Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Crunchy, colorful, and packed with bold flavor – this quinoa salad with peanut dressing is everything you want in a salad. Shredded red cabbage, crisp snap peas, bell peppers, carrots, and fresh cilantro bring the crunch and color, but the real star is the homemade peanut dressing. Creamy, tangy, and just the right amount of spicy, it’s the kind of dressing you’ll want to put on everything. It’s naturally gluten-free and vegetarian as written, but we love adding grilled chicken thighs to make it a complete meal.
🥜 You’ll want to drink this peanut sauce dressing!
Blending this dressing makes a silky, perfectly emulsified peanut dressing that has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spice that’s perfect with this mix of quinoa and veggies.
Colorful veggies, filling grains, and delicious dressing, there’s a lot to love about this salad. It’s…
🥗 Incredibly crunchy: Cabbage, snap peas, and carrots deliver serious texture in every single bite.
🥜 Bold & tangy: The Thai-inspired peanut dressing is creamy, zesty, and just the right amount of spicy.
⏱️ Ready in 40 minutes: Simple enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for a potluck or cookout.
🌿 Fresh & colorful: Six different vegetables make this as beautiful to look at as it is to eat.
🍽️ Totally customizable: Serve it as a side, add grilled chicken, or make it vegan by swapping out the honey.
📦 Make-ahead friendly: Prep all the components in advance and assemble right before serving.
Quinoa salads are so great to meal prep, which is why I have so many of them! The original black bean & quinoa salad is a plant-based, filling salad that’s great for summer dinners or easy lunches (though we make it year round), and the Greek quinoa salad is summer perfection when cucumbers and tomatoes are abundant.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring this healthy quinoa salad to the table: peanut butter (drippy works best, like Crazy Richard’s), soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice, water, honey, chili crisp oil, garlic, quinoa, thinly shredded red cabbage, chopped bell peppers (red, orange, or yellow), matchstick or shredded carrots, sliced snap peas, fresh cilantro, green onions, crushed peanuts, and optional grilled chicken thighs.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: Blend the peanut dressing — don’t just whisk it. The blender creates a creamy, fully emulsified sauce that coats every ingredient beautifully and tastes far more balanced and silky than a hand-whisked version.
- Cooking methods: Use microwavable quinoa pouches and pre-shredded matchstick carrots to cut your prep time in half. Rotisserie chicken is a great swap for grilled chicken if you need a no-cook protein option.
- Variations: Swap the red cabbage for green cabbage or use a mix of both. This salad works equally well with shrimp or tofu in place of chicken, or leave it fully plant-based. Add sliced avocado or edamame for some extra oomph.
Quinoa Veggie Salad with Peanut Dressing Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings (about 1 cup each) 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
This quinoa veggie salad with peanut dressing is vibrant, crunchy, and bursting with bold flavor. Bright, colorful, and so delicious.
Ingredients
Peanut Dressing:
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (drippy works well like Crazy Richards)
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp. lime (about 1 lime)
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. chili crisp oil
- 1 clove garlic
Quinoa Salad:
- 1 1/2 cups quinoa (4 1/2 cups cooked)
- 4 cups thinly shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 1 cup matchstick or shredded carrots
- 1 cup sliced snap peas
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- crushed peanuts
- 2 cups chopped grilled chicken thighs (optional)
Instructions
- Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Fluff when it’s done cooking and let cool so it doesn’t wilt the vegetables.
- While quinoa is cooking, make dressing. In a blender, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, lime, water, honey, chili crisp oil, and garlic and blend until smooth.
- Cook chicken if it’s not already cooked and you are using it. Heat the grill over medium-high heat. Drizzle chicken thighs with olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill over direct medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes per side until it reaches an internal temperature of 175 degrees F. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then thinly slice.
- Prep ingredients:
Thinly slice red cabbages (ideally with a mandolin) as thin as you can.
Chop carrots into small matchsticks.
Chop bell peppers into small matchsticks.
Slice snap peas into 1/2-inch pieces.
Slice green onions.
Chop cilantro.
- Assemble salad. In a large bowl, toss together quinoa, vegetables, and peanut sauce (reserve about 1/2 cup of peanut sauce for drizzling).
- Top with sliced chicken if using and garnish with cilantro and chopped peanuts.
Notes
Storage: Store assembled salad in an airtight container for 1-2 days. The dressing can be stored separately in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, let it come to room temperature before using, as it thickens when cold.
Ingredients: A drippy natural peanut butter (like Crazy Richard’s) works best for the dressing. If your peanut butter is thick, add water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches a drizzleable consistency. Snap peas give the best crunch here – snow peas will work in a pinch but are thinner and won’t deliver the same texture.
Prep ahead: Cook quinoa up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. Blend dressing 1–2 days ahead and refrigerate. Grill chicken 1–2 days ahead and slice right before serving. Chop all vegetables and store separately. Assemble right before serving so the salad stays crisp.
Tools: An immersion blender works well here.
Serve with: This works great as a side alongside grilled salmon, shrimp, or tofu. It’s hearty enough to serve as a standalone lunch or light dinner with grilled chicken thighs on top.
FAQs
Yes! Simply skip the chicken and swap the honey in the dressing for maple syrup. Everything else in the recipe is already plant-based.
It can be! Use tamari instead of regular soy sauce to make the dressing fully gluten-free. All other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer and founder of My Everyday Table, where she helps busy families take the stress out of weeknight dinners. With a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and almost 20 years of experience, Emily specializes in simple, nourishing recipes and weekly meal plans that actually work for everyday life. She’s a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor who believes delicious food and good nutrition go hand in hand.
Get started: Weeknight Dinners Guide | Weekly Meal Plans | About Emily
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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