Strawberry Avocado Quinoa Salad (Vegan) - Crowded Kitchen (2024)

Why We Love This Recipe

• Fresh and summery: With strawberries, cucumber, and avocado, this is light and refreshing salad that looks and tastes summery. It's perfect for Easter, a summer dinner party, or a light lunch or dinner. You can add a grilled protein to make it a full meal!
• Addictive brittle: The brittle is an optional addition that we added later on, but it's so good that we can't recommend skipping it. It's ridiculously good just by itself. If you don't want to make it, you can just use toasted pecans like you see in the images here!
• Easy recipe: Just cook the quinoa, slice everything else, whisk together the dressing, and assemble.
• Dairy free optional: The feta is optional, so if you omit it (or use a vegan alternative), it's super easy to make this recipe dairy free.

Ingredients and Notes

Here's what you'll need to make this strawberry avocado quinoa salad:

• Fresh greens: Just about any fresh green works well here. I prefer using either baby kale or arugula, but spinach, regular kale, or a lettuce mix are all great options.
• Cooked quinoa: Cook your quinoa according to package directions. About ½ cup dry quinoa is plenty for this recipe, and cook it in vegetable broth for extra flavor!
• Strawberries: We're pretty berry-obsessed, so we used a whole pint of fresh strawberries in this salad. Use as many or as few as you'd like. You can also sub in raspberries, blueberries or blackberries.
• Avocado: Try to get avocados that are as ripe as possible.
• Cucumber: We used mini cucumbers, which are seedless and are the perfect size when sliced! If you're using a regular cucumber, you may want to quarter and dice it so the pieces aren't too large.
• Pecans: Toasted or raw – it's up to you. To level up your salad, see the recipe card for instructions on how to make a delicious pecan and pumpkin brittle to top this salad.
• Jalapeño Lime Vinaigrette: A simple vinaigrette with a bit of spice from fresh, minced jalapeño, freshly squeezed lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, salt and a touch of sweetener.
• Feta: This is optional, but adds the perfect salty, cheesy finish to this salad. If you're dairy free, try a vegan alternative or just leave it out altogether.

Step-by-step Instructions

STEP 1: To make the brittle (optional): preheat oven to 275˚F. Add the pecans, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well to coat. Spread onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

STEP 2: Bake for 35 minutes, rotating the sheet pan halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, break into small, bite-sized pieces. (You can speed up the cooling process by placing it in the freezer for a few minutes.)

STEP 3: While the brittle is in the oven, cook quinoa according to package directions. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. To speed this up, fluff it with a fork to release steam and refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

STEP 4: Meanwhile, whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette.
Assemble salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently with vinaigrette. If you're not serving this salad right away, wait to add the brittle until just before serving.

Tips and FAQ

• Slice cucumbers and strawberries into rounds: We find this makes the salad easier to eat and ensures that you get evenly-sized pieces of each throughout the salad.
• If you're making this ahead of time, wait to toss the salad with the dressing until about an hour before serving to prevent the greens from getting too soggy. We also recommend waiting to top with the pecan brittle (if using) to keep it super crisp.
• Storage:Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days but note that it will get soggier the longer it sits. For best results, store vinaigrette separately.
• Add a protein: To make this a full, balanced meal, consider adding a protein like grilled chicken, shrimp or tofu.

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