This Quinoa, Apple and Almond Salad with Honey Lemon Mint Vinaigrette makes a delicious, healthy lunch or side dish that the entire family will love.
Could I have possibly eaten more junk food over the holidays? I don’t think so. I’m guessing I’m not alone here, right? What can I say, the holidays are a time for splurging. We always visit Jeff’s family in Tucson, Arizona where the Mexican food in plentiful and my sister-in-law’s dinners are not to be missed.
This is mildly embarrassing since less than a month ago I was all “I’m on Weight Watchers, blah blah blah.” But you know what? Who cares, it’s fine. I had some fun and now it’s time to get back on track in the New Year. So here’s one of my absolute favorite quinoa recipes: Quinoa, Apple and Almond Salad with Honey Lemon Mint Vinaigrette. The granny smith apples are tart, the almonds add an earthy crunch, the honey provides just the right amount of sweet and the mint is, well, awesome. I know you’ll love this salad just as much as I do.
How To Cook Quinoa
If you’re new to quinoa and want a step-by-step tutorial on preparing it, check out my post: How to Cook Quinoa.
Quinoa, Apple and Almond Salad with Honey Lemon Mint Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 3 cups quinoa, cooked
- ¼ cup scallions, sliced thin
- 1 granny smith apple, diced
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup almonds, toasted, rough chopped
Honey lemon mint vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons honey,
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl or blender, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, olive oil, mint, and warm water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Combine cooked quinoa with apples, toasted almonds, scallions and dried cranberries.
- About 30 minutes before serving drizzle with ½ cup prepared vinaigrette and toss to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
I think I gained like 10 lb from the holidays so yes, this is definitely a must-make in my book!
I definitely have to start eating healthier after this Christmas break. All of that delicious fruit cake, turkey and everything else has helped at all. This looks like a wonderful way to face a new healthy eating regime! :)
I LOVE quinoa! love love love. and am always looking for new recipes to use it. So many wonderful flavors and chunks of goodness in these – apples, cranberries, almonds… perfection. I want it for breakfast Jen!
I think this will be the year I get into quinoa. Thinking this is a good recipe to start with. Gorgeous photography!
Thanks, Paula!
Just what I was looking for after a dissipated couple of weeks.
I love quinoa salads! And you’re right – who cares if you slipped? You’re gorgeous and you can let it ride. Hope you’re having an awesome New Year! See ya’ Tuesday!
Oh yum! I certainly need to try this!
My favorite part of making quinoa salads is adding lots of different textures to them…the apples and almonds in this salad are perfect for that! Sounds fun :)
I made quinoa this week in attempt to reverse the junk lol. This looks so fresh & delicious! I love quinoa salad creations, thanks for the link love!
So I wasn’t alone in my feeding frenzy? I wish that knowing I shared the experience would help me get back on track! :-) I love quinoa and cook it frequently, although often not with a very interesting recipe. This sounds delicious, and I could actually serve this one to others! My fall-back is generally too plain! :-)
that looks great – i’ve been looking for a vinaigrette for my salads and this one looks like a definite one to try
There needs to be a way to pin this on Pinterest so I can add it to my Must Try board
This looks AWESOME. I am so making it this week for my #SaladJam challenge.
Just finished making this and it is the bomb!! I upped the lemon juice to a third of a cup just because I really like a tarty tang in my vinaigrettes. Just a little salt and pepper to taste really ups all the different flavours in this dish-really delicious. I also added four stalks of diced celery. A virtuous January meal indeed! Thanks!
I’m so glad you liked it!
This is wonderful. I like how you combined all the ingredients with quinoa. I’m looking forward to trying this dish, especially your vinaigrette sounds fabulous!
Thanks, Nami! This one is definitely a keeper.