The perfect make-ahead recipe! Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad is made with strawberries, blueberries, and toasted almond slices. This delicious and healthy summer salad is ready in only 25 minutes – talk about a great dish. 

Summertime is a busy time. Especially when it’s middle of the summer and we celebrate my husband’s and daughter’s birthdays. With about a week and a half between the two days, it feels like birthday season in our house.

I first shared this recipe six years ago when I made it for my daughter’s third birthday party. Turning three was a whole new experience for us. My daughter helped with every aspect of party planning, from designing the invitations to choosing the music and even the menu. While cake, pizza, and fruit are always birthday party staples for us, I also wanted to include some healthier options, like this Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad.

Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad is the perfect balance of sweet berries, nutty almonds, and delicious quinoa. It’s perfect for any celebration – whether it’s a weekend BBQ, a family get-together, or even a simple meal. With this delicious and flavorful dish, you can’t go wrong.

How Healthy is a Quinoa Salad?

Quinoa is such a versatile and healthy grain grain. It’s one of the most nutritious foods – rich in fibre and antioxidants – and it has so many health benefits. It can also help improve your blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

It’s basically the little black dress of healthy grains. You can make it savoury or sweet, depending on how you prepare it. Pair it with berries, beans or even fish and meat. There are endless ways to enjoy this super food. No wonder it’s so popular these days.

Is Quinoa Healthier than Rice?

While rice is eaten all over the world, quinoa is actually healthier. Quinoa has fewer calories and carbohydrates than rice, and it has more protein and fibre.

So, if you’re looking for a tasty rice-like grain that packs a delicious punch and is healthy too – quinoa is definitely the perfect choice!

How to Make Quinoa Extra Tasty

With a tasty combination of summer berries, roasted almonds and a honey-sweetened lemon dressing, Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad salad just screams summer. But what makes this salad extra tasty is one very special ingredient, vegetable broth.

Sure, it’s a great base for soups and stews, but vegetable broth also makes perfect quinoa. It adds an element of flavour that you just don’t get when you cook with water. The broth infuses the grain with a wonderfully hearty flavour that adds a savoury element to this fruit-filled salad.

How to Make Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad

STEP 1: PREHEAT OVEN TO 350°F (175°C)

To make the sliced almonds taste even better, this is the perfect temperature for cooking them. If you haven’t toasted almonds before, they are delicious. Toasting the almonds brings out their flavor and makes them even tastier than before.

If you don’t want to roast your sliced almonds, you may be able to find them toasted and sliced in the grocery store. Usually, we only find them sliced, which is why we toast them. Plus, they taste amazing when they are warm and fresh out of the oven.

Step 2: Prepare the Quinoa

Cooking the quinoa is the next step. You can use water or vegetable broth. And if you prefer another broth like chicken or beef, you can use that, too. We prefer the vegetable broth because it gives the quinoa a subtle vegetable flavor that works perfectly with any dish.

To prepare the quinoa, you’ll want to use a large saucepan. First add the water or vegetable broth and heat it over medium-high heat. When it begins to boil, lower the temperature to simmer and add the quinoa.

In order to help the quinoa properly cook, cover the saucepan with a lid or tin foil. Let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Set it aside when the quinoa is finished cooking.

Step 3: Toast the Almonds

If your oven is finished preheating before the quinoa is cooked, you can move on to this step. Now it is time to toast the almonds. It’s so tasty and it is so worth this step to make the almonds extra tasty.

Place the almonds on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. It takes 5 to 10 minutes for the almonds to toast. You’ll want to keep an eye on the almonds. So, check frequently because they are ready when they are lightly browned. You don’t want to overcook them and end up with burned almonds.

Step 4: Prepare the Sweet Lemon Dressing

Whether you are someone who loves sauces or a more subtly flavored dish, this is one dressing that just being everything together. And it is so easy to make.

Simply combine lemon juice, water, honey, mint and Dijon mustard in small bowl. This dressing is the perfect balance of sweet, tasty, with a little zesty goodness. It balances the sweetness of the berries and the savory crunch of the almonds and nutty flavored quinoa.

Step 5: Make the Salad

Now, it all comes together. In a large bowl, add the strawberries, blueberries, half of the almonds, and quinoa. Drizzle with Sweet Lemon Dressing. Gently mix the salad and top with remaining almonds.

And your Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad is ready to eat!! So, serve and enjoy!

Can You Make Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad Ahead of Time?

Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad is super easy to make. And it’s the perfect make-ahead dish. You can have the berries chopped in one container, the quinoa in another, and the roasted almonds in the smallest one. Even the dressing can be made ahead of time. In fact, the dressing just gets better with time.

On the first day the lemon juice, water, honey, mint and Dijon mustard, have a fresh lemony flavour. But by the second and third day, the mint infuses the dressing, making it even more refreshing.

Whether you make Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad ahead of time or not, when it’s time to serve, everyone will love this crowd-pleasing dish.

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Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad

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A cold quinoa salad that’s quick and easy to prepare for lunch, dinner or a big backyard party. With a crowd-pleasing flavour of berries, roasted almonds and a honey-sweetened lemon dressing, this sweet and savoury dish packs a delicious punch.

• Author: Jessica
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Salad
• Method: Boil & Bake
• Cuisine: American/Canadian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups strawberries, quartered
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup almonds, sliced

SWEET LEMON DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh mint or 1 1/2 teaspoons mint, dried
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add water or vegetable broth. When it begins to boil, lower the temperature to simmer. Add quinoa, cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Set aside when done.
3. Place almonds on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
4. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, water, honey, mint and Dijon mustard to make the Sweet Lemon Dressing.
5. In a large bowl, add strawberries, blueberries, half of the almonds, and quinoa. Drizzle with the Sweet Lemon Dressing. Gently mix. Top with remaining almonds. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

• This is a delicious and easy quinoa salad that you can make ahead of time.
• Berry Nutty Quinoa Salad was originally published in 2016 and has been updated with more information and easier steps to follow. 

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4
• Calories: 317.97kcal
• Sugar: 18.91g
• Sodium: 359.82mg
• Fat: 8.77g
• Saturated Fat: 0.79g
• Unsaturated Fat: 4.31g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 53.99g
• Fiber: 7.43g
• Protein: 9.71g
• Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: easy quinoa salad with fresh berries