil and half of the sunflower seeds, then cover and chill for up to 3 days. When ready to serve, bring to room temperature and serve with the remaining sunflower seeds sprinkled on top.

Notes

Inspiration: Adapted from from The School of Natural Cookery.
Seeds: If you don't have sunflower seeds, you can swap in pumpkin seeds.
Crunchy Texture: One reader suggested spreading the cooked the quinoa on a baking sheet for 15 minutes to cool down, so your fruit and veggies won’t lose any of their crunch - such a great tip!

Nutrition