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Home Meal Type Salad
4.24
/5
35 minutes

Fennel & Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

Dairy Free Dairy-Free Gluten Free Gluten Free Vegan Vegan
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard23 Comments
Posted: 11/12/15 Updated: 8/28/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

A bright, flavorful fennel & pomegranate quinoa salad recipe that is so simple to throw together and is a perfect make ahead holiday side dish! Filled with crunchy fennel, radish and celery, with sweet pomegranates and fresh mint.

Quinoa is one seriously versatile ingredient! Not only can it go Italian in this caprese chicken quinoa salad, or Mexican for this quinoa black bean salad, but it goes with the mediterranean ingredients in this fennel and pomegranate quinoa salad!

pomegranate quinoa salad in wooden bowl

With sweet pomegranate seeds, salty feta cheese, spicy radishes, crunchy pecans and refreshing fennel...ingredients which may not sound like they belong together, but go oh-so-well.

This is a great holiday-worthy salad (because it's gorgeous!), but you can also enjoy it as an 'everyday' salad, and make a meal out of it by adding some protein.

Serve it with crispy baked chicken thighs or balsamic marinated salmon, and you have yourself a great meal!

Reasons you'll ♡ fennel & pomegranate quinoa salad

  • it's beautiful and worthy of your holiday table
  • you can add some protein and make a whole meal out of it
  • the incredible combination of flavors + textures work together so well

pouring vinaigrette over a bowl holding the fennel quinoa salad

The salad base

The base of our salad is 1 cup of dried quinoa. You can cook this on the stovetop (see my tips for perfect fluffy quinoa), in the Instant Pot, and even in a rice cooker! Once cooked, you will want to allow the quinoa to fully cool before assembling the salad.

Adding layers of flavor + texture

This pomegranate quinoa salad gets the crunch factor from fennel, celery and radish. Try your best to cut them into evenly sized pieces (about ½ an inch), for the best presentation of your salad.

To add a sweet pop of flavor, we are adding the seeds of a pomegranate. Find out how to deseed a pomegranate...my method is so fast!

To add another crunch and nutty flavor, we are adding chopped pecans. If you have the time to do so, I highly recommend toasting them first for 5-10 minutes in a pan. You won't believe how much extra flavor this adds to the salad!

For fresh and herbaceous flavor, we are adding fresh mint leaves, as well as some of the fronds from the fennel bulb. If you are making this salad ahead, be sure to leave the mint off until serving as the leaves can brown quickly.

The vinaigrette

We are tossing the salad in a nice, tangy apple cider vinaigrette. This recipe is adapted from my favorite white wine vinaigrette, and coats the salad ingredients, enhancing their flavors and adding a bit of tanginess. If you like a really tangy dressing, I'd actually use the white wine vinaigrette instead.

You can prep the apple cider vinaigrette up to 2 weeks ahead, and just give it a good shake up before tossing the salad in the dressing.

pomegranate fennel quinoa salad in white bowl

Storage + prep ahead tips

You will be happy to hear that this salad can work well for a make ahead option. Here are some tips:

Prep components ahead and assemble later

You can pre-cook the quinoa, pre-chop the veggies and shake up the vinaigrette up to 4 days ahead of time. Store components in the fridge, and toss together just before serving. *do not pre-chop the mint*

Enjoy leftovers

Leftovers from this pomegranate quinoa salad make for a delicious lunch, and it keeps well even after dressing in the vinaigrette. Portion out into meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. *if you plan to eat this as leftovers, consider leaving the mint off as it will brown*

Check out my favorite meal prep containers!

close up shot of quinoa pomegranate salad

Variations

This salad is super flexible. Here are some ingredient swaps you could make:

  • quinoa- swap for rice, farro or barley
  • pomegranate- swap for dried cranberries or chopped apple
  • fennel- swap for cucumber (will not work for meal prep this way), or just increase the radish + celery
  • pecans- swap for almonds or chopped hazelnuts
  • apple cider vinaigrette- swap for balsamic vinaigrette or this honey lemon vinaigrette

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this fennel and pomegranate quinoa salad. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

More salad recipes

  • Apple Bacon Spinach Salad with Spicy Maple Walnuts
  • Winter Balsamic Kale Salad with Havarti Crisps
  • Wild Rice and Sweet Potato Salad with a Chili Lime Vinaigrette
  • Pear Gouda + Spinach Salad
  • Autumn Apple Farro Salad

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

pomegranate fennel quinoa salad in wood bowl with forks

Fennel and Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

4.24 from 13 votes
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Print Rate
A bright, flavorful fennel & pomegranate quinoa salad recipe that is so simple to throw together and is a perfect make ahead holiday side dish! Filled with crunchy fennel, radish and celery, with sweet pomegranates and fresh mint.
6

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried quinoa
  • 1 fennel bulb (cut into ½ inch cubes)
  • 2 tablespoons fennel fronds (coarsely chopped)
  • 2 stalks celery (cut into ½ inch cubes)
  • ¼ cup mint leaves (torn into small pieces)
  • 1 pomegranate (deseeded)
  • 1 bunch radishes (cut into ½ inch cubes)
  • ½ cup pecans (chopped; toast for extra flavor)

Apple Cider Vinaigrette

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (packed; or swap maple syrup)
  • ½ teaspoon dijon
  • salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • Cook quinoa according to package directions.
  • While quinoa is cooking, prep your salad ingredients.
  • Shake together the dressing.
  • Toss everything together and serve.

