This Asian Quinoa Salad is a protein-packed vegan salad that takes less than 10 minutes to make and only one bowl. Simple, quick and so flavorful!
When it comes to making salads, the more color the better in my opinion. Not only do you get a wider range of nutrients when you eat (naturally) colorful foods, but they are also more appealing and appetizing to your brain.
So today we're getting all sorts of colorful with this Asian Quinoa Salad!
This is a protein-packed, quinoa power salad that is packed flavor and nutrient-rich veggies. It's fairly season-neutral, meaning you can find the veggies inside this salad pretty much all year round. And the best part is, it couldn't be easier to make!
How to Make Asian Quinoa Salad
The base, of course, is quinoa, which we already know is packed with protein and fiber. And then for our add-ins, we're going with:
- frozen edamame: amps up the protein content even more
- finely sliced carrots: crunchy, slightly sweet, and such a gorgeous color
- shredded red cabbage: sometimes raw cabbage can be a bit much, but just try and thinly slice it and you'll be good!
- green onions: these add a bit of bite and spice which elevates the flavor!
- cilantro: just to add a bit of green in there – if you're not a cilantro fan, you can skip it!
- kimchi: adding this in for a few reasons – a) gotta get that good bacteria in where we can, and b) it adds a slight spice and subtle tang and helps make the salad much more flavorful!
Of course, then we have our dressing. An amazing ginger miso dressing made with a base of tahini!
Asian Ginger-Miso Dressing
You guys know I love tahini, but this might be one of my fave tahini dressing recipes yet!
We start with tahini (duh) and then it's simply just miso, fresh ginger, sriracha sauce, some lime juice, and a bit of water. Just mix until smooth, drizzle it over your salad, toss to combine, and DONE. Seriously, don't you just love when meals come together like this?!
What is Miso?
One of the ingredients that might slowly throw you off is miso. Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans that can be used as a flavor enhancer to add an umami taste. It's quite salty, but SOOO delicious! And it literally lasts forever in your fridge. I use it a lot in my dressings and highly recommend picking some up!
Note: can't handle soy? Not to worry – chickpea miso is readily available!
Storage Suggestions
One of the reasons you're going to LOVE this Asian quinoa salad is how meal prep-friendly it is! You can totally make a big batch of this salad at the beginning of the week and then enjoy it for lunches (or dinners) all week long.
For storing this vegan quinoa salad:
- Assemble the salad as is, including the dressing
- Store in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days
- Serve cold with any extra greens or protein that you'd like
Other Protein Ideas for Asian Quinoa Salad
If you wanted to bulk this salad up even more, you've got lots of options in the protein department!
Here are some proteins I'd recommend adding:
- salmon
- chicken
- shrimp
- steak
- tofu
So what do you need to make this? 10 ingredients, 10 minutes, one bowl. Oh and a big appetite because it tastes so good it's hard to stop eating it 😊
More Vegan Quinoa Salad Recipes:
- Tropical Kale & Quinoa Power Salad
- Summer Squash + Zucchini Quinoa Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts
- Creamy Superfood Kale & Lentil Quinoa Salad
- Moroccan Quinoa Salad
Asian Quinoa Power Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked quinoa from 1 cup uncooked
- 1 cup frozen edamame thawed
- 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage or finely chopped kale
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup chopped kimchi optional
- 1/3 cup cilantro
- 1 batch Ginger-Miso Dressing
Instructions
- Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
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