Avocado Quinoa Salad

This Avocado Quinoa Salad is a delicious, mouthwatering soy-free, vegan, and gluten-free dinner recipe the whole family can enjoy! Flavored with cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, and onion that is then drizzled with a garlic olive oil dressing, this recipes takes the quinoa game up to eleven! {VG + GF}

Friends, this vegan Avocado Quinoa Salad recipe is absolutely, hands-down getting filed in the RECIPES TO ENJOY FOREVER category. And while I am often hyperbolic, in this case I am being straight-up literal. K-Hubs and I will be making this on the regular. It was such a joy to put the recipe together, mixing and matching the different ingredients and getting the right flavor balance in the dressing. Part of that joy was how downright delicious the recipe was, no matter what combo I picked. I had the enviable job of deciding between tasty and tastier. And if ever there were a kind of recipe to file in the “forever” category, this one would be it.

You might be wondering just what flavors are in today’s quinoa salad recipe, and I’m here with delicious answers. We’re bringing together cumin + oregano, garlic + onion, dried mustard + white pepper, and olive oil + red wine vinegar. And that’s just for the dressing.

As for the mixed fruits and vegetables, think avocados, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, green onion, spinach, and cilantro. And we’re keeping this a dairy-free salad recipe by garnishing it with chopped cashews in place of feta cheese.

If you are looking to up your quinoa game in a flavorful salad kind of way, then you’re in the right place. Because this salad brings it, and the only thing I’m wondering is how soon is too soon for the next batch? Answer: It’s never too soon for the next batch. And when you make this for yourself, you’ll immediately see why!

So let’s do this!

Avocado Quinoa Salad ingredients

Below are the ingredients to assemble your own quinoa salad!

• Quinoa. Cook according to package instructions. Add a little olive oil, if desired, to the quinoa so it flakes more easily with a fork. NOTE: Because we are adding more flavors later, I don’t add anything extra to the quinoa at this stage.
• Mixed fruits and vegetables. Spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, green onion, cilantro, and avocados. The fresher, the better.
• Homemade dressing. Olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, dried ground mustard, white pepper, allspice, oregano, cumin, and sea salt.
• Chopped cashews. Use this as a garnish in place of cheese.

How to make Avocado Quinoa Salad

Below are instructions to prepare Avocado Quinoa Salad as a meal that will be served quickly after making. For a meal prep option, please see details below this section.

1. Prepare the quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
2. While the quinoa is cooking and as it is cooling, begin preparing the mixed fruits and veggies. Tear up the spinach leaves. Slice the tomatoes, green onion, and cilantro. Dice the cucumbers, red onion, and avocados. Put the sliced and chopped ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir them together.
3. In a mason jar or small dish, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh garlic, dried ground mustard, white pepper, allspice, oregano, cumin, and sea salt. Set aside.
4. When the quinoa has cooled, pour it into the same bowl as the fruits and vegetables and stir everything together. Then pour the dressing into the bowl and stir it in so the quinoa, fruits, and vegetables are evenly coated. Top with chopped cashews and coarse black pepper.
5. Once assembled, this salad recipe is best enjoy immediately. 

Is this recipe ideal for meal prep?

One big question you might have about this vegan salad recipe is whether it’s also great for meal prep. And my honest answer is it depends. For lunchtime meal prep, I would suggest preparing the quinoa according to package instructions and storing it in the fridge in its own container. Next, I would chop up the fruits and vegetables (excluding the avocados, which will get added just prior to serving) and store those in their own container in the fridge. Then I would prepare the dressing and put it in its own container and refrigerate it, too. Finally, each day before work, I’d pull out the desired amounts of each, store them in separate small containers, assemble everything at lunch, and top with avocados and cashews.

Admittedly, it’s doable, but it may not be the most meal prep-friendly option for lunch. If you don’t mind several jars and breakroom assembly, you’ll be set to go. If you don’t want the hassle, I get it. 

I DO, however, have an idea where I think this recipe is GAME ON for meal prep. And that is for DINNER. Keep everything stored in separate containers as mentioned above, and then when you come home from work, pull out however much of each you want, assemble, top with avocados and cashews, and you’ve got yourself dinner in about 5 whopping prep minutes.

This is perfect if you come home feeling hungry but don’t want to spend the next hour cooking, or if you have a small window for dinner because you have to turn around and leave again.

However you choose to prepare your gluten-free Avocado Quinoa Salad bowl is entirely up to you. The flavors are so incredible, you pretty much can’t go wrong! And if you’re in the mood for more creative ways to prepare quinoa bowls, then check out these recipes:

• Spicy Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
• Cauliflower Turmeric Quinoa Bowls
• Southwestern Quinoa Bacon Breakfast Bowl
• Veggie Quinoa Stir-Fry

Friends, take care of yourselves and be well. I’m glad you’re here. ❤️

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