Tips:

Storage:
You can pre-cook the quinoa, pre-chop the veggies and shake up the vinaigrette up to 4 days ahead of time. Store components in the fridge, and toss together just before serving. *do not pre-chop the mint*
Leftovers from this pomegranate quinoa salad make for a delicious lunch, and it keeps well even after dressing in the vinaigrette. Portion out into meal prep containers and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. *if you plan to eat this as leftovers, consider leaving the mint off as it will brown*
Ingredient swaps
  • quinoa- swap for rice, farro or barley
  • pomegranate- swap for dried cranberries or chopped apple
  • fennel- swap for cucumber (will not work for meal prep this way), or just increase the radish + celery
  • pecans- swap for almonds or chopped hazelnuts
  • apple cider vinaigrette- swap for balsamic vinaigrette or this honey lemon vinaigrette

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of batch, Calories: 288kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 88mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 10g
Author: Denise Bustard
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

Read more...

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Recipe Rating




  1. Leisbet says

    Posted on 4/22/22 at Posted on 4/22/22

    5 stars
    I really enjoy this recipie, I make it a bit zippier with more dijon mustard at least 1 tbsp. I find it a great lunch salad for the week. Thanks

    Reply
    • Ben | Sweet Peas & Saffron says

      Posted on 5/3/22 at Posted on 5/3/22

      Hi Leisbet, we are happy to hear you are enjoying this recipe, and thanks for sharing your personalization.

      Reply
  2. Lori says

    Posted on 12/19/19 at Posted on 12/19/19

    I get really annoyed when receipts aren't set up to print. Makes not want to try thiem.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/14/20 at Posted on 1/14/20

      Hi Lori, sorry about that, we had some technical difficulties but the print button is back. Sorry for the inconvenience

      Reply
  3. Lorraine says

    Posted on 12/11/17 at Posted on 12/11/17

    This looks fantastic - but I don't see the pecans in the ingredient list. Wondering if they're toasted or raw?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 12/13/17 at Posted on 12/13/17

      Hi Lorraine, thanks so much for letting me know! I just updated the recipe. You can toast them if you'd like for extra flavor 🙂

      Reply
  4. traci | vanilla and bean says

    Posted on 11/24/15 at Posted on 11/24/15

    Oh Denise I absolutely adore this salad. So much delicious, seasonal ingredients and fennel, a veg I'm learning more about and warming up to. No doubt I could devour this whole salad all by my self! Gorgeous my dear!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/24/15 at Posted on 11/24/15

      Thanks so much, Traci! I am loving fennel these days. Just tried it roasted....SO good!!

      Reply
  5. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says

    Posted on 11/17/15 at Posted on 11/17/15

    I love this salad and how seasonal it is!! Fennel is one of my favorites, and I bet it goes amazingly with the pomegranate! Yum!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/17/15 at Posted on 11/17/15

      Thanks, Jess! I am loving pomegranates right now, and I need to use fennel more often!

      Reply
  6. Jessica - The Novice Chef says

    Posted on 11/16/15 at Posted on 11/16/15

    Ohh yum! This sounds amazing. We always make a pre-Thanksgiving turkey since we never have leftovers with such a big family. I can't wait to make this as a side one night to go with it! 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/17/15 at Posted on 11/17/15

      That's such a great idea! We have Christmas dinner at a friend's house every year and find ourselves missing those left-overs. Thanks, Jessica!

      Reply
  7. Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says

    Posted on 11/14/15 at Posted on 11/14/15

    I am obsessed with these pictures Denise! Holy gorgeous! This salad looks amazing too. Perfect for Thanksgiving!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/15/15 at Posted on 11/15/15

      Thank-you so much, Natalie! It's easy to take good photos when the food looks pretty 😉 I am tempted to celebrate the American Thanksgiving this year. But I'm too busy to cook a turkey, so maybe not...ha ha!

      Reply
  8. sue|theviewfromgreatisland says

    Posted on 11/13/15 at Posted on 11/13/15

    STUNNING salad 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/15/15 at Posted on 11/15/15

      Thanks so much, Sue! Pomegranates make everything look pretty 😉

      Reply
  9. marcie says

    Posted on 11/12/15 at Posted on 11/12/15

    Fennel is so underused isn't it? I really love it roasted or shaved raw in salads like this! This is just beautiful with all those pretty pomegranates and I definitely need to try this!

    Reply
  10. Medha @ Whisk & Shout says

    Posted on 11/12/15 at Posted on 11/12/15

    This salad looks delicious! Love the pops of color and flavor from the pomegranate 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/12/15 at Posted on 11/12/15

      I am SO happy it's pomegranate season again 😉 Thanks, Medha!

      Reply
  11. geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen says

    Posted on 11/12/15 at Posted on 11/12/15

    This is my kind of salad, Denise - and you know I love salads. Just perfect!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/12/15 at Posted on 11/12/15

      You make the best salads, so that means a lot to me, Geraldine!

      Reply
  12. Nora | Savory Nothings says

    Posted on 11/12/15 at Posted on 11/12/15

    I'm a huge fan of autumnal harvest salads, and an even bigger fan of quinoa in them! So I'm absolutely all over this gorgeous creation, definitely need to feed this to my family soon!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 11/12/15 at Posted on 11/12/15

      Thanks, Nora! My arm wasn't twisted too much to jump on the bandwagon 😉

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Denise

Meal prep took me from feeling constantly stressed out about meals to cool, collected and in control. I want to share this amazing and transformational habit with you, so you can feel in control, too! Read more ...

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