This Vegan Quinoa Salad is packed with flavor and cooks in a flash! A delicious make-ahead quinoa side dish that is full of crunchy veggies and a homemade zesty sauce.
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This rainbow quinoa salad is super tasty, keeps in the fridge for days, and pairs a lot of delicious crunchy veggies with a sesame chili sauce.
Even better, I’ll teach you how to make this vegan quinoa recipe on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. Everyone loves options!
Did you know that quinoa is not just for savory uses? Try it in a Chocolate Quinoa Porridge! And if you love speedy grain recipes, check out my posts on Instant Pot Farro and Garlic Butter Rice.
Looking for a plain version of this recipe? Check out Instant Pot Quinoa.
Quinoa Salad Ingredients & Variations
This recipe is rocking:
- Quinoa – white or red works perfectly here
- Veggies – carrot, celery, cucumber, frozen edamame, and green onions
- Dressing – sweet chili sauce (this is our favorite brand), rice vinegar, lime juice, and olive oil
- Bonus flavor squad – ginger, garlic, cilantro (leave it out if you’re not a fan)
- Misc – vegetable broth
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’ve never been a fan of quinoa, chances are it wasn’t flavored correctly. Plain quinoa is like tofu in that it is mostly flavorless. It needs spices, a flavorful sauce, and lots of add-ins to perk up the taste.
This recipe is packed with bold flavors from garlic, ginger, and sweet chili sauce, and is balanced out with rice vinegar.
Toasting quinoa before cooking it also helps the finished dish develop a delicious nutty flavor.
The outer layer of quinoa contains saponin, which is a naturally occurring compound that can make quinoa taste bitter and/or soapy.
Before cooking, you’ll want to rinse the raw quinoa seeds under running water in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear.
I prefer cooking quinoa in my Instant Pot as it is more hands-off, and cooks in only 1 minute.
On the stovetop, quinoa can take 15-25 minutes to finish cooking.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can skip the toasting step if you’re short on time. It adds a great flavor but it’s not necessary.
- You can toast the rinsed quinoa. It takes an extra minute for it to dry out before the toasting process starts.
- If you want to double or even triple the batch, the cooking time remains the same.
- Double the batch and set some plain quinoa aside for future meals. Cooked side dishes are an important part of our freezer essentials because they make our easy healthy meal prep even faster. If you store servings of quinoa in silicone bags, you can even reheat them directly in the bag.
- Canadian Golden Quinoa will not produce great results in the instant pot. It is much too mushy to use in a pressure cooker.
More Vegetable Side Dishes You’ll Love
Vegan Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Salad Fixin’s
- 2 cups quinoa
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 carrots {peeled and diced}
- 1 stalk celery {diced}
- 1/2 cup frozen edamame {thawed}
- 3 green onions {sliced thinly}
- 1 small cucumber, chopped
- Few sprigs of cilantro
Seasoning
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic {minced or crushed}
- 1 inch piece of ginger {minced or crushed}
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a fine-mesh sieve, rinse the quinoa under cool running water.2 cups quinoa
Instant Pot Directions
- Turn your Instant Pot to saute.
- Add the olive oil and quinoa. Stir to toast for 5-8 minutes, or until you can smell the nutty undertones.2 tbsp olive oil
- Add the broth. Stir.2 cups vegetable broth
- Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>1 minute.
- While the quinoa is cooking, mix the sauce in a bowl. Set aside.1/2 cup sweet chili sauce, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 3 cloves garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, Juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp olive oil
- When the cooking time is up, do a natural release for 10 minutes, and then flip the vent to "venting" and perform a quick release.
- Add the veggies and cilantro to the instant pot. Pour in the sauce and stir to combine. Store in the fridge.2 carrots, 1 stalk celery, 1/2 cup frozen edamame, 3 green onions, 1 small cucumber, chopped, Few sprigs of cilantro
Stove Top Directions
- In a heavy saucepan, like a dutch oven, add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the quinoa and toast for 5-8 minutes, or until you can smell the nutty undertones from the pan.
- Add the broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, and then reduce to a lower heat. Put the lid on, and cook for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is completely absorbed. Let cool.
- Meanwhile, dice your veg and mix up your sauce. Once the quinoa has cooked, add the veggies and cilantro and stir to combine. Store in the fridge.
Notes
- Skip the toasting step if you’re short on time.
- Reduce or omit green onions and/or cilantro if you’re not a fan.
- If you want to double or even triple the batch, the cooking time remains the same.
- Canadian Golden Quinoa will not produce good results in the instant pot. It is much too mushy to use in a pressure cooker.
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I’ve always really loved quinoa.. I was a vegetarian for about ten years, (well, like ten years ago now!) and would try lots of diff recipes. My ex husband and I used to use red quinoa to make vegetarian gyoza. Red quinoa I liked a lot better than the white kind. You should try it out sometime and see what you think!
I’ve had red quinoa in salad before and you’re right, it’s delicious!!
Sssshhhh – don’t tell anyone… I didn’t know what quinoa was. I know you’re shocked. It has a flavor that takes getting used to I think but i’ll make it again!
I’ve liked quinoa well enough since I first tried it, but this recipe has quickly become one of my favorites: http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/03/chipotle-roast-sweet-potato-and-black.html
The avocado dressing is what really makes it. One word of advice, though–I found the amount of chipoltle powder to be far too much. My second time I cut the amount in half and it was still spicy, but not burn-your-mouth-off spicy.
I have never been a fan of Quinoa and has almost forgotten it existed. What you’ve done with it looks simply amazing. After seeing this, I am tempted to try it out. I am sure it tastes great too.
Somehow I found you…..and am enjoying reading you! But, seriously, HOW do you know what BLAND POOP tastes like? Have you really tried it?????