This Thai Quinoa Salad comes together in less than 30 minutes and is a total crowd pleaser! Quinoa, veggies, herbs and cashews get mixed up and topped off with a creamy sesame tahini vinaigrette. It’s a healthy recipe that’s vegan and gluten-free!

A bowl of Thai Quinoa Salad with some basil leave on the side

A healthy quinoa salad recipe

There’s nothing I love more than having an easy healthy lunch or dinner on the table in under 30 minutes on those bust weekdays.

Quinoa is one of my favourite go-to ingredients to use in a healthy meal. It takes 15 minutes to cook, is gluten-free, high in protein, high in fibre and has a ton of nutritional benefits.

It’s a great versatile ingredient that can be used in chillis, enjoyed for breakfast or made into delicious salads!

This recipe for Thai Quinoa Salad is made with a mix of quinoa, veggies and herbs and is topped off with a super creamy sesame tahini dressing. This salad is versatile and can be adapted to add any veggies you love to it or topped off with your favourite lean protein if you’re looking for a more complete meal.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • This quinoa salad is healthy, vegan and gluten-free so everyone can enjoy it!
  • It’s a great recipe to make for meal-prep and stores well in the fridge for up to a week.
  • The combination of quinoa, edamame, cashews and tahini is packed with protein, so this salad will keep you feeling full and satiated throughout the day.
Thai Quinoa Salad in a bowl with a fork in it

Ingredients in a Thai Quinoa salad

  • Quinoa
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Red pepper (or any colour pepper you love)
  • Cucumber
  • Edamame
  • Cashews
  • Herbs

This recipe is super versatile, and you can add in any ingredients you love to it. Here are some optional ingredients you can try adding in:

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Snow peas
  • Cubed tofu
  • Chickpeas

How to make Thai Quinoa Salad

Add the cooked quinoa to a large mixing bowl with the other salad ingredients chopped up.

quinoa and vegetables in a large mixing bowl

Whisk the dressing ingredients together then pour the salad dressing into the bowl and mix everything together until well combined.

a hand pouring tahini salad dressing into a large mixing bowl filled with quinoa salad

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge!

Tips for making this recipe perfectly

  • Let the quinoa cool completely before adding it to the mixing bowl. Hot quinoa will make all the veggies hot.
  • When making the salad dressing, look for traditional tahini that is runny, not a tahini spread. Runny tahini will be much easier to blend up into a dressing. If your dressing is too thick, simply add a couple of tablespoons of water and mix together.
  • If you want to make this recipe for meal prep, store the salad and the dressing separately and mix together when you’re ready to enjoy to maximize freshness.

More quinoa salads to try

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A bowl of Thai Quinoa Salad with some basil leave on the side

Thai Quinoa Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Jessica Hoffman
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minuets
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Mix
  • Cuisine: Thai
Print Recipe

Description

This Thai quinoa salad comes together in less than 30 minutes for a delicious healthy meal! 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups quinoa, cooked
  • 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup carrots, grated
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
  • 1/2 cup steamed edamame beans
  • 1/4 cup cashews
  • 1 large handful basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 large handful cilantro leaves, chopped

Creamy sesame ginger dressing 

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 2–3 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Mix all the quinoa salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside while you prepare the dressing. 
  2. Mix all the salad dressing ingredients together in a small bowl or small blender until smooth and creamy. If you’re dressing is too thick, add a bit more water.
  3. Pour the dressing onto the quinoa salad and mix together unitl combined. 

Notes

Let the quinoa cool completely before adding it to the mixing bowl. Hot quinoa will make all the veggies hot.

When making the salad dressing, look for traditional tahini that is runny, not a tahini spread. Runny tahini will be much easier to blend up into a dressing. If your dressing is too thick, simply add a couple of tablespoons of water and mix together.

If you want to make this recipe for meal prep, store the salad and the dressing separately and mix together when you’re ready to enjoy to maximize freshness.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/6th recipe
  • Calories: 300
  • Sugar: 4g
  • Sodium: 200mg
  • Fat: 17g
  • Saturated Fat: 2g
  • Carbohydrates: 28g
  • Fiber: 5g
  • Protein: 10g

If you tried this Thai Quinoa Salad or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!