Mango Pineapple Quinoa Salad
This mango pineapple quinoa salad is the taste of summer! Easy to make and filled with tropical flavours, this healthy salad is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Salad
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa + 1½ cups water
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 mango, diced
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
Dressing
- 2 limes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon orange juice
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey sub maple syrup for vegan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Making the Quinoa
- Begin by cooking the quinoa. It is easiest to do this a few hours before you plan to make the salad, so that the quinoa can cool. Do this the night before or morning of to save you prep time later!
- Measure out the dry quinoa and add it to a fine mesh strainer. Rinse under cold water for about 1 minute. This will clean the quinoa and remove some of the bitterness from its outer coating.
- Add the rinsed quinoa to a small saucepan with the water. The key here is to not listen to the package instructions. For perfect, non-mushy quinoa, you want a 1:2 dry quinoa to water ratio. Add the water to the saucepan and then turn the heat up to a boil. Do not cover the quinoa. Lid off while on the heat.
- Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer, uncovered, until the water is absorbed. This will take about 12-15 minutes.
- When there is no more water in the pan, turn the heat off, remove the pan from heat, and then place the lid on to cover and steam for about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and you'll see how light and fluffy this quinoa is. No mushy quinoa here! Set aside to cool completely, and if you're making the quinoa the night before, cover in an airtight container (once cooled) and place it in the fridge.
Making the Salad
- Dice up the bell pepper, mango, pineapple, and red onion. Add to a large bowl with the cooled quinoa.
- To make the dressing, start by washing and drying the limes. Firmly roll on the counter to release their juices. Zest and juice both limes into a measuring cup or small bowl. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and whisk.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat everything. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or even overnight. When ready to serve, add the slivered almonds and toss again. Best served cold. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage Instructions
Leftovers can be covered and returned to the fridge. The salad will last for 3 days in the fridge and can be enjoyed again.