Quinoa and Almond Salad is a delicious mix of spinach, quinoa, toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, apple slices, avocado, cranberries, and a fresh raspberry vinaigrette.
I love quinoa salads! Try some other reader favorites like Southwest Quinoa Salad or Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad.
Quinoa And Almond Salad
This salad has all the right blends of contrasting textures and flavors — crunchy and creamy, sweet and tart. Crisp and tart apples with creamy avocados, sweet chewy cranberries, and tender salty sunflower seeds.
It’s also a surprisingly filling salad — the avocados contribute a lot of healthy (and filling) fats while the quinoa contributes substantial protein and fiber which helps you stay fuller for longer.
Raspberry Vinaigrette
Save time with store-bought dressing for this quinoa and almond salad, or try the quick homemade raspberry vinaigrette below—just blend, stir in poppy seeds, and enjoy!
The vinaigrette is sweet and tangy, with fresh raspberries adding natural thickness and sweetness. Use ripe raspberries for the best flavor; add a little sugar if they’re tart.
Store any extra dressing in the fridge for up to a week. Just shake before reusing!
As far as a store-bought dressing, I’ve tried this salad with Ken’s Steakhouse ®Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Toasting Almonds And Sunflower Seeds
Place the almonds and (shelled) sunflower seeds in a single layer in a heavy skillet (you don’t need to add oil) and stir them around on medium-low heat. It only takes about 2-3 minutes (sometimes less depending on how much heat they are getting) until they are toasted and smell quite fragrant. Make sure you are stirring them around and watching constantly so they don’t have a chance to burn!
Let the almonds and sunflower seeds cool completely before adding them to this Quinoa and Almond Salad.
What Variety Of Apples To Use
The apple we like best in this salad is a Granny Smith apple. The tartness nicely balances the sweetness of the dried cranberries and dressing.
That said, we also enjoyed this salad with different varieties; Honeycrisp and Fuji are our favorites. While we leave the apple peel on, if you prefer, you can peel it before chopping it to add to the salad. The apple can either be chopped into small bite-sized pieces (better for kids) or thinly sliced.
Quinoa And Almond Salad Tips
- Coarsely chop the spinach. This gives the spinach more surface area for the quinoa to cling to.
- If you have a fresh lemon on hand, squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the sliced apples to keep them from browning too quickly.
- Make the quinoa ahead of time so it has plenty of time to chill before adding it to the salad. Hot or even warm quinoa will wilt the spinach, making it lose texture.
- For the best creaminess, make sure to get a ripe avocado. If an avocado yields to firm gentle pressure (shouldn’t give in too easily) you know it’s ripe and ready to eat.
Quinoa And Almond Salad Variations
- Make this salad vegetarian/vegan: Use water or vegetable broth to cook the quinoa. For a vegan salad, remove the feta cheese.
- Ensure this salad is gluten free: This quinoa and almond salad is naturally gluten free, but make sure all the packaged products are processed in a gluten-free facility. Quinoa is gluten free but it is still considered a “high risk” ingredient because of the cross-contact possibility with other grains.
- Add more protein: Using this chicken marinade recipe, grill up some chicken and serve on top of this salad. Alternatively, some roasted chickpeas would be a delicious salad addition.
Leftovers
Once dressed, this salad doesn’t store well. The dressing makes the spinach soggy and the quinoa bloats. The apples and avocados also begin to brown and lose texture.
I’d recommend only dressing what you will enjoy the same day. Store dressing and salad separately. Try to only cut avocado and apples that will be consumed immediately after making.
Make Quinoa And Almond Salad In Advance
The raspberry vinaigrette for this salad can be prepared ahead of time and stores well for up to a week. Store the dressing in a mason jar in the fridge and shake before tossing it with the salad.
If the dressing separates or forms clumps, don’t be alarmed. It’s just the olive oil solidifying, which it does at cold temps. Take the vinaigrette out of the fridge about 20-30 minutes before you need it, to bring it back up to temperature, then shake it up to remix.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
- Quinoa Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
- Orzo Pasta Salad Mediterranean-inspired salad
- Creamy Corn Salad with jalapeños
- Chicken Salad reader favorite recipe!
