It’s time to add another tasty quinoa recipe to our meal prep game! This Tomato Quinoa Salad is fast, flavorful, and easily made in advance for speedy lunches and sides for work, school, or home!
Cherry tomatoes are quite possibly the easiest thing I’ve ever grown.
Whether it’s in the ground, a raised bed garden, or in neat little pots in a container garden… these tasty tomatoes grow anywhere!
This year we have 2 over-eager cherry tomato vines that we’re basically living off of right now. It’s clearly time to tomato ALLTHETHINGS on the blog and give you oodles of ideas for using up those ripe Summer tomatoes!
Let’s kick things off with this tomato quinoa salad! As written, it’s vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and has the most amazing garlic lime dressing to amp up the flavor!
Tomato Quinoa Salad
The recipe below yields 4 side-dish sized servings. Need to feed a crowd? Feel free to double or triple the recipe as needed to serve at your next party, potluck, or barbecue!
For this healthy tomato-studded recipe you can use cherry, grape, plum, heirloom, or any type of tomatoes you have handy. Whether they come from your garden, Farmer’s Market, or grocery store matters not. Just grab some ripe tomatoes and meet me in the kitchen!
Tomato Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- ¾ cup water
- 2-3 cups chopped/sliced tomato
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
- 2 TBSP avocado oil
- 1 clove garlic (smashed and minced)
- 1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- additional fresh chopped parsley to taste
Instructions
- First rinse and drain your quinoa using a mesh strainer or sieve. Bring a small pot to medium heat and lightly toast the quinoa to remove any excess water. Stir as it toasts for just a few minutes. This step is optional but really adds to the nuttiness and fluff factor of the quinoa! Next add your water, set burner to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered with the lid slightly ajar, for 12-13 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and the liquid has been absorbed.
- While the quinoa cooks, chop, slice and prep the remaining ingredients.
- To make the dressing, combine avocado oil (or healthy oil of your choosing) with fresh lime juice, minced garlic, parsley, cumin, salty and pepper.
- Once your quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and allow to cool (I usually pop mine in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to cool it) then combine with tomatoes, green onion, chickpeas, and any extra parsley you’d like! I usually add 2-3 TBSP of extra parsley – I love the flavor! Toss salad with half of the dressing and dive in! Drizzle extra dressing on the salad as desired and feel free to add any additional seasoning to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
what dressing can I use for quinoa salad?
There are SO MANY delicious types of salad dressing that would pair marvelously with this tomato quinoa salad. I whipped up a zesty garlic lime dressing in the recipe card above and adored it! You could also pair it with Italian dressing, Greek dressing, or maple citrus salad dressing.
You can also add extras like avocado, feta (skip for vegan), and zucchini!
how long can I keep quinoa salad in the fridge?
You can keep cooled quinoa or quinoa salad in the fridge for 3 to 5 days in a tightly sealed container. I like to store mine with the dressing on the side when possible (and add it before serving) but this salad can be lightly dressed and stored with the dressing without getting soggy like lettuce-based salads.
long live tomato season!
If you get a chance to try this tasty tomato quinoa salad, let me know! Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation!
craving more cherry tomato recipes?
- Cherry Tomato Salad <– perfect for a party or cookout
- Tomato Mozzarella Chickpea Salad
- Tomato Panzanella (Tuscan Bread Salad)
- Tomato Basil White Bean Dip (Vegan!)
Questions & Reviews
I do not care for chickpeas. What could I substitute?
You could add white beans or skip the beans entirely and add extra veggies to the mix! I will throw in whatever I have handy. I love adding things like kale, cucumber, bell pepper, etc… Have fun with it!
What do you recommend instead of quinoa. My daughter is allergic.
Hi Janell! Orzo (that thin rice-shaped pasta) is a fantastic swap here! I also have a super tasty Greek Orzo Salad you could try.
This looks fabulous! I planted peppers including jalapeños last summer and WOW at the number I got! Can’t wait to plant cherry tomatoes next summer for your recipes!
Thank you! So excited for Spring gardening season + buckets of peppers/tomatoes!
I made this the other day for a friend and myself and WOW I am obsessed! It is the easiest but most satisfying, rewarding and tasty salad I’ve ever made – it’s become a weekly lunch staple!
This looks delicious. Can this dressing be made with lemon juice (fresh lemons) instead of lime juice?
Yes absolutely! Start with 2-3 TBSP lemon juice, taste test, and then add the 1-2 extra TBSP if you’d like, to taste. I always go a little slower with the lemon at first since it’s a wee bit tarter but still so tasty!
Uma delicia! Obrigada! Abraços!
Obrigada, Dacidava! ❤️
I found your recipe on pinterest while looking for quinoa recipes. Salad was tasty, a keeper. I added extra cilantro, lemon juice and garlic to suit my tastes.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I love this salad. I’ve made it several times and love it more every time. The cumin in the dressing just makes it so special. Thanks!
Ahhh yay! Thank you so much!
Made this for supper today! It was simple, delicious and didn’t require a trip to the grocery store! I added an avocado that needed to get used up 🙂
Awesome recipe!! I used basil instead or parsley and it tirned out amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!
This is actually amazing. Simple, healthy, and absolutely delicious!
Was surprising light and delicious!
This looks delicious! I love quinoa salads so I’m going to try this one for sure. Thanks for sharing.
Love this recipe! Sounds delicious
Thanks Jenny!
Very exciting! The first time I have ever cooked and used quinoa. This recipe is similar to the middle eastern Tabouli. However I LOVE the texture of the quinoa very much
I Used a little more parsley, onion, and one extra garlic
Super stoked you enjoyed it Mags, thank you!
This comes together very fast and stores well if you are into advanced food prep. The chickpeas add a nutty flavor and the garlic-lime dressing really amplifies the flavor in this recipe! <3!
So glad you’re loving it — Thanks Jen!
OMG me too! I have to grow lots of tomatoes so I can get my fix!
My husband and I loved this salad – so easy to put together and wonderful flavors!
Woot! Thanks Joanie!
I could eat this every day. It has such great flavor!
Yay! Thank you April!
This is such a good idea!! I need this in my tummy RIGHT NOW!! Haha!! I will be making this next week – just watch this space… thanks for the recipe 🙂 x
Yayyy thank you Georgie! So happy to hear it!