I don’t love broccoli but I love my healthy broccoli salad! This broccoli quinoa salad is my second favourite and contains chopped broccoli, a mix of herbs, toasted slivered almonds and cooked quinoa. I really wanted all ingredients to be of similar texture. Then I added organic extra virgin olive oil (great for salads and not so great for heating), a bit of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
This quinoa and broccoli salad with almonds was to die for and made a complete meal which we ate for days. I used slivered almonds which I happened to have on hand. I love their texture but they cost an arm and a leg, I agree. You can substitute with coarsely chopped almonds.
Looking for more quinoa salads? Try my quinoa tabbouleh salad, Mediterranean quinoa salad, quinoa black bean salad or “get lost” among 30 best healthy salad recipes from all over the web.
How to Make Broccoli Quinoa Salad
- In a medium pot, add quinoa, water and a pinch of salt. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
- In the meanwhile, preheat small skillet on low heat and add almonds. Toast until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add broccoli and process in batches until coarsely chopped.
- Add to a large bowl along with remaining ingredients and gently stir to combine. Serve cold.
Broccoli Quinoa Salad
Broccoli Quinoa Salad Recipe is a cold quinoa salad with raw broccoli, cooked quinoa, toasted almonds, any fresh herbs, olive oil and lemon.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1 1/2 cups water + pinch of salt
- 1 cup almonds, slivered (coarsely chopped)
- 1.5 lbs broccoli (including stems), cut int osmall chunks
- 1 cup herbs, finely chopped (I used dill+parsley+mint+basil+cilantro+chives)
- 3 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/2 lemon, zest of
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add quinoa, water and a pinch of salt. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork. Set aside.
- In the meanwhile, preheat small skillet on low heat and add almonds. Toast until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add broccoli and process in batches until coarsely chopped. Add to a large bowl along with remaining ingredients and gently stir to combine. Serve cold.
Store: Refrigerate in a glass airtight container for up to 3 days.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
Very good idea to break down the broccoli in the food processor. Simple, healthy and delicious. 4 stars instead of 5 only because blanched broccoli would soften the strong flavor that still seemed so prominent. I’ll do that next time. Also, tastes great w golden raisins added to it!
★★★★
Glad you liked it Jennifer!
Can I use frozen broccoli or just fresh?
Use fresh broccoli. Frozen broccoli will be mushy.
How much of each of the herbs do you put in? Dried or fresh??
Hi Lori! I used 1 cup of fresh herbs (dill, parsley, mint, cilantro all work gray)!
Hi there
Love your blog. I am struggling to lose weight because there is so many diets so I decided to try meal prepping and I love your salad recipes I believe will work for me as I put them into mason jars.
What is Mexican beans consist of?
Thanks have a wonderful day.
Which recipe are you wanting to add beans to? Pinto, black beans are always a top choice for me!
I have a lot of broccoli on hand but no quinoa. Would brown rice or something work as a substitute?
Sure! Brown rice, farro, wheat berries etc.
Finally I can eat raw broccoli. I didn’t have enough broccoli so I added cauliflower as well. So delicious.
★★★★★
So happy to hear, Irina. I can relate. Totally works.:)
Love this salad. Only used dill and scallions which has given it the best flavor. Thought I could cut back on the olive oil but no, the amount stated is required. Used only half the quinoa once cooked as I wanted alot more veggie. Will share this recipe.
★★★★★
One of the best salads I have ever tried!
★★★★★
Is the broccoli cooked or raw in this recipe?
Raw.
Thank you!
This is a great summer salad and a bit different from the usual. I loved the crunch from the toasted almonds. I did add a bit more lemon juice but I love that extra tanginess! 😉