Easy & Zesty Quinoa Salad Recipe

This Easy Quinoa Salad Recipe takes about 20 minutes total to make and is large enough for several meals. The dressing is a little tangy with just the right amount of sweetness for a  great side year-round.

This Zesty Quinoa Salad reminds me of the Quinoa Salad from Costco.  It’s also a regular part of my summer meal preps for the week. Why do you ask?  Well because it’s filling and tasty with a tangy vinaigrette dressing with the right amount of sweetness to balance out the acidity.

Plus it takes almost no time to make and makes enough for side dishes or a base for a lunch salad all week!

Just Like Costco Zesty Quinoa Salad Recipe

I like to make this side dish recipe with tri-colour quinoa for no other reason than it looks pretty!  What I love about this recipe is that I almost always have all the ingredients in my house at any given time.  

This Easy Quinoa Salad takes about 20 minutes total to make and you can make it into a large salad easy but just doubling the recipe. It is a perfect recipe to make for summer parties or potlucks all year long!

How to Make Zesty Costco Quinoa Salad

Rinse 1 cup of quinoa under cold running water for a minute or two to remove the bitter taste quinoa can have.

Add the rinsed cup of quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. While the quinoa is simmering chop up the onions, cucumbers and peppers and mix up the dressing.  

Once quinoa is done cooking and all water is absorbed fluff up the quinoa with a fork and put it into a medium bowl. Add the chopped bell peppers, cucumbers and onions. 

Costco’s version also has parsley but I am not a huge fan so I left it out.  If you like it chop about 1/2 cup of fresh parsley and add to the bowl. 

Pour dressing over quinoa mixture and toss until well mixed. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve immediately or cover and put in the fridge for up to 5 days. I actually find that the longer this salad sits the better it tastes. Time in the fridge gives the quinoa a chance to absorb the flavours of the zesty dressing, peppers and onions.

For those who like to prep their meals on the weekends, I highly recommend making ahead for the week. Add some chicken and this makes a great lunch! Another dish that is great to make ahead for the week is this Mexican Bean Salad Recipe.

Tip:  Add Chickpeas, Lentils or Beans To Add Even More Protein

Substitute the honey for maple syrup or your favourite sweetener. The honey just takes a bit of the bite out of the vinegar so the type of sweetener is really not that important to the flavour.

Over the years quinoa has become very popular with people looking to eat healthier but one of the questions many people wonder is if quinoa should be considered low carb?

Is Quinoa Low Carb?

A half-cup of quinoa in terms of the number of carbohydrates is similar to the amount in one slice of whole wheat bread. But contains a greater amount of fibre and protein. Each 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa contains about 21 grams of carbs, 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of fibre and is gluten-free.  

Since it is relatively high in protein and fibre quinoa is much more filling than bread and rice so you feel full longer which in itself can lead to weight loss.

For more info on the health benefits of quinoa check out this article by Healthline.

Which colour of quinoa tastes best?

You may have noticed that in this recipe I used multi-colour quinoa. Quinoa comes in many different colours but this recipe has used white, red and black quinoa which are fairly common.

• White Quinoa – is a great substitute for rice or bread crumbs. It has a subtle taste and fluffs up nicely. A little fluffier than the other colours of quinoa.
• Red Quinoa – has a slightly nutty flavour and has a bit chewier texture than white quinoa. This colour works great in salads because it tends to be a little firmer and holds up better with salad dressings.
• Black Quinoa – is a bit sweeter than white or red and has a bit of an earthy flavour. This colour also tends to have a bit of a firmer texture than the white quinoa adding great texture to dishes.

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For the step-by-step version of this recipe, check out the How To Make A Zesty Quinoa Salad Story.