This Quinoa Beet Salad is so simple to whip together, but it’s packed with vitamins, minerals, and sweet, savory flavor. The homemade honey Dijon vinaigrette is delicious, and the chopped veggies have such a nice crunch–it’s one of those deliciously easy recipes that’ll make a great addition to your lunch rotation!
This bright and colorful beet and quinoa salad is one of those recipes that’s so delicious yet so easy to make. It’s the perfect way to get back into healthy eating (and the perfect way to use up a leftover batch of cooked quinoa).
Made with delicious, fluffy quinoa, chopped cooked beets and fresh spinach, julienned carrots, and crunchy pistachios form the perfect medley of textures and flavors. And you’ll want to put the homemade honey Dijon vinaigrette on everything!
Guaranteed to become one of your go-to recipes, and the possibilities are endless – try jazzing it up with golden beets, sweet potatoes, or a little goat cheese. It’s a healthy meal your whole family will love (you’d be surprised, even the pickiest eaters might try a beet or some spinach with that delicious dressing!)
How to Make Quinoa Beet Salad
If your quinoa isn’t already cooked, prepare it first according to package instructions or learn how to cook quinoa in this post. (I love to use pre-cooked leftover quinoa for this recipe.)
Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add frozen edamame and salt. Cook for approximately five minutes, drain, and let cool.
Julienne the carrots, chop the beets and spinach, and shell the pistachios. Place those ingredients in a large bowl and add the cooked and cooled quinoa and edamame. Toss everything together.
Prepare the dressing. Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, cilantro, mint, olive oil, lime juice, minced garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Ensure all ingredients are completely emulsified (you can also use a small blender or food processor if you have one).
Drizzle your prepared vinaigrette over the salad. Gently toss. Add cubed avocado and drizzle with fresh lemon juice or lime juice if desired. (Be sure to only add the dressing and avocado to portions you’re about to serve or leftovers will get soggy!)
How to Serve
Serve this quinoa beet salad alone or as an appetizer or side dish. Some of my favorite recipes to serve with this recipe include:
- Marinated Skirt Steak
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Air Fryer Whole Chicken
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Garlic Butter Pork Chop (Ready in Just 15 Minutes!)
Storage and Freezing
This salad should last in your fridge in an air-tight container for 2-3 days, and the homemade dressing should keep for up to two weeks. You can also freeze the dressing in a sealed container for up to two months (although the consistency may change/separation may occur, so it’s not necessarily recommended).
More Amazing Quinoa Recipes:
- Butternut Squash Salad
- Easy Mexican Quinoa Casserole
- Cauliflower Buddha Bowl
- Aguadito de Pollo (Peruvian Chicken Soup)
- Chicken Teriyaki Meal Prep
- Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa
If you try making this Quinoa Beet Salad Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Quinoa Beet Salad
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa - cooked according to package instructions
- 1 cup frozen edamame
- 4 carrots - julienned
- 8 oz. peeled and cooked beets - chopped (I always buy these to save myself loads of time)
- 6 ounces baby spinach - roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup shelled pistachios
- 2 avocado - cubed
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cilantro
- 1 tablespoon mint
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- salt + pepper - to taste
Instructions
- First, cook the quinoa (if it isn’t already cooked). Leftover quinoa works great here, too. When quinoa is cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
- Cook the edamame- bring a small pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add a small pinch of salt and frozen edamame. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until edamame is just cooked. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Prepare remaining salad ingredients (except for the avocado) and place in a large bowl. Add the cooled quinoa and edamame (these need to be cooled otherwise the spinach will wilt and get soggy) and toss everything together.
- Prepare the dressing- whisk together all the ingredients until emulsified (or use a small food processor if you have one).
- Finally, drizzle vinaigrette over the top of the salad and gently toss to combine. Add cubed avocado and drizzle with fresh lemon or lime juice, if desired.
- (note- if you know you will have leftovers, only drizzle the vinaigrette on each individual serving, otherwise leftovers will be soggy. The same applies to the avocado)
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
This recipe was awesome! My husband cannot have garlic so I omitted that. It was beautiful, delicious and tasty for a hot, humid summer night when you don’t want to eat anything hot. It served the two of us for dinner and there was enough left for a third person. We’ll make it again!