Mexican Quinoa Salad

This Mexican Quinoa Salad is a quinoa tomato salad that’s loaded with quinoa, pico de gallo, cucumber, arugula and red pepper all tossed in a delicious light lime vinaigrette.   

This Mexican Quinoa Salad is a delicious vegetarian quinoa salad that  your entire family will love! 

You may have noticed I have a thing for quinoa salads since I publish my fair-share of them.  I love how quickly they come together.  I love the fresh simple healthy ingredients.   And I love how filling quinoa salads are!  I’m partial to all of the quinoa salad recipes that I’ve shared, but this Mexican Quinoa Salad is the latest one that I’ve been crushing on!

Mexican Quinoa Salad Recipe

• Cooked quinoa
• Arugula
• Fresh cilantro
• Cucumber
• Toasted almonds or peptias
• Pico de gallo
• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This quinoa tomato salad is a great make-ahead recipe to pull together.  You can prep the quinoa, pico and dressing the day before (storing them separately in the fridge).  Then when you’re ready to eat – just toss it all together and enjoy!  Sometimes I’ll add avocado to this Mexican Quinoa Salad especially if I’m enjoying this salad as a meal on its own.

How to Cook Quinoa

This is how I cook quinoa, and it turns out perfectly light and fluffy every time.

• Measure out the amount of quinoa you’ll be making.
• Use twice the amount of liquid (water or broth) – if you use 1 cup quinoa you’ll use 2 cups liquid
• Measure out the quinoa and place in a fine mesh strainer
• Rinse under cool water for about 2 minutes
• Drain excess water and transfer to the cooking pot
• Add the liquid (water or broth) 2 cups per every 1 cup of dry quinoa
• Bring the liquid to a boil and cover pot with a lid
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes 
• When the liquid has absorbed turn stove off and remove pot from heat
• Allow the cooked quinoa to rest for about 5 minutes
• Remove lid and gently fluff quinoa with a fork
• Season cooked quinoa as desired

Serving Suggestions

This recipe for quinoa salad is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.   It makes a great side dish to serve with grilled chicken or salmon. Or chop up some poached chicken and toss in the salad to make it a meal. This Mexican Quinoa Salad also makes a nice side salad with any of these recipes:

• Mexican Avocado Chicken Burgers
• Baked Chicken Fajita Quesadilla
• Chicken Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• White Bean Chicken Chili

Looking for More Quinoa Salad Ideas?

• Quinoa Beet Salad
• Southwest Quinoa Salad
• Crunchy Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Want more ideas? Check out all my Quinoa Salad Recipes.

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Mexican Quinoa Salad

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This Mexican Quinoa Salad is a powerhouse salad packed with quinoa, cucumber, arugula, red pepper, pico de gallo, toasted nuts and lots of fresh cilantro.  And it's all tossed in a delicious light lemon vinaigrette.   

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dry quinoa cooked with 2 cups water)
• 1 cup arugula
• 3/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds or peptias
• 3/4 cup pico de gallo

Pico de Gallo

• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/2 small jalapeno pepper, deseeded and deveined, diced
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
• zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Vinaigrette

• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

To assemble the Salad

1. Add the ingredients to a large bowl.
2. Toss lightly with the Simple Lemon Dressing just before serving.
3. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
4. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, avocado and additional cilantro.

Pico de Gallo

1. Add all ingredients to a medium size bowl and stir together until well combined.
2. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Vinaigrette

1. Add the ingredients to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake well until the ingredients are well blended.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 250Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 228mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 6g

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.