This arugula quinoa salad is made with earthy quinoa, peppery arugula and a bright lemon vinaigrette. Adding pecans and dried cranberries is optional but the sweet and crunchy flavors are so delicious with arugula, you shouldn't skip it!
This wholesome arugula quinoa salad has wonderful textures and flavors. The quinoa is chewy, crunchy and earthy, the arugula is peppery and light & the lemon vinaigrette is spiked with shallot and Dijon mustard.
What's really great about this salad is that you can choose to make it an arugula-quinoa salad (by adding more arugula) or a quinoa-arugula salad (by adding more quinoa and less arugula). It's your choice!
Looking for more salad recipes with similar flavors? Try easy and healthy quinoa salad or kale salad with creamy poppyseed dressing or kale apple slaw with lemon poppyseed dressing.
If you're an arugula fan, you should also try garlic shrimp pasta with arugula lemon pesto.
Ingredients
As written, this recipe has peppery, nutty, sweet and tangy flavors. But, you can take the flavors of this arugula quinoa salad in a more Mediterranean direction by adding different ingredient combinations.
Read on for suggestions that include cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and crumbled cheese.
Arugula: This thin, dark salad green with jagged edges is also called Rocket. The flavor of arugula is fresh and earthy, with a distinct peppery note that make it taste different from other greens like spinach. At stores you might see baby arugula, which is smaller and has a milder flavor, and wild arugula, which usually has a stronger flavor.
Quinoa: You can use either white quinoa or red quinoa for this salad. Keep scrolling down to the "How to Make Quinoa" section to learn everything you need to know about cooking quinoa.
Lemon vinaigrette: Ingredients for the vinaigrette include fresh lemon juice, olive oil, shallot, Dijon mustard and salt. Adding lemon zest is optional, but recommended if you want a really strong lemon flavor. You also have the option of adding a drizzle of honey to sweeten the vinaigrette.
Nuts and dried fruit. Adding nuts and fruit is optional, but really tasty! Roasted nuts add salty, nutty flavor and a crunchy texture that makes this quinoa arugula salad more interesting. Chopped pecans or almonds are great choices A small amount of dried fruit, like dried cranberries or cherries, adds sweet-tart flavor that is really good with peppery arugula and earthy quinoa.
Recipe Variations and Add-ins
If you're not in the mood for nuts and dried fruit, you can take the flavors of this arugula quinoa salad in a different direction. Choose one or more of the ingredients below to make an arugula salad that has Mediterranean flavors.
The lemon vinaigrette is a really versatile dressing and will pair well with all of the ingredient variations listed below.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: Sliced in half or left whole, tomatoes add juicy flavor.
- Feta or goat cheese: Creamy and salty, either crumbled feta or crumbled goat cheese is a wonderful addition.
- Kalamata olives: Olives add salty briny flavor.
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas (garbanzo) beans add even more protein to the salad.
- Red onion: Thinly sliced or finely chopped, the kick of red onion is always great in a salad with quinoa.
- Bell pepper: Red, orange or yellow bell pepper can be chopped into small pieces or added in thin strips.
How to Make Arugula Quinoa Salad
Make the quinoa, whisk the dressing, add the arugula...that's basically it!
Step 1: Make the quinoa and let it cool completely (detailed instructions are in the recipe card).
Step 2: Whisk together the lemon vinaigrette.
Step 3: Toss together the arugula, quinoa and lemon vinaigrette. You can choose to have mostly arugula or mostly quinoa in the salad, or an even amount of both.
Step 4: Add toasted pecans or almonds and dried cranberries or cherries.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
How to Cook Quinoa (white or red)
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a gluten-free seed, although it's often referred to as a grain. Quinoa is a complete protein. This means that it contains all nine essential amino acids. The added protein and chewy texture of quinoa helps give this salad heft and make it more filling.
The absolute easiest way to cook quinoa is in an Instant Pot. Everything you need to know can be found in my recipe for Easy Instant Pot Quinoa (red or white).
On the stove top, follow the directions on the back of the quinoa package. You can also use the instructions below as a guide.
Quinoa stovetop instructions: To make quinoa on the stove, follow the instructions on the package or combine 1 cup quinoa with 1 ¾ cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff the quinoa with a fork and let it sit covered for 10 more minutes before serving.
For the best results, don't cook less than 1 cup of dry quinoa. Cooking 1 cup of dry quinoa will make about 3 cups of cooked quinoa. This will give you plenty for the salad. This recipe actually calls for only 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa, but you can add more if you want a salad that has more quinoa in it than arugula.
