Vegan Quinoa Salad with Zucchini.

A fresh and healthy vegan quinoa salad with lots of zucchini, carrots, and a mustard vinaigrette. This salad is perfect for a picnic!

Did you hear about the man in Michigan who has been going around to Whole Foods and Plum Markets and spraying the food with mouse poison? Isn’t that so scary?! Just horrible.

What does this have to do with  a quinoa salad, you ask? Well, truth be told, I don’t normally frequent the salad and hot bars at Whole Foods, because I can’t trust that they are safe for food allergies. (And now I’m happy I don’t get salads there because of this creepy situation). But I used to love all the fun salads and sides that were available there, and so I make an effort to make delicious, healthy, allergy safe versions of those salads at home.

We’ve always been big fans of quinoa salads, and I wanted to try something new with this one, so I added lots of vegetables, and then topped it with an easy mustard vinaigrette. The result is a light, flavorful vegan quinoa salad that’s perfect for a picnic lunch!

Can I use any variety of quinoa in this recipe?

Sure, you can use red quinoa if you like! I used white quinoa, but red would work just as well.

Can I use a different grain?

This salad could easily be made with millet, white or brown rice, or even a small pasta if you prefer.

If you love quinoa, you’ll want to try this slow cooker sweet potato quinoa chili as well as this honey mustard quinoa salad.

This vegan salad is:

• flavorful and healthy
• naturally gluten free
• perfect for packing in a school lunch

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

5 from 1 vote

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Vegan Quinoa Salad with Zucchini.

A light and healthy vegan quinoa salad that's full of vegetables and topped with a mustard vinaigrette.

Course Salad

Cuisine Dairy Free, gluten free, vegan.

Keyword easy lunch recipes, picnic food

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 200 kcal

Author Kelly Roenicke

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 small zucchini chopped
• 1 cup baby carrots chopped
• 1 orange bell pepper chopped
• ¾ cup frozen peas thawed
• ½ cup chopped celery

For the dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons sugar
• 4 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 teaspoons mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Prepare the quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
2. Once the quinoa is cool, place it in a large bowl along with all of the chopped vegetables.
3. Make the dressing: place the lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, mustard, and salt in a small jar with a lid. Shake well.
4. Pour the dressing over the quinoa and vegetables and toss to coat.
5. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Quinoa Salad with Zucchini.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 200 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Sodium 333mg14%

Potassium 376mg11%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 7g8%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 2925IU59%

Vitamin C 36.6mg44%

Calcium 29mg3%

Iron 1.7mg9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.