California Quinoa Salad
Bright, fresh, and packed with wholesome ingredients, this California Quinoa Salad is a nutrient-rich medley that's perfect as a light meal or satisfying side dish. Featuring fluffy quinoa as the base, it’s layered with creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, and zesty red onion, with a hint of fresh cilantro for added vibrancy. A tangy lime dressing, lightly sweetened with honey and spiced with cumin, ties all the flavors together for a truly refreshing dish. Ready in just 30 minutes, this gluten-free and protein-packed salad is not only easy to prepare but also ideal for meal prep. Serve it chilled or at room temperature for a versatile dish that's sure to please! Perfect keywords for search: quinoa salad, healthy recipes, avocado quinoa salad, gluten-free salad, California-style salad.
Log this recipe in SnapCalorie
Recipe Information
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 large avocado
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 0.25 cup red onion
- 0.25 cup fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Rinse the quinoa under cold water using a fine-mesh sieve.
In a medium pot, combine the quinoa and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until the quinoa absorbs all the water.
Remove the cooked quinoa from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and allow it to cool completely.
While the quinoa is cooling, prepare the vegetables. Dice the avocado, chop the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the red onion, and coarsely chop the fresh cilantro.
In a small mixing bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together olive oil, lime juice, honey, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
In a large salad bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, avocado, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro.
Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss everything together to coat evenly.
Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours to allow the flavors to meld together.
Nutrition Facts
Calories |
1384 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
% Daily Value* |
|||
| Total Fat | 84.2 g | 108% | |
| Saturated Fat | 10.9 g | 55% | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 7.7 g | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% | |
| Sodium | 2415 mg | 105% | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 136.0 g | 49% | |
| Dietary Fiber | 17.5 g | 62% | |
| Total Sugars | 17.1 g | ||
| Protein | 31.4 g | 63% | |
| Vitamin D | 0.0 mcg | 0% | |
| Calcium | 156 mg | 12% | |
| Iron | 8.4 mg | 47% | |
| Potassium | 1928 mg | 41% | |
*The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
