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Fresh and bold lemon quinoa salad loaded with salty chunks of preserved lemon, crisp cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Tossed in a tangy balsamic dressing and finished with chopped mint for brightness! It comes together in under an hour and works as a main or a side.
When you have been binging on lemon cookies and chocolate bars all weekend (for testing purposes, obviously), all you want the next day is a clean, fresh, and nourishing salad.
Enter this mint-and-lemon quinoa salad. It’s the first quinoa salad I ever made, and I keep coming back to it because it’s easy to prepare and tastes incredibly fresh! Make a big batch, and it keeps in the fridge for several days. Lunch sorted for the week!
- Super fresh and lemony. Preserved lemons bring something fresh lemon juice and zest can’t alone: a fermented, salty/zesty depth that infuses the quinoa.
- Simple & quick. Cook the quinoa in a pot, sauté the vegetables, combine everything, and refrigerate. Done.
- Versatile and stores well. This salad works as a main with your protein of choice, as a side, or as a light dinner on its own. The best part is that it tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld!
🍋 Key Ingredients
- Quinoa – You can also use regular white quinoa or go for tri-color quinoa (a mix of red, black, and white) for a pop of color.
- Soy sauce – For saltiness. You will cook the quinoa directly in water seasoned with soy sauce, so it soaks up all that umami goodness!
➜ Not into soy sauce? You can skip the soy sauce and cook the quinoa with about 1/2 tsp of salt. - Preserved lemons – The star of this salad! Preserved lemons are lemons that have been fermented in brine and their own juice for several weeks. They have a complex, tangy, and slightly sweet taste.
- Cherry tomatoes – I prefer them because they are sweeter and release less juice than regular tomatoes. If you don’t have access to them, feel free to replace them with 1 small tomato (slice it and remove the juice before incorporating it into the salad).
- Mushrooms – Any type of mushroom works. I went with cremini, but oyster, white button, or chanterelles also work.
- Bell pepper – Feel free to use red, orange, yellow, or green bell peppers.
- Olive oil and balsamic vinegar – For the dressing. You can replace the balsamic vinegar with about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.
- Fresh mint – Fresh basil also works!
🥣 How It’s Done
- Cook the quinoa. Bring the water and soy sauce to a boil. Once boiling, add the quinoa.
- Cover with a lid and let simmer over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes until the quinoa is tender and no liquid remains.
- Sauté the shallot. Heat the oil in a skillet. Once hot, add the minced shallot.
- Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Sauté the vegetables. Next, add the diced red bell pepper and mushrooms.
- Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender.
- Combine. Transfer the cooked quinoa, sautéed vegetables, and the remaining ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Toss with the dressing. Pour in the dressing and toss to combine everything. Chill in the fridge before serving.
📔 Tips
Rinse the quinoa. Unrinsed quinoa can taste bitter and soapy. Rinse it under cold water until the water runs clear, then cook.
Let it rest. I’ve noticed this salad tastes best after a few hours in the fridge (12-24 hours is even better). The preserved lemon infuses the quinoa, and the flavors have time to merge.
Adjust the saltiness. Preserved lemons are already very salty, and some brands more than others. Taste the salad after tossing everything together, then add salt if needed.
🥬 Variants
This quinoa salad is easy to make your own. Here are some ideas:
- Make it garlicky: Sauté 3 minced cloves of garlic with the shallot.
- Add Dijon mustard: For a sharper flavor, add 1 teaspoon to the balsamic dressing.
- Cook the quinoa in vegetable broth: If you don’t like the taste of soy sauce, you can omit it and cook the quinoa in vegetable broth instead.
- Incorporate extra vegetables: Add edamame beans, olives, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or cooked artichoke hearts for more texture and flavor.
- Add chickpeas: Add one drained and rinsed 15.5-ounce (425g) can of chickpeas directly to the assembled salad. No other changes needed.
❄️ Storing
You can store this quinoa salad in the fridge for up to 6 days.
💬 FAQs
I do not recommend freezing it. Cucumbers and tomatoes lose their texture when frozen.
It’s normal for preserved lemons to be salty as they sit in a brine for several weeks/months. If you find them overly salty, rinse them a few times under cold water.
You can serve it at room temperature, but I still recommend chilling it in the fridge for a few hours before to allow the flavors to merge.
Check Middle-Eastern grocery stores or the international aisle of well-stocked supermarkets.
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Lemony Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup (180 g) dry quinoa
- 1 and 3/4 cup (420 ml) water
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce (or 1/2 tsp salt)
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 shallot (finely minced)
- 1/2 red bell pepper (finely diced)
- 5 cremini mushrooms (finely diced)
- 5 cherry tomatoes (quartered)
- 1/3 cup diced cucumber
- 3 tbsp chopped preserved lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 tbsp finely chopped lemon zest
Dressing
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) balsamic vinegar (or 2-3 tbsp lemon juice)
- 1 and 1/2 tbsp (ml) olive oil
- 1 tsp (5 ml) maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt (optional, adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear. Drain it well. Add the water and soy sauce to a deep saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the quinoa, cover the pot with a lid, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let simmer for 15-17 minutes or until the quinoa is tender and no more water remains. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and let it cool.
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet. Once hot, add the minced shallot and sauté 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Then, add the diced red bell pepper and mushrooms. Sauté for another 5 minutes or until the bell peppers are tender. Remove from the heat and transfer to the mixing bowl.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, and ground black pepper.
- Combine. Add the quartered cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chopped preserved lemon, mint leaves, lemon zest, and dressing to the mixing bowl. Toss to combine everything. Taste and adjust the saltiness to your liking.
- Chill. Allow the salad to cool at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before chilling in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- You can store this quinoa salad in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Notes
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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