Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This crowd-pleasing Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is my favorite cold quinoa salad recipe to make! It’s loaded with healthy ingredients and classic mediterranean flavors.  

This easy quinoa Mediterranean salad embodies fresh Mediterranean flavors with garbanzo beans, quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, purple onion, red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and lots of fresh basil    It’s a cold quinoa salad that makes a perfect side to grilled chicken or fish or enjoy it on its own as a light main for lunch or dinner.

I make this quinoa Mediterranean salad recipe about once a week.  I love having a big healthy salad like this chilling in the refrigerator so I’ve got lunch covered for a few days.  It’s healthy, light, delicious and filling.  

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad Recipe

This quinoa salad Mediterranean style is one of my favorite salads to make. If you make the quinoa ahead of time, this salad comes together in a pinch. 

• Cooked quinoa. We use tri color quinoa for this recipe. 
• Cucumber. I love the freshness and crunch of cucumber in this salad. We use either English cucumber or Persian cucumbers because they’re crispier, more flavorful and they don’t have to be peeled. 
• Red pepper. The flavor of red pepper is the sweetest, but any color can be used. It adds texture and flavor. 
• Red onion. You can use green onion if you prefer it over red onion. You can soak sliced onions in water for about 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Soaking onions in water helps to mellow the flavor quite a bit.
• Tomatoes. I like to use heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes, but you can chop up regular garden tomatoes to toss in if you don’t have cherry tomatoes on hand. 
• Canned garbanzo beans.  I use low sodium or no sodium canned chickpeas. Chickpeas have a creamy texture, delicate nutty flavor and they add flavor and plant protein to this salad. 
• Marinated artichoke hearts. I love adding marinated artichoke hearts to this salad. They add a lot of flavor! 
• Kalamata olives. Kalamata olives also add a lot of flavor to this salad. 
• Fresh basil. Basil is an aromatic herb and it adds a lot of flavor to this salad.
• Vinaigrette. The citrus vinaigrette that we use for this salad is light and delicious.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

Variations

This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad recipe is a versatile one. Mix things up and add in cheese, different vegetables or use a different dressing if you like.

• Add cheese. Sprinkle in Feta cheese or Parmesan cheese to the mix.
• More Veggies. Add sun-dried tomatoes (jarred or these homemade sun dried tomatoes), pepperoncini, chopped kale or spinach, celery and carrots.
• Different dressing. Use this Greek Salad Dressing, Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, Italian Salad Dressing, or my Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing instead of the Citrus Vinaigrette.  

 How to Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad recipe pulls together quickly and easily!

1. Whisk Dressing. Add all the ingredients in a mason jar. Seal the lid and vigorously shake to blend ingredients.
2. Cook Tri Color Quinoa. This is my go-to recipe for how to make quinoa so it turns out perfect and fluffy every time. I always use 1 cup dried tri color quinoa (rinsed) to 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then put lid on pot and reduce heat to low simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes then remove from heat. Set aside for 15-20 minutes for all of the liquid to evaporate before fluffing quinoa. 
3. Prep Ingredients. Rinse and chop ingredients and put in a large bowl. You can soak the sliced onions in bowl filled with water and letting them soak for about 15 minutes before tossing them in the salad. This mellows the bite of onion quite a bit. Just be sure to pat them dry before tossing them in  your salad.
4. Dress Salad . With all the ingredients in a large bowl, drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to lightly coat the ingredients.
5. Chill. Salad is best if its chilled before serving. Serve with extra vinaigrette if desired.

Quinoa Salad Dressing

This cold quinoa salad is loaded with a really great combination of ingredients that are lightly tossed with this delicious Healthy Citrus Vinaigrette!   To make the dressing, just place all of the ingredients in a mason jar. With the lid tightly sealed, shake until the ingredients are well blended.

Can I Make This Salad Ahead Of Time?

This is a great salad to make ahead of time. To do so, finely chop the ingredients and whisk together the salad dressing then store them separately in air-tight containers until you’re ready to toss and serve.

How To Store Leftovers

Leftovers of this Mediterranean quinoa salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Leftovers are best if the salad and dressing are stored separately.

Looking for more cold quinoa salad recipes to make? 

• Loaded Quinoa Salad
• Greek Quinoa Salad
• Broccoli Cheddar Quinoa Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Quinoa Black Bean Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Salad
• Spinach Quinoa Salad
• Mexican Quinoa Salad
• Asian Quinoa Salad
• Mango Arugula Quinoa Salad
• Crunchy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
• Beet Kale Quinoa Salad

Still want more ideas? Check out all of our quinoa salad recipes.

Recipe originally published June 12, 2019.

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Yield: 8 servings

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This crowd-pleasing Mediterranean Quinoa Salad recipe is my favorite cold quinoa salad recipe to make! It's loaded with healthy ingredients and classic mediterranean flavors.  

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups water
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
• 12-14 heirloom or regular cherry tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 12 - 14 kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced into ribbons
• 1/2 cup vinaigrette

For the Vinaigrette

• 1-1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or honey)
• 2/3 cup light olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place the quinoa in a sieve and rinse under cold water for just a minute.
2. Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for about 15 - 18 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let set in the pan for about 5 minutes then fluff with a fork or spoon.
5. Transfer the quinoa to a bowl or cookie sheet covered with wax paper and place in the refrigerator to cool.
6. Place all of the prepared ingredients and the cooled quinoa in a large bowl.
7. Add the vinaigrette and lightly toss to incorporate.
8. Chill before serving. Serve with extra vinaigrette if desired.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

1. Place all of the ingredients in a mason jar. With the lid tightly sealed, shake until the ingredients are completely blended together.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 400Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 488mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 6gSugar: 9gProtein: 8g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations.