Say hello to my favorite new chopped salad! This Quinoa Kale Salad features a tasty base of kale, quinoa, chickpeas, broccoli, bell pepper, and onion sprinkled with sliced almonds and feta and tossed in a light lemony dressing.
This quinoa kale salad is deeeeeeelicious!
It’s a bit of a detox salad of sorts, filled with a bevy of fresh and nutritious ingredients tossed in a healthy homemade dressing.
Along with the fluffy quinoa and silky massaged kale is a medley of protein-packed chickpeas, crisp red onion, sweet red bell pepper, crunchy broccoli, and nutty sliced almonds, chopped into edible confetti.
We love ours with a sprinkling of feta cheese on top, but you can make it vegan and skip the optional feta if needed!
dress it up!
I dressed this stellar chopped salad with a light lemon dressing made with just a few tasty ingredients!
You’ll simply add the juice from one and a half lemons to a mason jar with avocado oil (or your favorite healthy oil), a splash of white wine vinegar, minced garlic, and salt + pepper.
No lemons? No problem! It should work quite nicely with limes too!
Quinoa Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
The great thing about this sassy salad is that it’s totally meal prep friendly! Make it in advance to enjoy all week long as a scrumptious side salad for your favorite protein or main dish.
We love it alongside a vegetarian Chickpea Salad Sandwich or a healthy Tuna Salad Sandwich. It can also be served alongside your favorite protein like chicken, fish, or steak.
Quinoa Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- ½ cup dry quinoa (tri color or regular white)
- 1 + ¼ cup water
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 can chickpeas (15 oz – drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup finely chopped broccoli florets
- 1/3-1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 red bell pepper , chopped
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese (skip if vegan)
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
LIGHT LEMON DRESSING
- 1.5 lemons , juiced
- 3 TBSP avocado oil or light olive oil
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ tsp sea salt or extra, to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ⅛ tsp dried dill or to taste (optional)
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, stirring often. 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.
- Once your quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool.
- While the quinoa cooks, wash and dry your chopped kale (I use my trusty salad spinner) and massage with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt for extra-tender, silky kale that tastes GREAT!
- Toss kale with chickpeas, bell pepper, broccoli, red onion, and sliced almonds (you can chop these small if you'd like some in every bite). Mix in quinoa.
- For the lemon dressing, whisk together all the ingredients and give it a taste. If you like the tartness of the lemon juice (I love it!) keep it as is or feel free to add a little extra oil or sweeten a tad if preferred (sugar, honey, or maple syrup are common dressing sweeteners). Pour over salad and mix well. Top with crumbled feta and enjoy!
- You can dive in right away or chill before serving. I love it both ways! If meal prepping, pop it in the fridge and dive in when your'e ready. The dressing will soak into the salad and amplify the flavor even more. Love it so!
Notes
Nutrition
If you get a chance to try this lemon dressing kissed quinoa kale 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. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Crazy for kale and quinoa?
Both ingredients are total recipe rockstars around here! They’re crazy versatile, easily available, plus tasty and oh so nutritious.
My Healthy Quinoa Salad makes use of both powerhouse ingredients and, like this recipe, can be made in advance for easy meal prep salad and side dish options!
Have dried cranberries and pecans handy? My Cranberry Kale Salad features both kale and quinoa with homemade candied pecans, feta, dried cranberries, and a tasty whisk-and-pour dressing!
I also have it on pretty good authority that adding quinoa to my Mexican Kale Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing is downright DELISH! Doooo it!
Questions & Reviews
LOVE this salad!! We make it on repeat!!
So stoked it has made repeat status! Thanks Marilee!
This recipe is a keeper, perfect blend of flavors and filling, with the chickpeas and quinoa. Have made it over and over!
Yay!! Thank you Elizabeth!
Can I substitute Tuscan kale for regular kale? Is there anything I need to do to switch ?
Hi Kathy! Tuscan kale is a great swap! Chop it up nice and small so you get the same effect and you’re good to go.
This is AMAZING! My entire family loves. I added a drizzle of honey and perfection. Thank you!
This is awesome! I’ve now made it twice – once to make sure I liked it and a 2nd time for a 50th birthday pot luck for a friend’s daughter. It was a hit both times.
I did take the suggestion to add honey to the dressing, about 1 tbls and that seemed perfect.
