Quinoa apple salad with edamame, cranberries, and avocado tossed in a citrus vinaigrette. It’s a great salad to pack for work or school.

Can’t get enough of apples? Try our Easy Apple Tart.

Quinoa Apple Salad

You will love all the textures and fall flavors of this quinoa apple salad! Protein-packed quinoa, edamame, crisp apples, creamy avocado, salty feta cheese, sweet cranberries, and the most amazing citrus vinaigrette.

It’s a perfectly simple, yet nourishing salad that can be enjoyed as is or served as a side dish to any meal. I personally love adding chopped grilled chicken similar to our easy quinoa salad or shredded chicken to the salad for a protein boost.

This salad also packs well for school lunch, work lunch, picnics, and so much more!

Few Recipe Notes & Tips

  • Feel free to use white, tri-color, or red quinoa for the salad.
  • You can use any variety of apples you like. If you like tart apples, Granny Smith is a great all-around option. For a sweeter variety, go with Pink Landy, Honeycrisp, or Fuji.
  • Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or pine nuts also work great in this salad.
  • Use fresh orange juice for the citrus vinaigrette. It’s so much more flavorful!
  • This salad tastes the best after it’s been chilled. Stir the salad and taste for salt before serving.
ingredients for quinoa apple salad

Ingredients What You Need

  • quinoa
  • edamame
  • celery
  • carrots
  • apple
  • avocado
  • green onions
  • parsley
  • almonds
  • cranberries
  • feta cheese

For the citrus vinaigrette, you’ll need fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice, olive oil, garlic, Dijon mustard, and honey.

How to Make Quinoa Apple SaladStep by Step

Make the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, garlic, mustard, and honey. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.

citrus vinaigrette in a bowl

Make the Salad: In a large bowl, combine together the quinoa, edamame, celery, carrots, apple, avocado, green onions, parsley, almonds, cranberries, and feta cheese. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and stir to combine. Taste the salad for salt and add more if needed.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

quinoa salad with apples in a bowl

Can I Make it in Advance?

Yes! To make the salad in advance, simply omit the avocado until ready to serve.

How Long Does It Last?

Quinoa apple salad will last in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Keep stored in an airtight container. The apple flesh might slightly discolor.

quinoa apple salad recipe

More Quinoa Salad Recipes

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quinoa salad with apples

Quinoa Apple Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 4 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 4-6 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Chopped
  • Cuisine: American

Description

Quinoa apple salad with edamame, cranberries, and avocado tossed in a citrus vinaigrette. It’s a great salad to pack for work or school.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 cup finely chopped apple
  • 1 ripe avocado, chopped
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Citrus Vinaigrette

  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp. honey
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients until combined. Set aside.
  2. To a large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and stir everything together until combined. Taste for salt and add more if needed.
  3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Quinoa: Quinoa can be prepared a few days in advance and kept refrigerated. If using freshly cooked quinoa, make sure to cool the quinoa to room temperature before adding to the salad.
  • Make Ahead: Hold off on adding the avocado until ready to serve.
  • Recipe was retested and slightly modified since originally published 9/26/15.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 417
  • Sugar: 11.7 g
  • Sodium: 109.4 mg
  • Fat: 22.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 46.4 g
  • Protein: 12 g
  • Cholesterol: 7.4 mg