Quinoa Fruit Salad
This protein-packed quinoa salad is brightened up with fresh mango, strawberries and blueberries, balanced with a tart vinaigrette and refreshing mint!
I don’t know what the weather is like out there but here in LA, it’s 90+ degrees every. single. day. It’s so hot that I can’t even bear to go outside. The only time I leave the house is when I finally drag myself to the gym or when we’re low on milk. Other than that, we stay inside the apartment with the AC blasting on.
So while the sweltering heat wave is still happening, I try my best to keep the oven off. That’s where this fruit salad comes in. With a simple tart lemon vinaigrette, this quinoa-packed fruit salad comes together in just 10 minutes without turning on the stove. It’s a protein-packed salad that’s also so incredibly refreshing and so nutritious. It’s just what you need to keep cool during this summer heat!
Quinoa Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 mango, peeled and diced
- 1 cup strawberries, quartered
- ½ cup blueberries
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- Chopped mint leaves, for garnish
For The Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon zest and juice, and sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine quinoa, mango, strawberries, blueberries and pine nuts. Stir in lemon vinaigrette.
- Serve immediately, garnished with mint leaves.
Did you make this recipe?
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Took this as a side for Easter dinner and it was an absolute hit! The nice thing about it is you can add whatever fruits and nuts you like and it always tastes good! I added just a bit more sugar to the vinaigrette mixture because I thought it was very tart but even so it was delicious and keeps very well in the fridge.
I had a salad similar to this the other day so went online to replicate what I had. I followed the recipe but added a few twists to make it closer to what I had eaten.
After reading some of the other reviews I would agree that the vinaigrette is not sweet but it’s a VERY easy fix if you were looking for something different. I added pineapple in place of the mango and swirled in some orange juice with a touch of pineapple to sweeten it a bit more. To deepen the flavor boil quinoa in chix stock too instead of water.
This was good as is and is very easy to tweak to suit your personal tastes.
*also, pomegranite seeds would make an awesome addition if you had them on hand!
I just made this and think it’s wonderful! Filling, light, heathly, and delicious. I enjoyed the vingarette. The longer it sits the better and definitely chill it!
Great, thank you Christina!
The fruit and quinoa was good, but the vinaigrette wasn’t. I tried a bit before I added it to the fruit and quinoa. It was so powerful, the olive oil overwhelmed everything. You couldn’t taste any lemon. It wasn’t really sweet, even after I added the sugar. I then added a drizzle of honey. What happend?
It’s hard to say – perhaps you can add less olive oil, to taste, for next time?
I have to agree with Carrie. This vinaigrette was not good at all. The apple cider vinegar and olive oil were soooo overpowering. The only thing you can taste and smell was vinegar and oil. The berries, mango and quinoa were very good, just omit that vinaigrette.
Quinoa Fruit Salad looks wonderful. Would it hold if made the day before? Thxs.
Yes, absolutely!
I want to make this right now! So much color and flavor with those fruits.
This is our family and party favorite this summer. So many people asking for the recipe! Thanks so much.
I love the bright colorful fruit in this simple salad. I’ve mixed papaya, pineapple and mango with quinoa but have never thought about mixing in berries. Sounds nice!
Just mouthwatering…looks delicious!
This looks so satisfying and fresh 🙂 I just love it!!
I really love you and your fruity grain salads. I feel super fresh just looking at this!
Sounds really yummy – light and refreshing.
I hate the heat here in AZ so much, I can’t even stand it anymore. And I swear there is a bubble around me and we never get even the little bit of rain that comes here! I try to avoid turning on the oven too. This salad looks so light and tasty! Love the new site design, btw!
What a great idea! It looks tasty, pretty, and healthy. The new site looks awesome!