- Fruit Salad Recipe with a citrus vinaigrette
Quinoa and Almond Salad
Equipment
- Small blender or food processor
- Medium pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa tri-colored or plain
- 1 cup chicken broth vegetable broth or water also work
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons shelled sunflower seeds
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach coarsely chopped
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1 Granny Smith apple or Fuji
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 ripe avocado optional
- Handful of feta cheese optional, add to personal preference
Dressing
- Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette store-bought or recipe below
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup fresh, ripe raspberries
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Instructions
- Prepare quinoa by rinsing it under cold water in a fine-mesh sieve. This removes the bitter saponin coating. Combine quinoa and water (or broth) in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, add a heaping 1/4 teaspoon salt, reduce heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer 10–15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let stand 10–15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then add 2–3 tablespoons of the prepared dressing (see next step). Toss and refrigerate to chill until at room temperature.
- While quinoa is cooking, prepare the dressing: In a small blender or food processor, combine red wine vinegar, sugar (see note 1), raspberries, mustard, and salt. Blend or pulse until completely smooth. Slowly pour in the oil and blend just until emulsified. Do not over-blend. Transfer mixture to a mason jar and stir in poppy seeds. Place the lid on the jar and allow dressing to chill in the fridge while preparing the other parts of the salad. Re-shake to combine before dressing the salad.
- Meanwhile, add sliced almonds and sunflower seeds in a single layer to a completely dry pan (don’t add oil) and place on medium-high heat. Stir the nuts and seeds every 15 seconds for about 1–3 minutes or until the color slightly darkens and they start to smell good. Watch carefully as they can go from perfectly toasted to burned quickly!
- If desired, peel the apple (I leave the peel on). Chop or thinly slice the apple. If using avocado, remove the skin and thinly slice or chop. Toss both with the lemon juice.
- Mix coarsely chopped spinach with cooled quinoa in a large bowl. Add chopped apple, avocado if using, and dried cranberries. Add cooled almonds and sunflower seeds.
- This salad doesn’t sit well with the dressing, so only dress what will be enjoyed the same day. Toss salad with the dressing (use as much or as little as desired; you’ll likely have a bit extra to use on another salad). If desired, add some feta and enjoy immediately.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Challenge myself to go on a salad diet for 3 full days. It wasn’t as bad as I initially thought thanks to recipe such as this.
Thanks,
Jeremiah
How awesome! And I’m sooo glad you enjoyed this salad! Thanks for your comment!
Has anyone meal prepped this salad? How far in advance can you/do you suggest making it?
Made this for my Bunco group the other day – delicious! I waited till the last minute to add the nuts and dressing. The apple really adds to it! Yum!! Making it again for a Thanksgiving side dish.
I’m thrilled this was a hit and that it made it to your Thanksgiving menu! Thanks for the comment Debby 🙂
This salad recipe looks so yummy that I just had to feature it in my “Sensational Summer Salads” roundup! Come check it out when you have a chance 🙂 xo http://dreamingofleaving.com/2016/05/10/sensational-summer-salads/
Thank you so much for the feature 🙂 xox
This will be fun to try! I already incorporate quinoa into a variety of other things (often instead of couscous) so it’s good to have another recipe in the queue. (I will skip the feta however.) Cheers!
Awesome! I hope you love it Dana! 🙂
Wow! I made this salad for my family and my son’s girlfriend said it was the best thing that I have ever made for her. With that vote of confidence I took it to my sonority weekend, AGD sisters for 40 plus years. Another set of raves, and I sent out your link. I’m not sure how I found you , but I’m sure it had to do with food :). After reading your blog the connections blew me away. My mom lives in Carlsbad too, but I have a dear friend with CF waiting for lungs that really drew me to you. I shared your blog with her today and I hope it gives her hope and strength.
You are so sweet! So happy to hear that you enjoyed this salad and so many other people did, thank you so much Sammie! 🙂 It also sounds like you may be thinking of another blogger’s story. A blogging friend of mine, Jen blogs over at CarlsbadCravings.com She’s quite the inspiration! 🙂
It’s amazing how much those little tummies can eat, both my kiddos can out eat me too haha. This salad is gorgeous, Chelsea! I love how loaded it is with all the crunchy almonds, sunflower seeds and sweet cranberries!
This is such a gorgeous salad! My 3 year old has always loved veggies and salad, so I totally get that! I think she would love all of the fruit in here!