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Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Need a reset?  This tasty, detox Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing is packed with fiber, protein, and lots of healthy goodness – a real treat for lunch or dinner!

Quinoa and Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette | This tasty, detox Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is packed with fiber, protein, and lots of healthy goodness – a real treat for lunch or dinner!| A Sweet Pea Chef

A few years ago, we went to California for a few weeks to enjoy the beach, hit up Disneyland for the kiddos, and just enjoy one of our most beloved places to visit.

One of our favorite things to do — on trips and in general — is to find new restaurants to try and test them out.

There’s just something about being on a trip that makes it feel like you can put more effort into trying new things, at least it feels that way for us.  Is it that way for you, too?

Bowls of cooked quinoa, brown lentils, and lemon vinaigrette to be used in quinoa lentil salad recipe : Close up of cooked lentils in glass bowl, ready to be used to make quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette dressing

On one of our first days after arriving in Los Angeles, we met some good friends in Laguna Beach <— LOVE BTW.  They suggested we meet at this place called Active Culture that is a mix between vegan bowls and frozen yogurt.  It’s a small little cafe on the corner of the main street and is right by Laguna Beach’s breathtaking ocean.

That was definitely a good call.

I ordered the Quinoa and Lentil Bowl and anxiously awaited it. We had just traveled for 2 1/2 days with the kiddos in the car across the country so I was very much excited to get some healthy FRESH food.

Lemon vinaigrette dressing poured over quinoa lentil salad High angle photo of quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette, can see the kale, tomatoes, quinoa, garbanzo beans, and lentils, topped with sunflower seeds.

When my salad bowl came out, it was piled high to the sky.  I made a comment like, “Wow, that’s a lot of food – I’ll never finish this.”

To which I immediately regretted saying because that pretty much guaranteed I’d be licking the bottom of the bowl after devouring it.

So I took a bite.  And another one.  And several more.  It was SO good.

The flavors were vibrant and complimentary.  It was crunchy, chewy, and tender, all at the same time.  The kick of the lemon vinaigrette was amazing and really made everything pop.

It was everything I wanted.

Close up of quinoa lentil salad in a serving bowl with lemon vinaigrette in the background.

We wound up driving back out to Laguna Niguel a second time on our trip to grab another salad for me so I could take note of everything in the salad to recreate it later.  And to see that amazing ocean.  Swoon.

Once we got back home to Austin, I took a shot at it and made a very comparable salad that is so easy to make at home.  Yay.  While it’s not the exact same because it doesn’t have the original “slammin’ sauce” like the original, it is still incredibly yummy and like detox in a bowl.  I’ve made it a ton already and it never gets old.

Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Is Quinoa Good for You?

Quinoa is an amazingly healthy addition to this salad because it is packed full of yummy goodness, like protein, fiber, vitamins, and all nine essential amino acids, which most other grains lack. Combined with leafy greens and iron-and-magnesium-rich lentils, this quinoa lentil salad is seriously one of my favorite things to eat right now.  It’s so tasty, filling, and good for you.

What To Season Quinoa With

Just like with most grains, quinoa can taste quite bland without the right seasonings. That’s where this recipe comes in, which shows you how to make a lemon vinaigrette that goes great with the textures in this salad.

Serving bowl of quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette dressing, ready to be enjoyed by a hand with a fork, taking a bite.

How To Make A Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Can we please talk about this lemon vinaigrette dressing?  Tangy, versatile, and so easy to make, it is JUST what you need to make all those grains and veggies pop.  All you need is a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, raw honey, Dijon mustard, sea salt, ground black pepper, and olive oil.  It’s salad making gold.

I like to make this quinoa lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette in bulk so I can grab it as a lunch or side to a dinner.  It’s packed full of protein, fiber, and other yummy healthy goodness and one of my favorite things to devour, especially when I’m feeling like I need a detox.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

P.S. If you can’t get enough lentils, you can also check out my yummy Cold Lentil Salad, too! 🙂

4.88 from 8 votes
Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette - Square Recipe Preview Image
Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

This tasty, detox Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is packed with fiber, protein, and lots of healthy goodness – a real treat for lunch or dinner!

Categories: Clean, Detox, gluten free, Healthy, Salad, Vegetarian
Difficulty: Easy
Keyword: lentil salad, lentil salad recipes, quinoa lentil salad
Servings: 4
Calories: 425 kcal
Author: Lacey Baier
Ingredients
For the Quinoa Lentil Salad
  • 1/2 cup cooked quinoa*
  • 1/2 cup cooked lentils**
  • 1/4 cup kale, packed
  • 1/4 cup cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1/4 cup carrot, 1/2 carrot, diced
  • 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 tbsp red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 tbsp raw sunflower seeds
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tsp raw honey
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
  1. If cooking the quinoa and lentils, see notes below for how to cook.

