Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
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Packed with protein and fresh veggies, this flavorful Thai quinoa salad is a healthy eater’s dream!
This vibrant and fresh Thai Quinoa Salad is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers. Similar to my Southwest-style quinoa salad, it’s a healthy eater’s dream: flavorful, chock-full of protein and veggies, satisfying, and low in fat. I usually make it as a light lunch, but you can also serve it alongside other Asian-style dishes for dinner—or make it a meal in itself by adding cooked shrimp, crab, or lobster.
“Delicious! This is a go-to recipe for my family. Great salad to pack and go.”
What You’ll Need To Make Thai Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa: The base of the salad, quinoa is a high-protein seed that’s fluffy and slightly crunchy. Though it looks like couscous and is eaten like a grain, it’s actually related to leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard.
- Bell Pepper, Carrot, and Cucumber: A trio that adds sweetness, crunch, color, and crispness to the salad.
- Scallions: Contribute a mild oniony sharpness.
- Cilantro and Mint/Basil: Offers a fresh, herby flavor typical of Thai cuisine.
- Lime Juice: Adds acidity and brightness.
- Fish Sauce: Not fishy but savory and salty, this dark, pungent condiment is frequently used in Southeast Asian cooking. If possible, buy a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam. And don’t worry about buying a large bottle—it keeps forever.
- Vegetable Oil: The base of the dressing; blends the flavors together and coats the salad ingredients.
- Sugar: Counteracts the acidity and saltiness of the salad, adding a touch of sweetness.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Lends a spicy kick.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the quinoa. The key to success is not following the package instructions, which always call for too much liquid and result in mushy quinoa. The ideal ratio is 1 cup of quinoa to 1-2/3 cups of liquid. Simply combine the water, salt and quinoa is a pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until the quinoa is done, about 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the little white “tails” sprout from the grains.
While the quinoa cooks, prepare the vegetables. For the cucumbers, I like to use English (or hothouse) cucumbers because the skin is edible and you don’t need to peel them. They’re sometimes called seedless cucumbers but you still need to seed them, otherwise, they’ll make your salad watery.
Slice the red pepper into bite-sized pieces, thinly slice the scallions and shred the carrot.
Next, make the dressing by combining the fresh lime juice (no bottled stuff!), sugar, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes and fish sauce in a small bowl.
Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
Combine the quinoa with the dressing, vegetables and fresh herbs.
Toss the salad.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with more fresh herbs, if desired.
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Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
Packed with protein and fresh veggies, this flavorful Thai quinoa salad is a healthy eater’s dream!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (or pre-washed)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
- ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint or basil (optional)
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, from 3-4 limes
- 2½ teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don't like heat)
Instructions
- Add quinoa, salt and 1⅔ cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked. You'll know it is done when the little "tails" sprout from the grains. (If necessary add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if the quinoa is not cooked by the time all the liquid is absorbed.) Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.
- In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the lime juice, fish sauce, vegetable oil, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the quinoa is cool, add the red bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, scallions, fresh herbs and dressing. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, sugar and lime juice if necessary (I usually add a bit more of all). Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This salad keeps well for several days in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 263
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Sugar: 10g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 603mg
- Cholesterol: 0mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Just made this, it is amazing!!! Keeper recipe!
Just had this for dinner last night. It was the perfect complement to chicken satay. Thanks for another great recipe–I can always get consistently delicious results with your recipes. Love this blog!
Big fan of Quinoa and of this blog so I knew this had to be good. This is the first time I used the fish sauce too. It was a wonderfully delicious salad. This will be made a lot this summer. Thanks so much!!!!
Just made it for my first dinner in my new apartment. So perfectly fresh, crunchy and delicious. I bet it will be even better for lunch tomorrow! Great recipe. Thanks, Jen!
I made this for lunch today and was able to make it from start to finish (including washing of dishes) while our baby took his afternoon nap. It was delicious and my wife and I are looking forward to the leftovers!
This is the third recipe I’ve made from your site (cashew chicken & enchiladas being the other two) and I really must thank you for expanding my cooking repertoire, and for your gentle encouragement in introducing novice cooks such as myself to new varieties of foods to prep and cook: e.g., in this case quinoa (my first time making it – came out perfectly as per your instructions) and English cucumbers (wow, they are gigantic), not to mention the sauce-flavor combination.
I’ve pulled out our ice cream maker and put the mixing chamber in the freezer in preparation for the strawberry frozen yogurt recipe (tomorrow’s task).
Thanks again! – Red
You’re welcome, Red. So glad you enjoyed the salad — it’s one of my favorites for summer. You might also enjoy my Quinoa Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, Avocado and Lime…
https://www.onceuponachef.com/2011/08/quinoa-with-corn-tomatoes-avocado-lime.html
I made this tonight exactly as posted and it is great, definitely something I’m making again! May have it tomorrow with the tequila lime chicken :). Also may throw in edamame next time. I highly recommend trying this – fish sauce smells strong but trust the recipe – it tastes delicious!
OK, that’s just freaky! I haven’t scrolled through my Reader feed since Monday. Yesterday I posted a recipe that was going to be a Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette, but I added beets and it turned pink, so I changed the name. Imagine my surprise when I scrolled past this post. I thought I messed up and forgot to change my title for a second there LOL. 🙂
Hi Jenn, would you add all three herbs, or just pick two?
I’d probably just pick two to keep it simple, but if you have all three on hand and want to use them, go for it 🙂
This looks amazing, and I love the fresh herbs and vegetables. What a lovely, colorful meatless meal!
Delicious!!! I was running low on quinoa so I mixed it with some leftover jasmine rice and it was still yummy! Thanks for another great recipe!