Kale & quinoa salad is hearty, veggie-packed, and bursting with nourishing ingredients! Drizzled with a white wine vinaigrette, it's full of fresh flavor and texture. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly!
From our staple kale salad to kale caesar salad, and this delicious kale & quinoa salad - we are BIG fans of kale here at Sweet Peas & Saffron!
This kale & quinoa salad is going to be your new go-to recipe when you need something that is refreshing, customizable and absolutely refreshing.
Topped with white wine vinaigrette and feta cheese, this salad is very flexible and can be customized to your liking (see suggestions below)! Best of all, it's quick to put together, and ingredients can be prepped ahead for meal prep.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- it's so refreshing and flavorful - crunchy veggies, and tender kale drizzled with vinaigrette? Yum!!
- it contains a good dose of protein thanks to the quinoa, making it a hearty and filling salad
- it's gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly (omit feta cheese)
Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see how to assemble this kale & quinoa salad! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient Notes
- kale - we used curly kale in these photos, but you can use almost any type of kale in this recipe, from curly to lacinato kale, or even baby kale.
- quinoa - we like to cook it up in the rice cooker, but you can also prep quinoa on the stovetop. We used white quinoa, but you could also use tri-color quinoa (they cook up the same)
- veggies - we're using bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and red onion for a Mediterranean vibe! See variations below for more veggies you could include or swap.
- white wine vinaigrette - a go-to staple! This white wine vinaigrette is neutral and goes well on pretty much any salad, including this one.
Step by step directions
Cook Quinoa
Ways you can cook it:
Once cooked, you will want to allow the quinoa to fully cool before assembling the salad.
Prepare Kale
Tear kale into bite-size pieces, wash, then spin dry. See more specific tips below.
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Follow these important steps to ensure your kale is mild, sweet, and easy to chew:
- Remove the leaves from the stem, either by tearing them off with your hands or carefully cutting the leaves off with a small knife
- Tear the kale up into bite-sized pieces.
- Fill a large bowl or salad spinner with water. Press the kale down into the water, moving it around to knock any dirt or debris from the kale.
- Drain the kale well; using a salad spinner is easiest. Alternatively, you can arrange the kale leaves on a clean kitchen towel, then roll it up tightly to help absorb moisture from the leaves.
- Massage the kale for 2-3 minutes before adding to the salad. This is important to help remove the tough texture that raw kale can tend to have, and helps remove the natural bitterness that kale can hold! To massage the kale, take clean, washed kale, and massage in your hands for 2-3 minutes, until kale becomes soft and bright green
Shake Up Vinaigrette
In a salad dressings shaker or ยฝ pint jar, combine olive oil, white wine, maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dijon. Shake until completely mixed.
Combine
Assemble the salad ingredients including quinoa, kale, chopped bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and feta cheese. Drizzle with the dressing, toss, and enjoy!
Variations
In addition to the toppings listed, you can really get creative here and add in some other ingredients you might have in the fridge:
- sliced cucumbers
- olives
- sun dried tomatoes
- fresh herbs such as basil or oregano
- swap the vinagrette for our red wine vinaigrette
- add chickpeas for extra protein, or top with falafel to make it a complete meal
FAQ
Sure! Layer the salad in a mason jar in the following order to keep the kale from going soggy:
โขย vinaigrette on the bottom
โข quinoa
โขย kale
โข bell peppers, onions
โข feta
โขย tomatoes on the top
You could swap for couscous, though it would no longer be gluten-free.
Absolutely, just leave out the feta! You'll want to increase the salt in the dressing to compensate.
Meal Prep + Storage
This kale & quinoa salad is best served fresh, however, you can prep some of the components 4-5 days ahead.
- Quinoa- Cook quinoa, let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Kale- Shred, wash, dry kale. Store in a container lined with a paper towel in the fridge for up to 7 -10 days
- Vinaigrette- Shake up the salad dressing and store separately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
- Veggies- Chop up the veggies including cucumber, bell peppers, red onion. Cherry tomatoes should be added fresh, as their texture goes downhill when pre-cut. Store chopped veggies for 4-5 days.
- To serve- combine the kale, quinoa, veggies, and top with feta and white wine vinaigrette
Store - once the salad is assembled, it should be eaten within 6-8 hours. After 24 hours, we find it tends to go a little soggy and isn't quite as fresh!
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Kale and Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- ยพ cup quinoa uncooked; note 1
- 4 cups kale leaves packed; note 2
- 2 bell peppers diced
- ยผ cup red onion diced
- 1 pint tomatoes halved
- ยพ cup feta cheese crumbled
Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup note 3
- 2 teaspoon lemon
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- ยผ teaspoon dijon
Instructions
- Cook quinoa - Cook quinoa according to package directions. Allow the quinoa to fully cool before assembling the salad.
- Prepare Kale - While the quinoa is cooking, shred, wash, and dry the kale. Remove if from the stem and tear into bite-sized pieces. Soak in cold water, then drain. Dry well using a salad spinner. Take clean, washed kale, and massage in your hands for 2-3 minutes, until kale becomes soft and bright green (note 4).
- Vinaigrette - Shake vinaigrette ingredients together, including olive oil, white wine, maple syrup, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and dijon.
- Combine - Assemble the salad ingredients including quinoa, kale, chopped bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and feta cheese. Drizzle with the dressing, toss, and enjoy!
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Tips:
- cook your quinoa on the stove top, in a rice cooker, or in an Instant Pot. White quinoa is pictured; swap for red or tricolor if you'd prefer!
- you can use curly, lacinato or baby kale in this recipe
- swap for brown sugar, honey or your favorite sweetener
- massaging kale helps to soften the texture and remove bitterness from the leaves
- serving size is a very rough estimate. Nutritional info is for โ of the batch
- Cook quinoa, let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge
- Shred, wash, dry kale. Store in a container lined with a paper towel in the fridge for up to 7 -10 days
- Shake up the salad dressing and store seperately in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
- Chop up the veggies incuding cucumber, bell peppers, red onion. Cherry tomatoes should be chopped when ready to serve, as they tend to go soggy. Store chopped veggies for 4-5 days.
- To serve, combine the kale, quinoa, veggies, and top with feta and white wine vinagrette
Video
Nutrition Information
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