Pomegranate Mint Quinoa Salad

This pomegranate mint quinoa salad is made with pomegranate arils, crunchy baby cucumbers, red onion, parsley, fluffy quinoa, and fresh mint.

The dressing isn't anything fancy, just lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. This quinoa salad recipe is an excellent meal prep recipe, and stores well in the fridge.

Quinoa is a great addition to any salad (and it's gluten-free!). Sometimes I make quinoa tabouli salad instead of traditional Lebanese bulgar wheat tabouli salad.

Quinoa Salads

I absolutely love quinoa salads. They are a great option for lunch because they do not need to be reheated. Also, quinoa salads keep you full for a long time and you won’t experience that big afternoon crash in energy. You can choose so many different ways of modifying the same basic recipe- quinoa salad recipes are so versatile! This pomegranate mint quinoa salad with cucumber is light and refreshing.

Ingredient Notes

• Quinoa is a superfood. It’s one of a few plants that contain all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is also high and fiber and gluten-free. It is easy to cook and has a mild taste. Use white quinoa or red quinoa for this recipe.
• Pomegranate: I recommend using fresh pomegranate for this recipe, or store-bought pomegranate arils. I recommend peeling a pomegranate in water to prevent a mess.
• Fresh mint: Use fresh mint if you have some on hand, or substitute dried mint.
• Italian parsley: I prefer Italian parsley, also known as flat parsley, rather than curly parsley. However, both parsley types work for this recipe.
• Onion: Use red onion, white onion, or sweet onion. Alternatively, you can use green onion.
• English cucumber, baby cucumber, or Persian cucumber: These sweet and crunchy cucumbers are the best for salads! plus you don't have to remove the peel.
• Fresh lemon juice: Use the fresh stuff! Skip the bottled lemon juice.

Tips for Success

• The quinoa will grow in size. 2 cups of dry quinoa yields about 6 cups cooked quinoa.
• Prepare the quinoa first so it can cool. If you want to speed things up, once the quinoa is cooked place it in the fridge or freezer to cool down faster.
• Don't mix hot quinoa with the other salad vegetables.

Substitutions and Variations

The exact recipe below is vegan, however, you can modify it to suit your dietary needs. You can choose to add chicken, garbanzo beans, halloumi cheese, or feta cheese.

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📋 Recipe

Pomegranate Mint Quinoa Salad

Author: Lily

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

5 from 2 votes

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Servings 6

This pomegranate mint quinoa salad with cucumber, lemon, parsley, olive oil, and onion is light and refreshing. 

Ingredients

 

• 2 cups dry quinoa see note 1
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 3 tomatoes large
• 3 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber
• 1 red onion small
• 1 bunch parsley finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh mint finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• juice from 1 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cook quinoa ahead of time and allow it to cool. Boil quinoa in water for about 10 minutes. Drain and cover for 5 minutes. Remove the cover so the quinoa cools.
• Chop tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. Add finely chopped mint and parsley. Add olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. Mix in pomegranate seeds.
• Mix the cooled quinoa and fresh ingredients.

Notes

1. Two cups of dry quinoa yield about 6 cups of cooked quinoa.
2. Pomegranate mint quinoa salad stores well in the fridge and is easy to reheat or eat cold. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 399 kcal | Carbohydrates: 62 g | Protein: 10 g | Fat: 13 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 0 mg | Sodium: 73 mg | Fiber: 8 g | Sugar: 16 g