Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
jump toRECIPE
One of my favorite things about summer is shopping at the farmers market and picking up fresh, seasonal vegetables, vibrant herbs, and even a bouquet of flowers while wandering through the stands. This vegetable quinoa salad with honey lemon vinaigrette is one of my go-to meals after a market trip. It’s light, colorful, and packed with fresh produce, making it the perfect farm-to-table summer dish. The bright honey lemon vinaigrette ties everything together with just the right balance of sweetness and acidity, keeping the salad fresh and full of flavor. Craving more dishes like this featuring fresh summer vegetables? Then this grilled vegetable pasta salad or crab salad with popped quinoa and tarragon dressing is right up your alley!
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Quinoa – Cooking the quinoa in chicken broth makes for a more flavorful quinoa. Water can be substituted for the chicken broth in a pinch.
- Zucchini – Zucchini or courgette is a summer squash with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. Try swapping or supplementing the zucchini with yellow squash. I like to cook the zucchini until it’s golden brown for added flavor.
- Corn – While I use fresh corn in this recipe, frozen corn can easily be thawed and substituted in this recipe.
- Tomato – Diced Roma tomatoes are used in this recipe. They have a low-moisture content and big acidic tomato flavor. They can easily be swapped with beefsteak tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes.
- Feta – Feta cheese has a tangy and salty flavor. It’s frequently used in Greek cooking and is typically made from sheep’s milk. It complements the vegetables and quinoa in this fresh summer salad.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Swaps and substitutions
- This recipe is flexible so you can easily add your favorite summer vegetables like yellow squash, bell pepper, diced cucumber, thinly sliced snap peas or ripe avocado.
- The roma tomatoes can be swapped for halved cherry tomatoes.
- The feta can be swapped for another crumbly cheese like cotija. You can also replace the feta with pieces of grilled halloumi.
Variations on this quinoa salad
- Make it vegan. To make this recipe vegan, simply omit the feta cheese. If needed the honey can be swapped for maple syrup.
- Swap the grain. Rather than quinoa, try using another grain like farro or couscous (however the recipe will no longer be gluten-free).
- Make it more filling. Add a protein like a meat or seafood pairing from below or add greens like arugula or baby spinach.
How to Make Vegetable Quinoa Salad (Step-by-step)
In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, and cook covered on medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Cover and set aside.
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add the corn and the garlic and continue to cook until the corn kernels soften, about an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl combine the quinoa, zucchini and corn mixture, tomato and green onion. Add the vinaigrette stirring to coat all the ingredients evenly. Add half of the feta cheese and herbs, then toss to combine once more.
To serve the vegetable quinoa salad, top with the remaining feta cheese, parsley and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at room temperature or refrigerate until chilled.
What to Pair with This Quinoa Salad
How to Store Vegetable Quinoa Salad
You can cook the quinoa and prepare the salad up to 2–3 days in advance. Because it doesn’t involve lettuce it can be combined in advance and stored refrigerated until ready to serve.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! While I use a combination of zucchini, corn, and Roma tomatoes, you can easily swap or add yellow squash, bell peppers, sugar snap peas or eggplant depending on what’s seasonal or available.
If you’re aiming for a vegetarian or vegan version – or just don’t have broth then plain water is a fine substitute. The dressing and veggies add plenty of flavor.
Yes! You can cook the quinoa and prepare the salad up to 2–3 days in advance. Because it doesn’t involve lettuce it can be combined in advance and stored refrigerated until ready to serve.
To make it more filling, add protein options like chickpeas, black beans, diced chicken, or shrimp. You can also stir in fresh spinach or arugula for added greens and nutrients.
Yes! Farro, couscous, bulgur, or even barley are excellent alternatives that bring different textures and flavors to this versatile salad.
Other Recipes to Try
If you like this vegetable quinoa salad recipe, try these other summer recipes:
Made this dish? Be sure to rate the recipe and drop a comment below! Your feedback means everything (and helps others find it too)!
Vegetable Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Rate this Recipe
Ingredients:
For the quinoa:
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup uncooked white quinoa
For the honey lemon vinaigrette:
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons honey
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
For the vegetables:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into half moons
- 2 ears corn, cut off the cob
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- 1 medium Roma tomato, cored and diced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ¼ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions:
For the quinoa:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, and cook covered on medium-low heat until the broth is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes.
- Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Cover and set aside.
For the Honey Lemon dressing:
- Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
For the Vegetables:
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini sauté until tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add the corn and the garlic and continue to cook until the corn kernels soften, about an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl combine the quinoa, zucchini and corn mixture, tomato and green onion. Add the vinaigrette stirring to coat all the ingredients evenly. Add half of the feta cheese and herbs, stirring to combine once more.
For serving:
- To serve, top with the remaining feta cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature or refrigerate until chilled and serve.
Notes:
Nutrition:
TAG ME ON INSTAGRAM TO BE FEATURED ON MY STORIES! @cookingwithcocktailrings
My family loved it!
So happy to hear that!!
The perfect summer salad! Light and refreshing but so much flavor!! Definitely will make again!
So happy to hear it! Thank you for sharing!!