This Greek Quinoa Salad is a fresh and vibrant twist on a classic Mediterranean favorite. Packed with colorful vegetables, briny olives, and creamy feta, it’s all tossed with fluffy quinoa and a bright lemon dressing. It’s the kind of dish that’s perfect for warm weather meals, meal prep lunches, or as a hearty side for grilled meats.

The Best Greek Quinoa Salad

If you’re looking for more easy salad recipes, Rustic Bread Salad and Tomatoes and Watermelon, Feta and Black Olive Salad will make your taste buds happy.

Quinoa makes the perfect base for this salad – its nutty flavor and fluffy texture soak up the lemony dressing beautifully while adding protein to make the dish more filling.

Unlike traditional pasta or rice salads, quinoa keeps things naturally gluten-free and gives this recipe a wholesome, nourishing twist. It also holds up well in the fridge, making this salad a great make-ahead option for busy weeks or summer gatherings.

The true charm of this salad lies in the mix of classic Greek ingredients: crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, diced red onions, and plenty of Kalamata olives. Crumbles of tangy feta cheese add a creamy contrast to the salad.

The lemon-red wine vinaigrette ties everything together with just the right balance of flavor. It’s easy to whisk together with pantry staples – yet it elevates the whole salad to something special. Drizzle it generously over the quinoa and vegetables while everything is still slightly warm to let the flavors settle into the grains.

What I love about quinoa is how inexpensive it is and a little goes a long way.  You can find organic quinoa on Amazon.

Fun Facts About Quinoa

Quinoa is high in protein and is also gluten-free. It also has all nine essential amino acids. Other benefits of quinoa is that it’s high in fiber, B vitamins, calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, Vitamin E and phosphorus.

To say quinoa is good for you is an understatement. Finding the perfect recipe to enhance the taste of quinoa will make including it in your diet even easier.

This healthy salad is the perfect mixture of healthy vegetables, fats and a very healthy grain. Quinoa is often referred to as a superfood. It makes the perfect side dish or main dish.

The Inca Empire referred to quinoa as the “mother of all grains.”

How to Make Fluffy Quinoa Every Time

Make sure you cook the quinoa uncovered until the quinoa has absorbed all the broth. Remove the quinoa from the heat and add a cover. Let it sit for 5 minutes.

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Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup English cucumber, chopped

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves minced

1 lemon, halved

salt and pepper

Directions 

1) Add the chicken broth and quinoa to a saucepan and bring to a boil.

2) Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all the broth.  Cook quinoa for approximately 15-20 minutes.

3) Place quinoa in medium-sized bowl, and set aside to cool. Approximately 10 minutes.

4) Mix together the cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, red onions,Kalamata olives, feta cheese, olive oil, vinegar and garlic with quinoa.

5) Squeeze lemon halves over the salad mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat quinoa throughly.

6) Chill in refrigerator for one hour.  Serve.

Tips for Recipe

• If you want to add more garlic flavor to the dish, mix the chopped garlic with the olive oil and let it marinate for a couple of of hours before making the dish. You could also add garlic powder or onion powder.
• For a nuttier flavor, toast the quinoa in a dry pan for 5-10 minutes before adding the broth.  Make sure you keep an eye on the quinoa, it can easily burn.  Make sure you stir the quinoa.
• You can substitute cilantro or other fresh herbs for parsley if you prefer the taste.
• I like to finish my salad with smoked sea salt.  If you haven’t tried it, you don’t know what you’re missing.  You can find my favorite smoked sea salt here.

Optional Salad Ingredients

• garbanzo beans
• chopped red peppers
• artichoke hearts
• green onions
• white beans
• brown rice
• grilled chicken – for a complete protein
• fresh avocado
• toasted pine nuts
• fresh spinach
• red bell peppers
• green bell pepper
• black olives
• fresh parsley
• fresh mint

Storage

Quinoa will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Instead of making a big batch with all the vegetables, you can just dress the quinoa with the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and red wine vinegar.

Add the rest of the ingredients when you’re ready to eat the dish again so it tastes fresh.

Let me know in the comments below if you tried the recipe and how you liked it. It’s the perfect recipe for the summer months when you don’t want to use the oven!

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Printable Recipe Card with Nutritional Information