This Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa is not only healthy and easy to make, but it's vegan and gluten-free! Made with a simple lemon dressing, this recipe is a Moroccan variation on Tabouli, made with naturally gluten-free, fluffy quinoa. It's also Weight Watchers friendly, dairy-free, and can be made in under 30 minutes. If you're a fan of the bright, zesty flavors of Mediterranean cuisine but need a meal that keeps you full longer, this quinoa salad is exactly what you need.
Originally given to me by a coworker years ago, the original recipe used couscous. While delicious, I made it my mission to give it a healthy makeover by swapping in fluffy, protein-packed quinoa. Mediterranean Quinoa Salad (vegan) is popular all year round, but especially popular in the summer. This cold summer salad is the perfect side dish for a BBQ, and if you're looking for quinoa recipes for lunch, this makes a great lunch box meal too!
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- Recipe Overview: Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa
- Summarize and Save this Content on:
- Quinoa vs. Couscous
- 🥘 Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 🥗 What to Serve with Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa
- 👪 Serving Size
- 🔢WW Points & Calories in a Quinoa Greek Salad
- 🌡️Storage
- ❔ Recipe FAQs
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- 🥗More Easy Salad Recipes!
- 📋 Mediterranean Quinoa salad (vegan) recipe
Love quinoa? Be sure to try my Avocado Breakfast Bowl (without bread) too!
Recipe Overview: Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa
- Ready In: 25 minutes
- Serves: 8
- Calories: 186 kcal (approximately)
- Main Ingredients: quinoa, cucumbers, tomatoes, onion
- Dietary info: vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, Weight Watchers Friendly
- Weight Watchers points: 5 ww points
- Difficulty: Easy
- Why You'll Love It: This delicious, protein-packed salad delivers zesty Mediterranean flavors in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect healthy, vegan, and gluten-free meal or side dish for any occasion!
Summarize and Save this Content on:
Quinoa vs. Couscous
Although couscous looks healthy, it's really a simple carb with a nutritional value similar to white pasta. Whereas quinoa is not only gluten-free, it's a complete source of protein, has more nutrients, and double the fiber of couscous. Couscous is a little faster to make (5 minutes, as opposed to 15), but you can still make this salad in under 30 minutes. You can read more here about the health benefits of quinoa vs couscous.
🥘 Ingredient Notes
- Quinoa: I recommend white quinoa for this salad as it has the fluffiest texture, but a tri-color blend works beautifully for extra visual pop.
- English Cucumber: These are preferred because they have thinner skins and fewer seeds, which keeps the salad from getting too watery.
- Tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are great because they are "meaty," but you can also use halved grape or cherry tomatoes for a burst of sweetness.
- Fresh Mint & Cilantro: These are the soul of the salad! Do not substitute with dried herbs; the fresh aromatics are what make this recipe sing!
- Lemon Juice & White Vinegar: The combination of both provides a complex acidity that balances the nutty quinoa. Always use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Olive Oil: Use a high-quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) as the flavor really shines through in this simple dressing.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Tomatoes - you can use Roma, Hothouse, grape tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes
- Cucumbers - you can use baby cucumbers instead of English cucumbers
- Red Onion - you can substitute white onion or green onions
- Salt - you can use kosher salt or sea salt instead of regular table salt
- Add-ins - fresh parsley, vegan feta cheese, garbanzo beans, or red bell peppers
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Step 1: Cook Quinoa as directed on the package.
- Step 2: While quinoa is cooking, chop cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and herbs. Cool quinoa.
- Step 3: Put quinoa in a bowl and add olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and herbs. Stir in cucumber, tomato, onion, and herbs. Serve or chill for 30 minutes and serve.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Cool the Quinoa: Never mix hot quinoa with your fresh vegetables. It will wilt the herbs and make the cucumbers mushy. Spreading the cooked quinoa on a large plate or baking sheet helps it cool to room temperature in minutes.
- Uniform Dicing: For the best mouthfeel, try to dice your cucumbers and tomatoes to be roughly the same size as a chickpea. This ensures you get a bit of everything in every bite.
- The Herb Hack: To quickly chop mint and cilantro, bunch them into a tight ball and use a sharp chef's knife to slice through. Don't over-chop, or they will turn into a paste!
- Salt the Tomatoes: If you have an extra 5 minutes, salt your chopped tomatoes in a separate bowl and drain the excess juice before adding them to the salad. This prevents the salad from becoming "soupy" the next day.
🥗 What to Serve with Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa
Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa pairs well with One Pan Chicken Parmesan and Marinated Maple BBQ Pork Loin Steaks. However, if you're looking for something more Mediterranean to serve with this salad, then try my Chicken Souvlaki Wrap or my Grilled Greek Ribs alongside this quinoa salad!
This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad recipe also makes a great make-ahead lunch!
Looking to add a little more protein? Add some grilled chicken pieces (you can buy these pre-cooked and frozen for convenience), take a hard-boiled egg on the side, or keep it vegan by adding some chickpeas (garbanzo beans)!
👪 Serving Size
This lemon dressing quinoa salad recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points & Calories in a Quinoa Greek Salad
This vegan quinoa salad recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 5 WW points per serving (¾ cup)
This cucumber tomato quinoa salad has 186 calories for about ¾ cup.
🌡️Storage
Store leftover quinoa salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. After this, the veggies start to get mushy. It's best to make it right before serving.
If you want to make it a day in advance, keep the dressing, the quinoa, and the vegetables in separate containers and combine just before serving. If you are packing it for lunch, it can be mixed together the night before.
These ingredients do not stand up to freezing. However, you can freeze the quinoa on it's own for up to 3 months.
❔ Recipe FAQs
Yes! While couscous is a processed pasta, quinoa is a whole grain (technically a seed) that is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. It also has double the fiber of couscous, making it much more Weight Watchers friendly!
You can, but for the best texture, I recommend prepping the quinoa and the veggies separately. Mix them together a few hours before serving. If mixed too far in advance, the vinegar can start to break down the cucumbers.
If you are one of those people for whom cilantro tastes like soap, simply swap it for fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley.
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So if you are looking for a healthy Greek quinoa salad recipe, you will love this one!
And if you're interested in additional vegan and gluten-free salads, then check out this Easy Bean Salad!
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📋 Mediterranean Quinoa salad (vegan) recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups quinoa
- 1 cucumber long english
- 2 tomatoes
- ⅓ cup red onion/white onion
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice *** fresh lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoon fresh mint
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
Garnish
- additional mint (optional)
- additional cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Cook Quinoa as directed on box. While quinoa is cooking, chop cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and herbs.
- Put quinoa in bowl and add olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and herbs. Stir in cucumber, tomato, onion and herbs. Serve or chill for 30 minutes and serve.
Garnish
- Garnish with additional mint and basil, if desired.
Notes
- Cool the Quinoa: Never mix hot quinoa with your fresh vegetables. It will wilt the herbs and make the cucumbers mushy. Spreading the cooked quinoa on a large plate or baking sheet helps it cool to room temperature in minutes.
- Uniform Dicing: For the best mouthfeel, try to dice your cucumbers and tomatoes to be roughly the same size as a chickpea. This ensures you get a bit of everything in every bite.
- The Herb Hack: To quickly chop mint and cilantro, bunch them into a tight ball and use a sharp chef's knife to slice through. Don't over-chop, or they will turn into a paste!
- Salt the Tomatoes: If you have an extra 5 minutes, salt your chopped tomatoes in a separate bowl and drain the excess juice before adding them to the salad. This prevents the salad from becoming "soupy" the next day.
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