Mediterranean quinoa salad is mixed with feta cheese, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a vibrant flavored lemon dressing. It is perfect as a delicious side dish or a tasty entree by itself.
"I made this for our dinner tonight, it was served with Balsamic Glazed Chicken. It was beyond wonderful and filling.
I did leave out the olives and feta (I have high blood pressure, and am very sensitive to salty foods). However, I did sub roasted grape tomatoes, red peppers and onions, with 6 cloves of garlic. I still did the fresh veggies, too. The flavors, nuttiness of the quinoa, and bright dressing was a magical combination.
I could eat this salad for every meal, for the rest of my life!"
★★★★★- Reese
I absolutely love quinoa. It is such a tasty substitute for rice or pasta.
This Mediterranean Quinoa Salad is one of my favorite ways to eat quinoa. It is loaded with all my favorite toppings like feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and tomatoes.
Sometimes I bake a piece of salmon with it or grill some shrimp. Grilled chicken kabobs would go nicely with it also.
It makes a lovely side dish for a back yard barbecue also. When I bring it as a side dish for a potluck, everyone asks for the recipe. Everyone loves it. I hope you love it too. Enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following simple ingredients to make this Mediterranean quinoa salad recipe.
- quinoa-Quinoa is the star of this recipe, but you could substitute with brown rice, bulgar wheat, or couscous.
- chicken broth-For a vegetarian option, substitute with vegetable broth. To add additional protein, choose chicken bone broth.
- feta cheese
- kalamata olives-You can substitute with black olives.
- tomatoes-I prefer cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes for their sweetness, but any tomato variety will do.
- parsley- Mint would be a tasty substitute.
- onion-Sweet onion, red onion, and green onions work well in this salad.
- lemon-Use fresh squeezed lemon juice. If you do not wish to use lemon juice, you can substitute with a ½ cup red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- olive oil
- garlic-I use fresh crushed garlic, but you can substitute with garlic powder.
*Find the full recipe with ingredient measurements at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
Flavor tip
For a little extra spice, top with red pepper flakes or add chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers.
Steps
Follow these easy step to make Mediterranean quinoa salad.
- Cook quinoa according to directions with vegetable broth or chicken broth. Cool and set aside in a large bowl.
- Add chopped parsley, olives, chopped cucumber, finely chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, and crumbled feta cheese to the quinoa.
- In a small bowl, mix together olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Pour lemon dressing mixture in quinoa salad and mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Watch how to make
How long does it last stored in the refrigerator?
This Mediterranean Salad is good for 3-5 days in the refrigerator if you keep it sealed in an air tight container or resealable plastic bag.
Does it matter what type of quinoa you use?
Most quinoa types sold at the grocery store taste similar. White quinoa cooks the fluffiest. Black quinoa will take a little longer to cook. White quinoa and tricolor quinoa are the types I most often see in the store. Honestly, all will be delicious in this salad. However, the white quinoa is most visually pleasing for most people.
What really makes this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad flavor pop is the lemon salad dressing. To make the lemon dressing, I use Pomora Olive Oil to make it for it's quality and richness.
Other store bought olive oils just can't compete in the quality. I use it on EVERYTHING. Learn more about Pomora Olive Oil here!
Love this quinoa recipe? Try my Quinoa Tabouli and Mexican Quinoa recipes.
For more Mediterranean recipes, try:
- Mediterranean Beet Salad
- Greek Green Beans
- Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
- Simple Chickpea Salad
- Israeli Salad
- How to Make Baba Ganoush
- Dill Cucumber Salad
- Greek Lamb Meatballs
- Greek Black Eye Pea Salad
Please leave me a comment below if you make this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad and tell me what you thought about it. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your quinoa on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Quinoa Salad
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cups quinoa
- 1 cup parsley finely chopped
- 5.8 ounces Kalamata olives
- 2 cups cucumber diced
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 2 cups tomatoes diced
- 4 ounces Feta cheese crumbled
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup lemon juice fresh qqueezed
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Quinoa Salad
- Cook quinoa according to directions with the vegetable broth or chicken broth. Cool and set aside.2 cups quinoa, 4 cups chicken broth
- Add parsley, olives, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese to the quinoa.1 cup parsley, 5.8 ounces Kalamata olives, 2 cups cucumber, ½ cup onion, 2 cups tomatoes, 4 ounces Feta cheese
Dressing
- In a separate bowl mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.3 tablespoons olive oil, ¾ cup lemon juice, 1 teaspoon garlic, salt and pepper
- Pour lemon dressing mixture in quinoa salad and mix well. Enjoy!
Reese says
I made this for our dinner tonight, it was served with Balsamic Glazed Chicken. It was beyond wonderful and filling.
I did leave out the olives and feta (I have high blood pressure, and am very sensitive to salty foods). However, I did sub roasted grape tomatoes, red peppers and onions, with 6 cloves of garlic. I still did the fresh veggies, too. The flavors, nuttiness of the quinoa, and bright dressing was a magical combination.
I could eat this salad for every meal, for the rest of my life!
LaKita says
This quinoa salad came out so tasty and delicious! Love how simple it is to make and is the perfect blend of classic Mediterranean flavors!
Karen Kelly says
I could eat this salad for lunch daily since it has everything I love! Quinoa is the perfect backdrop for all the yummy Mediterranean flavors.
Madelyn says
I added some extra fresh mint I had with the parsley and the salad turned out lovely. The dressing is delicious!
Kristina Tipps says
This salad was delicious, full of flavor. We served it as a side with grilled cod and it made a great dinner.
Amy Casey says
Every week I make a salad for one of my personal chef client families. I made this one and they loved it. I used your suggestion for adding some salmon for a complete meal.
Amy Liu Dong says
Such a delicious, healthy, and easy salad dish and I can't wait to make this at home!
Jamie says
Oh my, this salad recipe looks amazingly delicious! An awesome side dish we can pair with anything! Plus the lemon dressing adds a boost to its taste and flavor! Loved it!
Dani says
This is perfect for meal prepping. I made a big bowl of this Quinoa Feta Salad and it was delicious all week for lunch.
Jacqueline Debono says
Love this quinoa salad. It's like a quinoa version of a Greek salad! Definitely going to be on repeat this summer.
Elizabeth says
This salad was very delicious! I made it for a quick lunch. Excited to make it again with some garden fresh veggies this summer.
Ann says
This salad sounds so yummy! This would be a great salad to make with some garden fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.
Colleen says
This healthy quinoa salad was perfect with chicken for dinner and now for lunch the next day. This recipe is a keeper.
Kate says
I love how simple this recipe is but it has tons of flavor from the olives, delicious!
Sharon says
This quinoa salad was so simple to throw together but the real star was the lemon dressing on top.
Adrianne says
Yum!! I love quinoa too. This salad looks amazing and so healthy. Olives and quinoa are the perfect combo. I will give it a go this week. Thanks!
Dannii says
This salad looks amazing. All my favourite flavours in one salad.
Emmeline says
Love this recipe - so good next to a barbecue!
Kushigalu says
What a flavorful salad recipe with amazing combination of ingredients. Thanks for sharing
Bhawana says
quinoa salad looks delicious with Mediterranean version, I love the addition of cherry tomatoes. I love quinoa recipes, and made one salad & flatbread. Do check once.