This will be a regular in our ‘rotation’ for sure, as it lasts well in the fridge ( about a week for me) for quick lunch!
Thanks for sharing the excellent recipe!
This was amazing flavors blended so well together ❤️ 😋😋😋
This kale quinoa salad is excellent! It’s a crowd pleaser, including kids. I omit the almonds, due to an allergy, and will make it with black beans when I don’t have chickpeas. No matter how it’s made, it’s delicious. Thank you for sharing!
How long will this keep in the fridge?
Hi Gina! It is about the same as typical leftovers which is up to 4 days. I usually scarf it within 3.
This recipe is amazing! Instead of garbanzo beans, broccoli and red bell pepper, I used apples and cranberries and a small amount of maple syrup to the dressing.
The most delicious and nuritious salad!
Thanks Diana!
I was at a customers house working on some cabinets and she was making this salad for their lunch. I asked what she was making and she told me it was a kale salad…it looked really good, and i have never worked with kale. Before I left for the day she gave us some salad to take home and try….I loved it and had to call and get the recipe. This was so good, I’m craving it every day. I will try some of the other salads you have too. Thank you so much, you have opened my taste for kale and quinoa. ❤️
Suzi, you totally made my day! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the salad!
This was one of the best salads I’ve ever made! Will definitely be making this regularly! I did switch a couple ingredients, I used mct oil instead of avocado and I used a vegan feta cheese! I also used more kale, onion, and broccoli than what the recipe called for so i used 2 whole lemons to account for the added ingredients. Everyone loved the salad! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Really tasty salad! My husband loved it too! I did find the dressing too sharp so I will omit the white wine vinegar next time, also the lemons might have yielded a bit more juice than usual. But overnight it settled down and was a perfect lunch atop half an avocado. I used about ⅓ cup of chopped pistachios instead of almonds. Making major changes to my diet due to a borderline A1C test result which was a wake-up call, and this recipe is a keeper! Cheers
This recipe is outstanding! My husband not only ate kale and quinoa but asked that I make a double batch next time. I substituted the white wine vinegar with rice vinegar and it still came out well. This will be on our menu and I will be growing kale this summer to make this salad!
Such a great easy recipe with amazing flavor. Never any leftovers when I bring to a Chirch potluck
I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Christine! Thank you!!
The salads on your site are so, so good. I can’t believe how healthy and flavorful they are. I used to be meh about kale, but this recipe made me a convert!
Thank you Mic! I’m so happy you’re loving all the salads. Now that the weather is warming up this is one of my favorites to make!
Amazing. Thank you.
This was delicious! I doubled the dressing and used half to marinate chicken breasts for 30 minutes adding fresh dill instead of dried in the dressing. I also added in toasted slivered almonds (I had on hand) and dried cherries and eliminated the cheese. Its even yummy the next day.
Enjoyed it so much (as well as my teens) when a friend made it that I immediately made it at home!
Your Recipe caught our attention, so we added it to our list: 25 Refreshing Summer Salads
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe. Keep up the good work!
Absolutely amazing. Tastes flavourful and all my kids approve. Thank you so much!
Thank you Judy! I’m so happy y’all love it!
I wasn’t expecting this to be as good as it was. I quickly added it to my favorites list and I’m sure it will be in the regular rotation from now on.
Ahhh yay!!! I’m so glad it won you over, Megan — thank you for the review!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! So so good!
This was delicious! I added dried cranberries, roasted butternut squash and grilled chicken. I have had this salad in restaurants and always love it so found your recipe and am very excited I did! One question…how long will this keep in fridge?
Loved this recipe, I added blueberries and white grapes. Definitely a keeper.
This salad is so delicious that it’s become my go-to for lunches. I make it at least 3 times a month!
Yay!!! So so glad you’re loving it! Thanks Shelley!
I’m not a fan of raw broccoli or pomegranate arils, so I steamed the broccoli for a few minutes and subbed raisins for the pomegranate. OMG soooo delicious. This salad will be in my weekly summer rotation. Pure wow.
So glad the salad was a hit! Looooove the idea of pomegranate here — I’ll for sure have to try it!
WOW this is the BEST salad I have ever made! I would pay to have such a salad in a restaurant. I cannot thank you enough for this recipe. It is now a weekly staple. I left everything in and only reduced the lemon juice to 1 lemon and it was perfect. I may try it with vegan feta next time. Thank you again. IT IS DELICIOUS and VERY FLAVORFUL!
