Salads

August 25, 2024

Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad

This Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad is great for serving a crowd, or for making multiple lunches in a meal prep session. It’s loaded with fresh veggies and fruit, as well as lots of color and fiber, and most importantly - flavor!

Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad is super refreshing on a hot summer day. It packed with lots of crunchy fresh vegetables, tender cooked quinoa, juicy mango bits, and then tossed in a creamy peanut dressing. This recipes makes a big batch, but I’m not sorry - it’s perfect for a crowd, or for packing lunches all week. And it holds up well for several days in the fridge! Those crunchy veggies like cabbage, carrots, and cucumber don’t lose their texture in this salad. 

This salad makes a lovely summer meal, because it’s hearty yet light. The quinoa is a complete protein, and the vegetables bring lots of fiber to the party - both of these things will help you feel full and satiated, without weighing you down. The diced mango is sweet and juicy, which offers bright bursts of flavor throughout the salad.

This Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad makes an excellent back-to-school lunch while the weather is still warm! Or make it to bring to your next party or potluck, and it’s sure to add a bright pop of color to the table!

Ingredients assembled for Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad
Assemble your ingredients.

Stages of preparing the salad ingredients
Start by cooking the quinoa. While the quinoa cooks, then cools, chop the veggies and mix up the dressing.

Tossing the salad in the peanut sauce dressing
Once the quinoa is mostly cool, toss all the ingredients together to combine.

Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad in a large green bowl garnished with lime wedges and a nasturtium flower
Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad is great for a crowd, or for meal prep for the week ahead!

A bowl of Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad with a fork in it
This salad definitely helps you eat the rainbow!

Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad

This Quinoa Peanut Crunch Salad is great for serving a crowd, or for making multiple lunches in a meal prep session. It’s loaded with fresh veggies and fruit, as well as lots of color and fiber, and most importantly - flavor!

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

15

min

cook:

15

min

total:

30

min

Ingredients

For the salad:

1 cup dry quinoa

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1 English cucumber, diced

1 mango, peeled and diced

1 bunch cilantro, leaves roughly chopped

1/2 small red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the dressing:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

3 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce

2 Tbsp. low-sodium tamari

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

Juice of 1 lime

1-inch fresh ginger, peeled, grated

1 garlic clove, grated

1/4-1/2 cup warm water

Instructions

  1. Start by cooking the quinoa. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer. Ad the rinsed quinoa to medium sauce pan with 2 cups water. Cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. Remove the quinoa from the heat, fluff with a fork, and let cool for about 15 minutes.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking and cooling, prepare the vegetables and add them to a large mixing bowl. 
  3. In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients except for the warm water. Slowly add the warm water while whisking until you reach desired consistency. 
  4. Once the quinoa is cool, add it to the bowl with the prepared vegetables. Pour over the dressing and stir until everything is evenly coated. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve.
  5. Serve the salad garnished with lime wedges. 
  6. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 
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