What to do with leftover cooked quinoa? If can be frozen for up to 3 months and defrosts quickly in the refrigerator. You can also add it to other green salads or toss it with roasted vegetables. You can also add quinoa to soup or stew.
White quinoa.
Red quinoa.
Lemon Vinaigrette
This simple lemon vinaigrette is really versatile and can be used on almost any green salad. It's also great with spinach and kale.
Ingredients for the vinaigrette are lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, shallot and salt. If the dressing is a little bit too tart for your taste, then whisk in ½ teaspoon honey.
To give the dressing even more lemon flavor, you can zest the lemon that you squeeze for juice with a microplane zester and whisk the zest into the dressing.
Expert Tips
Let the quinoa cool completely: Warm quinoa wilts the arugula and makes it limp. To keep the arugula fresh, make sure the quinoa has completely cooled before you add it to the salad.
Snip the arugula into smaller pieces: Arugula is long, thin and hard to stab with a fork. This makes it tricky to eat in a salad! For easier eating, use kitchen shears to snip the arugula into smaller pieces that are easier to stab with a fork.
Wait to dress the salad: For the best texture, wait to dress the salad until right before serving.
Storage and Leftovers
Arugula is a tender green but holds up surprisingly well for a few days after this salad is dressed. However, to give the salad the best flavor and texture, wait to add the vinaigrette until right before eating if possible.
If stored separately, both the cooked quinoa and arugula will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
More Quinoa Recipes
📖 Recipe
Arugula Quinoa Salad Recipe
This arugula quinoa salad is made with quinoa, peppery arugula and a zesty lemon vinaigrette. Adding pecans and dried cranberries is optional but the sweet and crunchy flavors are so delicious, you shouldn't skip it!
As written, this recipe has a balanced amount of arugula and quinoa. However, you can choose to add more or less arugula and more or less quinoa, it's your choice. Adding more arugula will make it a leafier green salad. Adding more quinoa will make it a heftier quinoa salad with just a little bit of leafy greens mixed in.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (quinoa)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salads and bowls
- Method: Toss
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cooked and cooled quinoa
- 2 large handfuls arugula (about 3 oz)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 small shallot finely chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries or cherries (or more to taste)
- ½ cup roasted salted almonds or pecans, roughly chopped
Instructions
- First, make the lemon vinaigrette. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, shallot, Dijon mustard, and salt. Whisk in the olive oil until combined. If the dressing is too tart for your taste, then whisk in ½ teaspoon honey.
- In a large bowl, combine the quinoa and arugula. Season lightly with a pinch of salt.
- Drizzle half of the lemon vinaigrette over the top, tossing well to coat the quinoa. Taste the salad, then add more dressing if it needs more flavor.
- Top the salad with dried cranberries or cherries and either roasted salted almonds or pecans, roughly chopped.
Notes
Quinoa Cooking Instructions
White, red or tri-color quinoa can be used for this salad. Warm quinoa wilts the arugula and makes it limp. To keep the arugula fresh, make sure the cooked quinoa has completely cooled before you add it to the salad.
To make quinoa in an Instant Pot, follow these instructions for easy Instant Pot quinoa. To make quinoa on the stove, follow the instructions on the package or combine 1 cup quinoa with 1 ¾ cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff the quinoa with a fork and let it sit covered for 10 more minutes before serving.
For the best results, don't cook less than 1 cup of dry quinoa. Cooking 1 cup of dry quinoa will make about 3 cups of cooked quinoa. This will give you plenty for the salad. This recipe calls for only 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa, but you can add more if you want a salad that has more quinoa in it than arugula.
What to do with leftover cooked quinoa? If can be frozen for up to 3 months and defrosts quickly in the refrigerator. You can also add it to other green salads or toss it with roasted vegetables. You can also add quinoa to soup or stew.
Salad Variations
If you're not in the mood for nuts and dried fruit, you can take the flavors of this arugula quinoa salad in a different direction. Choose one or more of these ingredients to make an arugula salad that has Mediterranean flavors: crumbled feta or goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, olives, red onion, bell pepper.
You can change the ratio of quinoa and arugula in the salad by adding more or less of either one.
Tip: The thin shape of arugula can make it hard to stab with a fork. To make it easier to eat, use kitchen shears to snip the arugula into smaller pieces.
If you don’t use all of the lemon vinaigrette, it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and can be used on other salads.
Jenny Meier
I love this salad year round but it's especially good for fall and winter holidays.