Looks tasty! Such a healthy salad. Can’t wait to try this out.
I love love love this salad! It has become my new go-to. I have made it as is and I have also modified it by leaving out the broccoli and adding cucumber, kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes. This recipe is so versatile but I think what really makes it is the dressing. Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.
I’m so stoked you’re loving the salad! Thanks Marnie!
Whole family liked this salad. Since it has a Mediterranean vibe, I’m planning on adding some pepperoncini peppers for some extra zip next go round. 😋
This is a delicious salad. It’s bright, crunchy, and healthy. The feta and the lemon dressing add such a nice tanginess. I added green onions and avocado which I thought was yummy, but it really doesn’t need a thing! Thanks for this recipe, I’ll be using it often!
This recipe was amazing! Full disclosure, I left out the broccoli and red pepper BUT I can only imagine how much more they would elevate the flavor! I had the quinoa already cooked from earlier in the week so I was able to throw it together in no time. SO GOOD! Thanks for sharing!
Is this salad not the perfect use of leftover quinoa?! Love it so! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe — thanks Shauna! xo
I feel healthier just by printing this recipe off! This salad was pretty easy to whip up. I added grilled chicken and it made a nice dinner! Thanks for the recipe.
Sounds like a perfectly balanced lunch salad to me! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
What a great dish! Really versatile and well balanced. Loved the tangy lemon dressing that pulled it all together.
Thanks Britni! The lemon dressing is my obsession. It’s amazing on pasta salads too!
Great salad with lots of flavor and crunch! I used only 1 lemon, the pepitas as someone else suggested, and vegan feta (by Follow Your Heart) so yummy!!
It’s sooooo good with pepitas yay! I’ve got to try that vegan feta — I’ve heard it’s phenomenal! Thanks Anita!
It is SO GOOD!!!!!
Thanks Allison!
Amazing salad! Made this for a potluck then made more the next day to eat at home. So great to find something that tastes super flavorful while also being fresh and healthy, and easy to make. About to make another batch now.
I’ve made this salad 6 times so far and it’s so delicious! It is a little labor intensive for a salad but very much worth it because it keeps in the fridge well.
I added roasted beets and more fresh dill. Delicious!
Those extras sound marvelous!!!
I had all the ingredients today and made for lunch. I added chicken breast and subbed pepitas for almonds to it as well since my husband was hungry. It is a DELICIOUS salad!! Highly recommend it. Thanks for the recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Make this!
Delicious! Loved it. Used baby kale and tested both with feta and without (ended up preferring it without!) We’ll definitely be making this again 🙂
This was the best salad I’ve had in a long time. It was flavorful and light and I’m definitely making this again.
Yay!!! Thank you Dee!
I LOVE this salad! It’s so fresh and filling. I don’t like raw broccoli, so I leave that out and increase the kale. I’m making this right now, for the second time in a week!
Wonderful! Substituted zucchini for broccoli and cherry tomatoes for bell pepper as I was trying to use what is in the garden. Zesty yummy! Good the next day too!
Delicious! The whole family loved it! I didn’t have broccoli so I doubled the quinoa and kale. I would have liked the broccoli for more crunch in the salad though. Toasting the quinoa really helped add flavor. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi. Just made this and doubled the ingredients. It turned out great. Thank you!
I can’t have kale because of stomach and kidney issues, so used salad greens. This was amazing! So light and fresh and a new summertime favorite.
This is the perfect Summer salad – fresh, flavorful, and colorful! This is a must-try for me!
Thanks Beth! xoxo
I love lemon dressing, and this is a favorite. It’s perfect to go on so many salads!
This was delicious and easy. I tasted dressing before adding vinegar and chose to not add it as lemon juice made it acidic enough. Also added a tsp of honey per suggestion. Really great salad and I am not even a kale fan:)
I think it would’ve been great even without the dressing. That’s how good it was!! Genius pairing of ingredients that complement each other. Thanks girly for another great quinoa recipe!
So so stoked you enjoyed it Cassie! Thank you!
Loved how simple this was to cook and put together!
This is just delicious! I know I will be making this all summer long, saving it for sure! Thank you
So happy to hear it Noelle, thank you!