Simple Quinoa Salad with Cucumber

This simple quinoa salad with cucumber is perfect for times when you need a basic quinoa salad to pair with your favorite proteins or use as a base for a delicious grain bowl. With flavor that gets even better in the fridge, it's an excellent salad to meal prep for nourishing lunches or side dishes throughout the week!

Looking for a feel-good recipe that helps you meal prep for the week ahead? This simple quinoa salad with cucumber is one of my absolute favorites. Fluffy quinoa and fresh, crunchy veggies and herbs all get tossed into a simple vinaigrette, and honestly the whole thing gets even better as it sits because the quinoa soaks up all that delicious dressing (which also keeps the quinoa from drying out in the fridge!).

Make your preferred protein to toss in or use up leftovers, use as a flavorful base for grain bowls, or scoop this salad into your leafy green salads to add texture and variety. This salad travels well, so it's perfect to pack up for work or school, yet it also makes for a quick, low-effort work from home lunch.

Let's make a batch!

Ingredients You'll Need

This simple quinoa salad is made with a handful basic ingredients and a simple vinaigrette for flavor.

• Quinoa - The base of this recipe. Fun fact, quinoa is largely thought of as a whole grain but is technically a seed!
• Water or broth - For cooking the quinoa.
• Cucumbers - For a hydrating crunch.
• Green onions
• Parsley or cilantro
• Extra virgin olive oil - This will be part of the the base of our dressing as well as used to lightly toast our dry quinoa for extra flavor.
• Lemon - Lemons are high in vitamin C and add tons of bright flavor to salads, so we'll include some in our dressing for this quinoa salad as well.
• Garlic
• Honey
• Salt & pepper

Substitutions & Variations

Feel free to make this easy quinoa salad recipe your own! Here are a few ways we like to modify:

• Quinoa - Swap quinoa for another hearty grain such as farro, wheat berries, barley, oat groats, or even rice. Since grains are hearty, they'll stand up well to the dressing and absorb it for delicious results. My favorite example of this is my wild rice and pomegranate salad!
• Pack it with protein - Round out this salad with some protein such as salmon, chickpeas (so good!!), chicken, tempeh, or your favorite protein. I love tossing in leftovers from this simple roasted chicken.
• Add any produce - I actually think pretty much any ingredient would go well in this, so feel free to use up those other veggies, herbs, and fruits in your fridge. Roasted veggies like these delightful roasted radishes would be a tasty addition! Cilantro, dill, diced avocado (not too ripe), chopped apples, arugula, spinach, or bell peppers would all be delicious.
• Seeds and nuts - You've gotta love a little crunch, right?! Toss in some nuts or seeds, such as sunflower seeds, walnuts, pepitas, slivered almonds, cashews, flaxseeds, or hemp seeds.

My latest obsession has been with adding chickpeas, diced avocado (just ripe so it cuts nicely into cubes), and pepitas. YUMMY.

How to Make This Quinoa Salad

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the dried quinoa to the pot to toast it, lightly stirring, until it smells fragrant and nutty (usually about 2-3 minutes). Pour in the water and a pinch of salt, and bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer over low heat and cover, allowing the quinoa to cook for 15 minutes until fluffy and water is absorbed. Once fully cooked, remove the pot cover and fluff the quinoa with a fork, then transfer it to a separate bowl to cool completely.

Step 2: While the quinoa is cooking, dice cucumbers, slice green onions, and chop your parsley or cilantro. Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl.

Step 3: Make the dressing! First, mince your fresh garlic (either super finely chop it, or I love to grate it on my microplane). Then combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, honey, salt, and pepper in a mason jar. Shake vigorously to combine, then pour into the salad ingredients.

Step 4: Thoroughly toss the salad together to mix all ingredients and coat everything in the salad dressing. Yum!

Hint: The quinoa will be hot if you're cooking it just before you make the salad. Allow it to cool slightly so that your cucumbers don't get warm, and herbs and onions don't wilt. To speed up the cooling process, transfer your quinoa to a bowl immediately once it's done cooking, and stir occasionally to allow steam to escape.

Quinoa Salad FAQ

Can quinoa salad be frozen?

I don't recommend freezing this particular quinoa salad because the fresh ingredients don't stand up well to freezing. The cucumbers are made up of mostly water, so if that were to freeze and then thaw, the texture would change. Other quinoa salads may be okay to freeze, such as those made with roasted vegetables.

What goes with quinoa salad?

This salad is so versatile and can accompany many dishes as a side! I highly recommend serving it alongside lemon dill salmon, chicken, or your favorite protein. You can also have fun with add-ins such as chickpeas, feta, dried cranberries or raisins, chopped apple, berries, avocado, or your favorite nuts and seeds.

How do I store this salad?

You can store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. I personally love how the quinoa soaks up the dressing while it sits in the fridge, maintaining its deliciousness until you eat it all up.