Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
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Packed with protein and fresh veggies, this flavorful Thai quinoa salad is a healthy eater’s dream!
This vibrant and fresh Thai Quinoa Salad is adapted from one of my favorite cookbooks, Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers. Similar to my Southwest-style quinoa salad, it’s a healthy eater’s dream: flavorful, chock-full of protein and veggies, satisfying, and low in fat. I usually make it as a light lunch, but you can also serve it alongside other Asian-style dishes for dinner—or make it a meal in itself by adding cooked shrimp, crab, or lobster.
“Delicious! This is a go-to recipe for my family. Great salad to pack and go.”
What You’ll Need To Make Thai Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa: The base of the salad, quinoa is a high-protein seed that’s fluffy and slightly crunchy. Though it looks like couscous and is eaten like a grain, it’s actually related to leafy greens like spinach and Swiss chard.
- Bell Pepper, Carrot, and Cucumber: A trio that adds sweetness, crunch, color, and crispness to the salad.
- Scallions: Contribute a mild oniony sharpness.
- Cilantro and Mint/Basil: Offers a fresh, herby flavor typical of Thai cuisine.
- Lime Juice: Adds acidity and brightness.
- Fish Sauce: Not fishy but savory and salty, this dark, pungent condiment is frequently used in Southeast Asian cooking. If possible, buy a brand imported from Thailand or Vietnam. And don’t worry about buying a large bottle—it keeps forever.
- Vegetable Oil: The base of the dressing; blends the flavors together and coats the salad ingredients.
- Sugar: Counteracts the acidity and saltiness of the salad, adding a touch of sweetness.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Lends a spicy kick.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the quinoa. The key to success is not following the package instructions, which always call for too much liquid and result in mushy quinoa. The ideal ratio is 1 cup of quinoa to 1-2/3 cups of liquid. Simply combine the water, salt and quinoa is a pan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover the pan and cook until the quinoa is done, about 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the little white “tails” sprout from the grains.
While the quinoa cooks, prepare the vegetables. For the cucumbers, I like to use English (or hothouse) cucumbers because the skin is edible and you don’t need to peel them. They’re sometimes called seedless cucumbers but you still need to seed them, otherwise, they’ll make your salad watery.
Slice the red pepper into bite-sized pieces, thinly slice the scallions and shred the carrot.
Next, make the dressing by combining the fresh lime juice (no bottled stuff!), sugar, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes and fish sauce in a small bowl.
Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
Combine the quinoa with the dressing, vegetables and fresh herbs.
Toss the salad.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with more fresh herbs, if desired.
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Thai Quinoa Salad with Fresh Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette
Packed with protein and fresh veggies, this flavorful Thai quinoa salad is a healthy eater’s dream!
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (or pre-washed)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
- 1 carrot, peeled and grated
- 1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
- ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped mint or basil (optional)
For the Dressing
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, from 3-4 limes
- 2½ teaspoons Asian fish sauce
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use less if you don't like heat)
Instructions
- Add quinoa, salt and 1⅔ cups water to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked. You'll know it is done when the little "tails" sprout from the grains. (If necessary add 1 to 2 tablespoons more water if the quinoa is not cooked by the time all the liquid is absorbed.) Transfer to a serving bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.
- In the meantime, make the dressing by combining the lime juice, fish sauce, vegetable oil, sugar and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the quinoa is cool, add the red bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, scallions, fresh herbs and dressing. Toss well, then taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, sugar and lime juice if necessary (I usually add a bit more of all). Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This salad keeps well for several days in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 263
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Sugar: 10g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 7g
- Sodium: 603mg
- Cholesterol: 0mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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So lucky to find your recipes. They are easy, well written and make me look like a star in the kitchen. The thai quinoa is fabulous! So fresh and tasty, i eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thanks
I made the quinoa salad today. I have Catherine Walthers cookbook and followed the recipe as she wrote it. Seeing it here on your site I thought if you posted it, I am sure I will love it!
I love her book and have made many of her recipes in the past. This is a really good recipe and I will make it again but will probably add your changes – seeding the cucumbers, adding scallions and oil to the dressing would likely be additions I would like. If I could get past the smell of the fish sauce, I would give this 5 stars! Thanks – your recipes are a favorite in my family!
Outstanding! This will be in regular rotation this summer. I reduced sugar by 1 T and it’s still great.
Love this salad! Very easy to make and so delicious and refreshing. I left out the onion, but it was still very tasty. A real keeper! Thank you for sharing for this recipe!
Hi,
How long do you think this would keep in the fridge? Should I keep the dressing separate and just add at serving- like you instructed with your Vietamenese Shredded Chicken salad? Or is it all serve immediately? Thanks in advance.
Hi Karen, This salad keeps well for several days in the fridge — no need to keep the dressing separate, it doesn’t get soggy 🙂
Very good recipe. I used olive oil, added 1 more Tbsp fish sauce, as well as 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger and 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar which increased the fresh and tangy flavor.
I can’t do any fish sauce for whatever the reason. May I do worcestershire sauce instead? Or should I just skip recipes with fish sauce?
I made a your brisket and cocktail meatballs in my slow cooker and my kids are so happy. Thank you!
Hi Blair, Unfortunately there is no great substitute for fish sauce. Sorry!
made this for my co-workers, it was a lactose and gluten free potluck lunch. I really like the lime flavour.
I made this salad and it’s so good! I made quinoa pilaf before, but this salad is so much better. I loved how it tasted fresh and spicy at the same time. It’s a perfect summer salad. Thank you for taking the time to post it.
Making quinoa for the first time. Appreciated tip on less water than package calls for. After 15 minutes there was still a little water left that had not been absorbed but little white tail sprouts were out. Was not sure what to do–ended up letting rest of water boil off uncovered about 2 minutes? Trying to figure out exactly what texture of quinoa should be? Rice like? Soft? Little crunch? What do you suggest?
Hi Whitney, That was a good call to let the rest of the water boil off. The texture is soft and fluffy with a very slight crunch.