This delicious quinoa avocado salad is a wonderful quick and easy recipe that can be served as a main or a side. Loaded with fresh ingredients and finished with a Greek yogurt dressing.
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
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blog post.
The summer is well and truly here, and for me that means enjoying lots of fresh and vibrant salads that come come together in a flash.
This quinoa and avocado salad is hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian main, but it's also great to serve up as a side along with your favorite summer time mains like grilled chili lime shrimp and turkey burgers.
It's so quick and easy to make, and the dressing is creamy out of this world goodness!
How To Make Quinoa Avocado Salad
- Combine quinoa, avocados, red onion, red bell pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl, set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk Greek yogurt, chili powder, garlic powder, honey, salt, and lime juice.
- Pour dressing over the quinoa and toss to combine, careful not to smash all the avocados. Salt to taste.
- Quinoa can be served warm or refrigerate in for up to 1 hour.
How do you cook quinoa?
I like to cook my quinoa in my electric pressure cooker. I add 1 cup quinoa and 1 cup water to the pressure cooker insert, close and cook on high pressure for 1 minute. Once it's done, I let it naturally release for 10 minutes and then quick release any remaining pressure.
Quinoa is pretty simple to cook, and if in doubt, be sure to follow the directions on the packet. Use twice as much water to cook the quinoa in, cook uncovered until most of the water has been absorbed. Take it off the heat and place a lid on the pot for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
What can you add to a quinoa salad?
This is a pretty filling meal or tasty side dish, just as it is, but, it's a salad, so it's easy to adjust to your tastes. Feel free to add in some shredded chicken or grilled prawns, or other veggies like zucchini and cherry tomatoes.
Can you make quinoa salad ahead of time?
It's best not to make this salad too far ahead of time as the avocado can brown. It will still be good after a day in the fridge, but the avocado will start to brown so it won't be as appetizing.
You can cook the quinoa ahead of time and it will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days. The dressing will keep well in a sealed jar in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to directions on the package. 1 cup of uncooked quinoa yields 3 cups cooked quinoa.
- If refrigerating this salad, you may need more salt than if served warm.
- Eat immediately or within 1 day. The avocado will start to turn brown after a day. Still edible but not as pretty.
More Easy Salad Recipes
Watch the Full Video Tutorial for Quinoa Avocado Salad
Quinoa Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups quinoa cooked
- 3 avocados chopped
- ½ cup red onion chopped
- ⅓ cup red bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- Salt to taste
Dressing
- ¼ cup Greek Yogurt
- 2 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine quinoa, avocados, red onion, red bell pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl, set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk Greek yogurt, chili powder, garlic powder, honey, salt, and lime juice. Pour dressing over the quinoa and toss to combine, careful not to smash all the avocados. Salt to taste.
- Quinoa can be served warm or refrigerate in for up to 1 hour.
Video
Notes
- Cook 1 cup of quinoa according to directions on the package. 1 cup of uncooked quinoa yields 3 cups cooked quinoa.
- If refrigerating this salad, you may need more salt than if served warm.
- Eat immediately or within 1 day. The avocado will start to turn brown after a day. Still edible but not as pretty.
Ashton says
Nutritional value is very incorrect per serving. Tastes good though.
Tanya says
Thanks for the heads up! I'm so glad you liked the recipe. I'll double-check the nutritional info and update it if needed. Feel free to use your own calculator to get the most accurate numbers based on what you used. Appreciate you taking the time to comment!
Angie B says
I’m sorry you are just adorable. Salad’s good, too!
Tanya says
Thank you Angie B 🙂
Missy B says
I have just started following you and have truly enjoyed trying out your recipes. I made this salad a few days ago and it’s back on the menu tonight. Suffice it to say that it is our new favorite around here. Between this and the air fryer bagels every morning we plan on upping our workout game so that we can continue to enjoy these treats. Keep sharing - you have a special gift and it’s blessing a lot of us out here in quarantine land...
Tanya says
Thank you so much Missy B! I really appreciate it 🙂 I'll be sure to keep the recipes coming.
Angel says
I made the quinoa avocado salad. It was really good. First time ever having quinoa. Love it! I had it as an entree instead of a side dish.
Tanya says
Thanks Angel! So glad you liked it. I love quinoa and it's so good for you too.