Quinoa Apple Salad
Quinoa apple salad with edamame, cranberries, and avocado tossed in a citrus vinaigrette. It’s a great salad to pack for work or school.
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 – 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 Salad – Step 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.
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.
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.
More Quinoa Salad Recipes
- Chicken Quinoa Salad
- Pomegranate Arugula Quinoa Salad
- Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Feta
- Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad
- Quinoa Salad with Avocado
Quinoa Apple Salad
- 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
- 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
- In a small bowl, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients until combined. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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
Keywords: fall, easy, quick, meal prep
Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
I have made a version (maybe the original one?) of this salald dozens of times. I make it for guests, , boating days, and for myself when want something filling but healthy. Its obviously a go-to for me and everyone who has had it raves about it. I might make this slightly different version for a change of pace.
★★★★★
I hope you give this version a try!
Well, looks like your recipe is standing the test of time! Just made it for the first time. I taste tested before serving to my hubby and so glad i did! I was afraid he’d eat it all in one sitting, so I served his with mixed greens wrapped in a tortilla to make it stretch! Great combination of flavors! My only substitute was pumpkin seeds for almonds because thats what I had on hand. Delicious!
★★★★★
That’s so good to hear! Thank you.
Really enjoyed this salad. Full of all kinds of wholesome goodness. The only change I made to the recipe was adding the avocado when the salad was served. I didn’t want it to brown.
★★★★
Thank you!
This looks scrumptious 🙂 I love the idea of adding fruit to a savoury salad! Apple has such a nice texture, too.
Thank you Freya!
This salad looks great! I love apple in savory salads 🙂
Thanks Sarah! Me too, especially now 🙂
Woweeeee! This looks scrumptious. I will definitely give this a go!
★★★★★
Thanks Laura! Hope you enjoy it!
What a beautiful salad. I love healthy, nourish bowls like this and definitely can see myself making the recipe as I also love any ancient grain too.
Thank you Thalia! I love healthy quinoa bowls too, especially in colder days. Hope you’re doing well 🙂