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This Rainbow Quinoa Salad with Red Curry Dressing is colorful, crunchy, and full of hearty, mouth-watering flavors. Packed with wholesome ingredients, this dish is vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!
This colorful Rainbow Quinoa Salad is the perfect balance of textures and flavors! Crunchy veggies combine with hearty quinoa and a creamy, tangy Red Curry Dressing to make an appetizing and satisfying salad. It’s perfect for meal-prep, an easy dinner, or for entertaining or hosting.
INGREDIENTS FOR RAINBOW QUINOA SALAD WITH RED CURRY DRESSING
This recipe comes together usingsimple, colorful, whole-food ingredients.It’s just as tasty as it looks – I promise! Here’s what you’ll need:
For the Red Curry Dressing:
- Coconut Milk is oh so creamy, making it a great base for our simple red curry dressing.
- Creamy Peanut Butter is salty, nutty, and full of healthy fats, making this creamy dressing even more hearty and satisfying.
- Thai Red Curry Paste: packs all of the curry spices into an easy-to-use paste that mixes right into our dressing!
- Limegives this creamy dressing a tangy finishandbrightens up all of the flavors of the curry paste.
For the Salad:
- Quinoa: a hearty, protein-packed base for our salad that adds the perfect balance of fluffy and crunchy texture.
- Crunchy Veggies:I usedShelled Edamame, Red Cabbage, and Carrots for this recipe. Cucumber would also be a great add-in, as well as sliced sugar snap peas, or substitute my Crispy Tofu for the edamame!
- Cilantroadds a burst of freshness and brightens up all of the flavors in the salad.
- Roasted Cashews: Who doesn’t love a crunchy topping? Roasted nuts like cashews or peanuts are the perfect finishing touch for this recipe.
One of my favorite aspects of this recipe (besides how delicious it is ????) is how easily you can customize it. I love using whatever fresh veggies I have on hand for the salad, and the dressing can easily be switched up as well. See my substitution notes at the bottom of the recipe for inspiration!
HOW TO MAKE RAINBOW QUINOA SALAD WITH RED CURRY DRESSING
Making this Rainbow Quinoa Salad is as easy as 1, 2, 3…4! You simply cook your quinoa, make your dressing, toss everything together, and garnish with a handful of roasted cashews!
- Cookquinoa and set aside to cool.
- Blend all ofthe dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
- Add all of the salad components to a bowl,drizzle onthe dressing, and toss until well-combined.
- Sprinkle roasted cashews on top and serve!
This is one of my favorite fuss-free recipes for meal-prep. Everything in this dish will last a while in the fridge without getting soggy, so it’s perfect for fresh meals all week! You can easily pop all of the salad components into a mason jar or storage container for a great portable on-the-go meal idea, and it will stay delicious in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you’re looking for more hearty salad recipes, you’ll also love this Curried Lentil Salad with Roasted Cauliflower, this Buffalo Cauliflower Pasta Salad, and this Vegan Taco Pasta Salad!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
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5 from 9 reviews
This Rainbow Quinoa Salad with Red Curry Dressing is colorful, crunchy, and full of hearty, mouth-watering flavors. Packed with wholesome ingredients, this dish is vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!
- Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
For the Red Curry Dressing:
- 3/4 cup (180 g) full-fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup (80 g) creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste*
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 tablespoon grade A maple syrup (or other sugar of choice)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2” thumb of ginger, peeled
For the Salad:
- 1 cup (175 g) dry quinoa
- 12 ounces (340 g) shelled edamame, defrosted if frozen
- 1/4 head red cabbage, finely shredded
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated or finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup (75 g) roasted cashews (or peanuts)
Instructions
- Cook the Quinoa: add the quinoa, 2 cups of water, and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan over high heat. Once boiling, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing the lid and fluffing with a fork; set aside to let cool.
- Make the Dressing: in the meantime, add the coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, maple syrup, lime juice, garlic, and ginger to a high-speed or bullet blender. Process until smooth, 45-60 seconds. If the dressing is too thick for your liking, you can thin it out to taste with extra coconut milk or water.
- Make the Salad: while the quinoa is cooking & cools off, prep the salad ingredients. Add the cooled quinoa, edamame, cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, and cilantro to a large bowl and top with 1 cup (235 ml) of the dressing. Toss until well combined, then top with roasted cashews.
- Serve: divide the salad onto serving plates and top with additional dressing, if desired. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Curry Paste: make sure the curry paste you are using is vegan, as some contain seafood. I used the Thai Kitchen brand for this recipe!
- Substitutions: feel free to swap out or add in any of your favorite veggies! You could also replace the edamame with my Crispy Tofu. If you have a nut allergy, replace the peanut butter with sunflower butter, and the toasted nuts with 1/4 cup sesame seeds.
