Summer Quinoa Salad

If you’re looking for a fresh and flavorful summer salad, you’re going to want to make this Summer Quinoa Salad recipe! It’s made with white quinoa,  juicy ripe nectarines and strawberries, fresh corn on the cob, cucumber, red onion, avocado, and fresh mint all tossed in a delicious vinaigrette.

We love everything about this Summer Quinoa Salad with fruit! It’s a great salad to make for summer entertaining, potlucks, backyard barbecues, and other family gatherings.

This salad is loaded with summer fruit and fresh corn on the cob. It’s a gorgeous salad with an incredible mix of flavors, and it’s a perfect salad to make on a warm summer day when the last thing you want to do is spend time in the kitchen.

Summer Quinoa Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Cooked quinoa. We use white quinoa for this recipe, but tri color works just as well.
• Boiled Corn.  We boil fresh corn on the cob adds a nice crunch and flavor to this salad.
• Fresh Fruit. Choose the sweetest and juiciest strawberries and nectarines you can find.  You can add peaches instead of nectarines if you like.
• Cucumber. Cucumber adds a nice crunch to the salad.
• Onion.  We use red onion for this salad, but you could use green onion (or omit onion altogether) if you prefer. If you want to mellow the flavor of red onion, just soak sliced onions in a bowl of water for about 10 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The drain and pat dry. 
• Feta Cheese. We add just a little Feta cheese to this salad. You could add goat cheese instead or omit the cheese altogether.
• Fresh Herbs.  Fresh mint adds a delicious pop of flavor to this salad! You can use fresh basil if you prefer, or a combo of both, or leave it out altogether – the salad will still taste amazing.
• Vinaigrette.  We toss this salad with a simple lime mint vinaigrette. You could also toss it with our Pomegranate Vinaigrette or Healthy Citrus Vinaigrette.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Variations

• Nuts & Seeds. Add sliced almonds, pistashios, pepitas or sunflower seeds.
• Fruit. Toss in raspberries, blueberries, cherries or peaches (instead of nectarines).
• Tomatoes. Toss in cherry tomatoes (sliced in half).

How To Make The Best Summer Quinoa Salad

1. Make Dressing. Add the ingredients to a wide mouth mason jar and use an immersion blender (stick blender) to blend the ingredients. You can also add everything to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake vigorously to blend the ingredients. Or simply add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together. 
2. Cook Quinoa. This is our go-to recipe for how to make quinoa. We always use 1 cup dried quinoa (rinsed) to 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then put lid on pot and reduce heat to low simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes then remove from heat. Set aside for 20 minutes for all of the liquid to evaporate before fluffing quinoa. This waiting for 20 minutes after cooking quinoa will give you light fluffy quinoa.
3. Boil Corn. Boil shucked corn cobs in a pot of unsalted water for 3-5 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t overcook it.
4. Prep Ingredients. Slice the strawberries in half and cut the nectarines into 4-6 wedges.
5. Toss Ingredients. Put the quinoa in a bowl and toss with the finely chopped mint. Add the nectarines, strawberries, corn, cucumber, and onion and toss.  . 
6. Dress Salad . Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to lightly coat the ingredients. Add the avocado and gently toss again.
7. Season. Season salad with salt and pepper if you like.

How To Cook Quinoa

Cooking quinoa is a lot like cooking rice. We use a ratio of 1 cup quinoa (rinsed unless package says it’s already pre-rinsed) and 2 cups water (you can use vegetable broth or chicken broth if you want to add more flavor

1. Rinse. Rinse under cold water if the package doesn’t state that it has already been rinsed.
2. Cook. Add it to a saucepan and pour water or broth over it and stir.Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover with lid and simmer 15-17 minutes.  Don’t remove the lid.
3. Remove from heat. As soon as the water is absorbed, remove from heat and set the cooked quinoa aside for 8-10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

How To Boil Corn On The Cob

Fresh corn on the cob is a popular American vegetable that shows up a lot during warm summer months, so we thought it was a natural to feature it in our Summer Quinoa Salad.