  2. To prep the kale, remove the leaves from the spine and then break the kale into bite size pieces. Toss the kale with a little olive oil and rub all over the kale, massaging it until the kale reduces in volume and becomes less stiff. (This makes a huge difference in the texture of the kale.)
  3. To make the lemon vinaigrette, combine the freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, raw honey, dijon mustard, sea salt, ground black pepper, and olive oil in a small mixing bowl, and whisk together until well combined.
  4. To assemble the salad, combine the cooked quinoa, cooked lentils, kale, garbanzo beans, diced cucumber, diced carrot, quartered grape tomatoes, finely diced red onion, and raw sunflower seeds in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
  5. Drizzle over a few tablespoons of the lemon vinaigrette, and toss once more.
  6. For garnish, sprinkle a few more sunflower seeds over the top.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

*To cook the quinoa, combine 1 cup uncooked quinoa with 2 cups water, bring to boil, then simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Once all the water is absorbed, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool as well.
**To cook the lentils, combine 1 cup dry lentils with 3 cups water, bring to boil, then simmer, covered for 30 minutes until tender. Once they’re cooked drain and set aside to cool.
***Cook time does not include cooked lentils or quinoa. Add 35 minutes if cooking.

Nutrition Facts
Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Amount Per Serving (1.25 cups)
Calories 425 Calories from Fat 181
% Daily Value*
Fat 20.1g31%
Saturated Fat 3.3g17%
Cholesterol 24.2mg8%
Sodium 136.5mg6%
Carbohydrates 41.2g14%
Fiber 6.1g24%
Sugar 7.1g8%
Protein 15.8g32%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post contains affiliate links for products I use regularly and highly recommend.

Lacey Baier

Hey there! I’m Lacey Baier and I’d like to welcome you! I’m a healthy lifestyle influencer and the creator of this clean-eating blog and YouTube channel, as well as cleanish, my clean-eating supplement brand. My recipes have been published on Food Network, Good Morning America, FoxNews, Tastemade, Fitness Magazine, and much more. I live in Austin, Texas with my husband and four kiddos. Let’s get started!

27 thoughts on “Quinoa Lentil Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

  1. To clarify, it’s 1 cup lentils to 2 cups water. Three cups of water makes it soupy and unusable in this recipe sadly. 🙁

  2. I want to try this, Lacey, but your amounts still don’t make sense. Whatever you think you fixed, did not get fixed. This would NOT serve 4. Not with 1/2 tablespoon of sunflower seeds. And a tablespoon of red onion. More like 1 serving. I’ll use your ingredients because it sounds like a tasty combo but I’ll have to figure out my own measurements I guess…

  3. 5 stars
    WOW from New Zealand!
    I don’t think I’ve ever commented on a recipe but I had to after making this!
    SO GOOD!
    I cooked the quinoa and lentils in the same pot and grated in carrot and beetroot BUT I don’t think it’d matter what you add, the whole thing is flavoursome and textured and SOOOOO GOOOOD!
    🥳🥳🥳

  4. Please just clarify one more time for me, is it:

    1/2c – lentils/quinoa, cooked? or
    1/2c – cooked lentils/quinoa

    There’s a big difference in volume and as I want to multiply the recipe for a crowd, I want to make sure I get it right!

  5. This sounds delicious however I don’t Entirely understand the recipe amounts. It says it’s 4 servings? The amounts in the recipe only add up to 2 1/4 cups. Is the amount in the recipe for one serving?

  6. 5 stars
    very good recipe, but you have to rinse the quinoa, otherwise it taste bitter,love your recipes, thanks for sharing.

  7. 5 stars
    We doubled it so we would have enough for our family of five plus lunch the next day. I omitted the red onions but left everything in the same ratio. Delicious!

  8. I’m new to cooking, when boiling the lentils and quinoa do we put salt in the water?

  9. 5 stars
    Delicious! Crisp, fresh & easy, thank you!

    I’m seeing that there was an issue with the measurements on some of the ingredients, the way it’s currently listed, is this correct? I did a 1/2 c of quinoa & 1/2 c of lentils… Thanks!

    1. 4 stars
      I think the measurements are off. if you add up everything in cups it equals 2.25 cups. I don’t see how that can make 4 servings of 1.25 cups/person or 5 cups.

      Also can it be a vinaigrette when there is no vinegar?

  10. Hi Lacey,

    I want to make this dish and want to be clear. You only use 1/2 c. of the cooked quinoa and 1/2 c. of the cooked lentils? It wouldn’t seem that that small amount of quinoa and lentils would be enough for 6 servings. It sounds delicious.

      1. 4 cups of lentils and quinoa combined or 4 of each? Thank you! Got my quinoa cooking now.

      2. I am still confused on the amounts for 4 servings. Your comments say you updated it to 4 cup of quinoa and 4 cups of lentils but it is still showing 1/2 cup for each. Please clarify one more time.

  11. 5 stars
    This was fantastic! Healthy and filling, and the dressing really does make everything ‘pop’. I’ve made it twice… my teenage sons loved it, and so did a friend who hesitated to even try it because she hates most of the ingredients. Thanks 🙂

  12. Can’t wait to try this salad and look forward to viewing more. My husband is a type2 diatetic and we need to eat healthier. Thanks!

  13. 5 stars
    Made this for my husband one night and needless to say it’s on the menu again this week. Thank you, it was very easy and most of all delicious!!

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