15 Easy Quinoa Recipes

Whether you’re a lover or a hater, one thing is true. Quinoa right out of the pot is pretty bland. You’ve got to have a few tricks up your sleeve to make it taste amazing. Here’s our best quinoa recipe to make it into a perfectly seasoned side dish. Just a few simple ingredients transform it from bland to bursting with flavor! Even quinoa haters will will want to take another bite…promise.

Here’s a workhorse salad that’s fresh, delicious and ultra versatile: this deli-style Quinoa Salad! There are loads of ways to make a salad with this fluffy grain and after experimenting for years, we’ve found the one. This quinoa recipe is delightfully refreshing, a jumble of crunchy, colorful veggies, fluffy quinoa grains, and a zingy Dijon mustard vinaigrette. It’s vegetable-packed, making it a great way to add veggies as a dinner side dish, lunch idea, or even picnics or potlucks.

Another fantastic quinoa salad...Quinoa Tabbouleh! There’s something about the combination of herbaceous parsley, bright lemon and crunchy tomatoes and cucumber that makes magic. Traditional Middle Eastern tabbouleh is made with bulgur wheat, a quick cooking whole grain. But seeing as quinoa is the grain of the moment…why not try it with quinoa? Turns out it works perfectly, making a delicious gluten free spin on this classic salad.

Want to liven up your breakfast game? Try Breakfast Quinoa! This alternative to oatmeal is just as satisfying. Critics of quinoa find it bitter or bland, but this way to prepare it is anything but! Cook it with milk, maple syrup and cinnamon, then load it up with toppings like fresh berries, coconut and nut butter. It’s a healthy breakfast idea that’s a fun way to start the day.

These loaded quinoa tacos are one of our very favorite inventive ways to eat quinoa! They’re delicious vegetarian taco recipe, featuring a taco spiced quinoa taco filling, bell pepper slaw, spicy sour cream (or vegan sour cream), and feta cheese! And they take only 30 minutes to make, putting them at the top of our list of easy quinoa recipes.

This protein-packed quinoa chili is a fan favorite! It’s beyond simple to make, and the flavor is outstanding. (We hope you’ll agree.) It’s got a hint of smokiness to highlight the tangy tomatoes and savory black beans. Top it with your favorite toppings, and it’s so hearty and savory, you’ll forget it’s healthy, too.

Last up in our quinoa dishes: quinoa bowls! Bowl meals are so popular these days, and often they’re on our table because it’s one of the easiest ways to turn random ingredients into a healthy dinner! But here’s the thing: you can’t just throw anything into a bowl. A good grain bowl has to be well-seasoned, and play up contrasts in color, texture and flavor. This one is Greek-inspired and stars our easy canned chickpeas with seasoned quinoa, colorful veggies and tahini sauce.

Here’s a quinoa recipe that’s beautifully fresh and saves well for meals throughout the week: kale quinoa salad! It’s full of healthy ingredients: quinoa, kale, peppers, carrots: and then covered in a delicious, ultra tangy dressing! It’s so flavorful and keeps that flavor 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Lunches just got way more exciting! It also works as a side salad for healthy dinners.

These delicious vegetarian enchiladas are stuffed with artichokes and quinoa! They’re a filling vegetarian recipe that’s perfect for feeding a crowd. When Alex first tried this quinoa recipe, he said the meatiness of the filling reminded him of chicken — which is big praise for a recipe that has no meat. Oh and they also look gorgeous! Topped with thinly sliced red onion rings, the lovely purple circles contrast against the bright Monterrey jack cheese, fresh cilantro, and crumbled queso fresco.

Next up in our list of easy quinoa recipes, this quinoa fried rice! This unique take on fried rice is made with quinoa instead of rice, and packed with baby greens: spinach, chard and kale. Alex and I make quinoa fried rice without a recipe all the time as an easy weeknight meal. Once you make this recipe a few times, you can get the hang of it and customize to use up the veggies in your fridge. This is one of our top favorite quinoa meals: and especially for using up leftovers, since it’s made with cold quinoa!

This quinoa stuffed peppers recipe is a colorful and delicious healthy dinner, full of Mediterranean flavors like lemon, parsley and feta. Roasting peppers is quite easy: it takes just 30 minutes and you can do it while preparing the remainder of the recipe. To make the quinoa filling, saute shallot and garlic, then add the quinoa, chopped pistachios, parsley, paprika, oregano and lemon. Then stuff the filling into the peppers and sprinkle everything with a healthy dose of feta cheese (or omit for vegan).

This Mediterranean quinoa salad features greens, feta cheese, kalamata olives and a quinoa tomato sofrito blend. It’s a copycat of a Panera quinoa salad we made as a reader request! Sofrito is a sauce used as a base in Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Latin American cooking. In Spanish cuisine, it’s garlic, onion, paprika, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil. The quinoa tomato sofrito blend has an almost meaty texture, and makes this a hearty and filling main dish salad.

This quinoa recipe takes a bit of time to put together, but it’s totally worth it! These flavorful quinoa burgers are easy to make and keep well in the fridge for several days. You can eat them with a bun, or place them on a bed of greens for a gluten free option. Top with hummus and avocado and dig in!

This Moroccan stew recipe is ultra flavorful, with a blend of Moroccan spices that’s truly irresistible! And it’s full of nutrient rich vegetables: sweet potatoes, chickpeas, tomatoes and spinach. Serve it with quinoa for a delicious plant based dinner that’s also gluten free. 

Looking for fresh quinoa dinner ideas? Try this Mediterranean Bowl, bursting with colorful veggies! It’s a simple “meal in a bowl” that stars spiced roasted vegetables, seasoned with an irresistible mix of cumin, coriander, garlic and a hint of cinnamon. Add to that quinoa, fresh cucumber and tomato, and top it all off with a creamy lemon tahini sauce.