1. Shuck Corn:  Strip off the husk and snap off the end stalks. Pull off the silk and remove the strands caught between the kernels. You can rub a damp paper towel along the kernels to help loosen the strands caught between the kernels.
2. Boil Pot of Water: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Don’t add salt as this can make the corn a little tough.
3. Boil Corn: Using tongs, lower each shucked cob of corn into the boiling water. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t overcook them.
4. Serve Corn: Using tongs, remove boiled corn from the water.
5. Cut Corn. After the corn is cool enough to handle, hold it upright with one end firmly set on a cutting board, and carefully run a knife along the cob cutting away the corn kernels.

Why You Will Love This Summer Quinoa Salad

• Fresh and Flavorful. The combination of fresh strawberries, nectarines and corn gives this salad a bright and summery flavor.
• Quick and Easy. This salad comes together in about 30 minutes. 
• Perfect For Summer. It’s perfect for summer entertaining, birthday parties, baby showers, potlucks and backyard barbecues.

More Salad Recipes

• Watermelon Arugula Quinoa Salad
• Tomato Basil Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
• Best Quinoa Salad
• Strawberry Quinoa Salad
• Summer Corn Salad
• Kale Pasta Salad
• Red White and Blue Fruit Salad
• Berry Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese
• Greek Cucumber Salad

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Yield: 8 Servings

Summer Quinoa Salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

If you're looking for a fresh and flavorful summer salad, you're going to want to make this Summer Quinoa Salad recipe! It's made with white quinoa, ripe juicy nectarines and strawberries, fresh corn on the cob, cucumber, red onion, and avocado all tossed in a delicious vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups cooked white quinoa
• 2 nectarines, pitted and sliced
• 2 cups strawberries, sliced in half
• 1 cup boiled corn, 1-2 ears
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1 avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

For The Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon shallot, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon honey or pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

For The Quinoa

1. Rinse 1 cup quinoa under cold water, unless the package states the quinoa has already been pre rinsed.
2. Add the quinoa to a saucepan and pour 2 cups of water over it and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer, cover with lid and simmer 15-17 minutes.  Do not remove the lid.
3. As soon as the water is absorbed, remove from heat and set the cooked quinoa aside for 8-10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Transfer to a bowl until it cools.

For The Corn

1. Strip off the husk and snap off the end stalks. Pull off the silk and remove the strands caught between the kernels. You can rub a damp paper towel along the kernels to help loosen the strands caught between the kernels.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Do not add salt as this can make the corn a little tough.
3. Using tongs, lower each shucked cob of corn into the boiling water. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t overcook them.
4. Using tongs, remove boiled corn from the water.
5. After the corn is cool enough to handle, hold it upright with one end firmly set on a cutting board, and carefully run a knife along the cob cutting away the corn kernels

For The Vinaigrette

1. Add the ingredients to a wide mouth mason jar and use an immersion blender (stick blender) to blend the ingredients. You can also add everything to a mason jar, seal the lid and shake vigorously to blend the ingredients. Or simply add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together. 

Assemble Salad

1. Transfer 1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa to a large bowl. Sprinkle in the finely chopped mint and toss.
2. Add the nectarines, strawberries, corn, cucumbers, and onion and toss.
3. Drizzle dressing over salad and gently toss. Add the avocado and gently toss again.
4. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, leftovers should last 1-2 days.

Notes

Variations

• Cheese. Add Feta or goat cheese.
• Nuts & Seeds. Add sliced almonds, pistashios, pepitas or sunflower seeds.
• Fruit. Toss in raspberries, blueberries, cherries or peaches (instead of nectarines).
• Tomatoes. Toss in cherry tomatoes (sliced in half).

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 373Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 81mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 7gSugar: 12gProtein: 5g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.