Avocado Quinoa Salad – Skinnytaste

Avocado Quinoa Salad is fresh and flavorful, made with cucumbers, tomato, red onion, cilantro and lime juice. A great plant-based lunch or side dish!

Avocado Quinoa Salad

This Avocado Quinoa Salad is bright, zesty, and delicious, and the ingredients remind me of what I typically put in my guacamole. I love this quinoa salad on days I want to go meatless for lunch. I’ve published quite a few quinoa salads over the years, and I love all of them, but this might be my new favorite! Some other favorites are this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad and this Southwestern Black Bean Mango Quinoa Salad.

I’ve been getting tons of requests for more vegan and vegetarian recipes, so I plan on sharing at least one new plant-based recipe per week. Quinoa, the seed of an edible plant, is rich in both fiber and protein and and is very nutritious for our body. It’s also gluten-free and perfect for adding to salads.

Avocado Quinoa Salad Ingredients

This avocado quinoa salad has just a few simple ingredients.

• Quinoa: I prefer red or tricolor quinoa.
• Avocado: If you’re meal prepping this salad, combine everything and add the avocado right before eating.
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes: I used a large beefsteak tomato, but cherry or grape tomatoes would work.
• Red onion
• Jalapeño: Leave the jalapeño’s seeds and ribs in if you want a spicy salad. If you prefer milder food, remove them.
• Fresh cilantro: Skip the cilantro if you don’t like it.
• Dressing: Olive oil, lime juice, salt

How to Cook Quinoa for a Salad

The trick to making the perfect quinoa salads is to cook the quinoa properly. No mushy quinoa for me! I prefer to use red or tricolor quinoa, and make a batch in my Instant Pot (see Perfect Instant Pot Quinoa) to use throughout the week in bowls, salads, salmon burgers, etc. If making the quinoa on the stove, I use less water than recommended. For one cup of quinoa, I use 1 3/4 cups of liquid.

What to Serve with Avocado Quinoa Salad

This healthy quinoa salad makes a great vegan lunch, but if you want to serve it for dinner as a side dish, this would serve four and be great with any protein such as Tequila Lime Shrimp, or Cilantro Lime Chicken. Double this recipe for more servings for a crowd, adding the avocado just before serving.

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