This Vegan Tri-Color Quinoa Salad is refreshing, light, and zesty. It’s perfect for lunch, a side dish, or as any light meal.
A non-vegan version of this salad went viral, with claims that it was a salad Jennifer Aniston ate every day on the set of Friends. However, Jennifer later debunked that story, explaining how she would eat a salad reminiscent of a Cobb salad.
Nevertheless, this viral salad sounded so good, I wanted to test it out with my spin on it!
How To Make Vegan Tri-Color Quinoa Salad
Start by rinsing your tri-color quinoa and cooking it in vegetable stock until fluffy. While it cooks, dice the fresh cucumber and red onion, finely chop the parsley and mint, and roughly chop the roasted pistachios. Don’t forget to crumble the vegan feta if you’re using it!
Once the quinoa’s cool, combine it in a large bowl with the chickpeas, cucumbers, onion, parsley, mint, and pistachios. Toss everything gently to blend the flavors. Drizzle with the juice of a whole lemon and a tablespoon of olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper.
And, enjoy! Top it with the crumbled vegan feta for an extra creamy touch. Feel free to add other chopped vegetables like cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, or zucchini for additional texture and flavor.
Tips:
- For a richer flavor, toast the pistachios in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes before chopping.
- To make the salad ahead of time, prepare all ingredients and store separately in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
- Add other chopped vegetables to the salad, such as cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, or zucchini.
- Substitute the vegan feta with another crumbly cheese or leave it out for a dairy-free option.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like my Black Kale Salad with Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette or Apple Walnut Salad with Dijon Lemon Dressing.
Vegan Tri-Color Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry tri-color quinoa
- 15 oz can trader joes greek chickpeas with cumin and parsley
- 1 English cucumber diced
- ½ red onion diced
- ½ packed cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves finely chopped
- ½ cup roasted salted pistachios chopped
- 1 cup 4oz follow your heart vegan feta cheese (on side)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa: In a medium saucepan, combine the vegetable stock and quinoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa is fluffy and cooked through. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly.
- Prepare the salad ingredients: While the quinoa cooks, dice the cucumber and onion. Finely chop the parsley and mint. Roughly chop the pistachios. Crumble the vegan feta, if using.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the cooled quinoa, chickpeas, cucumbers, onion, parsley, mint, and pistachios. Toss gently to combine.
- Season: Drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve: Top with the crumbled vegan feta, if using, and enjoy!
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