Quinoa Lentil Salad Easy Tasty High Protein

You’ll love the textures and flavors of tender sweet potatoes, earthy lentils, and fulfilling quinoa hugged by a creamy, tangy mustard dressing. Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet. It’s low in cholesterol and saturated fats.Don’t have time to read the full blog post? JUMP TO RECIPE HERE!

What is Quinoa Lentil Salad?

Quinoa lentil salad video

Ingredients and Substitutions for Lentil Quinoa Salad

How to Make Quinoa Lentil Salad

Serving Suggestions

Variations

Storage & Make Ahead

More Lentil Recipes

More Quinoa Salad Recipes

So we went back to our kitchen, and after some rounds of testing, we are happy to share this delicious quinoa lentil salad with you. It’s an easy, flavor-packed, nourishing recipe with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. The recipe is inspired by our lentil sweet potato salad, where bite-size pieces of sweet potatoes are roasted in the oven or air-fried until beautifully tender. Their natural sweetness perfectly matches the nuttiness of lentils, the earthiness of quinoa, and the freshness of parsley. The lemon mustard dressing adds acidity, tanginess, and a bold, savory flavor, making this dish so tasty you won’t believe it is made with such simple veggies. Like lentil carrot salad and cauliflower lentil salad, you can serve quinoa lentil salad warm or at room temperature. The lentils and quinoa pack the recipe with wholesome and complete plant-based protein and gut-healthy fiber. We have this as a post-workout meal in a wrap with a sprinkle of crumbled feta, and it’s incredible!

Lentils

You can make lentil quinoa salad with drained and rinsed canned lentils or with dry lentils that you previously cooked in lightly salted boiling water until tender. Brown lentils, black lentils, and green lentils are best for this recipe as they keep their shape well. Here’s everything to know about how to cook lentils and how to cook black lentils. Substitute chickpeas or black beans for lentils.

Quinoa

Quinoa is delicious with lentils. We use white quinoa, but you can also use red, black, or tricolor quinoa. Remember to rinse the quinoa to remove its slightly bitter flavor before boiling it as per package instructions. Substitute couscous, farro, or barley for quinoa.

Sweet potatoes

You’ll love the natural sweetness of roasted sweet potatoes in this salad. Substitute carrots, pumpkin, or cauliflower florets for sweet potatoes.

Parsley

Fresh flat-leaf parsley adds freshness. Substitute dill, chives, or cilantro for parsley.

Dressing

Extra virgin olive oil Fresh lemon juice Dijon mustard or American mustard Paprika Ground cumin Garlic: grated finely Salt Black pepper

Feta

We often top this quinoa lentil salad recipe with crumbled feta cheese or non-dairy feta, but that’s optional.

Optional Add-Ins

Take our recipe as a guideline, and feel free to add your favorite add-ins. We can recommend diced red bell pepper, grated lemon zest, thinly sliced green onions, and finely chopped red onion.

1. Roast the sweet potatoes

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Peel and chop the sweet potato into bite-size pieces. Add them to a baking tray and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, two pinches of salt, and a twist of black pepper. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until fork tender and slightly browned.

2. Prep the quinoa, lentils, and dressing

Rinse and boil the quinoa as per package instructions. Drain the canned lentils and rinse them under running water. Tip: We cook the quinoa like we cook pasta; in a pot with plenty of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes, we drain it in a sift and let excess water drip for a minute or two. If you use dry lentils, rinse them and let them simmer in plenty of water for 15 to 45 minutes or until they are tender but still keep their shape. For the dressing, whisk extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, mustard, grated garlic, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper well.

3. Assemble the salad

To a large mixing bowl, add lentils, cooked quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, finely chopped fresh parsley, and the mustard dressing. Toss gently but thoroughly until the ingredients are well distributed. Taste and adjust for salt and lemon juice before serving in the mixing bowl or on a platter. Optionally, you can add crumbled feta cheese or non-dairy feta on top. It works well as a side dish or a light main, with some lettuce leaves and a spread or sauce. You’ll love it with:

Tzatziki Yogurt tahini sauce Avocado spread Tahini sauce Hummus

Turn this into a meal by serving it with a lick of hummus in a wrap or with pita bread.

Tzatziki

Avocado Spread

Hummus

Yogurt Tahini Sauce

Check out our lentil sweet potato salad.

Cauliflower lentil salad

Tender florets or roasted cauliflower meet earthy lentils and flavorful dressing with olive oil and lemon juice. This is another simple and tasty recipe with lentils to serve as a side dish or a quick meal. Check out our cauliflower lentil salad.

Carrot lentil salad

Carrots never tasted as good as they do in this salad with lentils, parsley, and a creamy and tangy mustard dressing. Add extra creaminess with a dollop of yogurt tahini sauce, and enjoy it with pita bread. Check out our carrot lentil salad recipe. Don’t overcook the sweet potatoes: roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven and 15 to 20 minutes in the air fryer. They should be fork-tender but not mushy and overcooked. Make it a meal: make this lentil quinoa salad a meal by serving it with a dollop of Greek yogurt, tzatziki, or yogurt tahini sauce and some pita bread or a wrap on the side. Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. Freezer: We don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Reheat: Take it out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving, or reheat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. The flavor will be more pronounced if the salad is served slightly warm or at room temperature.