Strawberry Caprese Quinoa Salad

This strawberry caprese quinoa salad has fresh strawberries, basil and mozzarella tossed with quinoa and drizzled in a balsamic vinaigrette. Fresh, light and summery!

Strawberries in salads might sound a little different, but it can be so good! From strawberry spinach salad to strawberry arugula steak salad to this delicious strawberry and quinoa version of a caprese salad, it's a great way to add flavor and enjoy fresh summer strawberries.

This is a great salad if you want something light, fresh and summery! With fresh strawberries and basil, mozzarella and quinoa, it is sweet, savory and tangy.

Just add a grilled chicken breast or maybe balsamic marinated salmon to make this a meal!

Reasons you'll ♡ it

it is light, refreshing, and perfect for summer
it's gluten-free and vegan-friendly
you can just add protein to make it a full meal!

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overhead shot of ingredients required to make strawberry caprese quinoa salad

What is caprese salad?

Insalata caprese translates from Italian to 'the salad from Capri' (1). Originating sometime in the early to mid 1900's in Capri Italy, caprese salad consisted of cow's milk mozzarella, tomatoes and olive oil, garnished with oregano and arugula (2). These days, caprese salad most often includes balsamic vinegar and fresh basil as well.

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This recipe takes inspiration from traditional caprese salad flavors, but replaces the tomatoes with strawberries, and adds quinoa to bulk it out. This is meant to be a fun twist on a classic, and I hope you enjoy my creative interpretation!

Ingredients you'll need

Quinoa- cook this ahead and cool before making the salad. I like cooking my quinoa in the Instant Pot or in my rice cooker!
Strawberries- look for the sweetest summer strawberries for this salad.
Basil- you absolutely need fresh basil for this recipe; dried basil won't work
Mozzarella- use a fresh mozzarella for the best flavor. Pizza mozzarella will not have the same flavor.
Balsamic vinaigrette- my go-to 4 ingredient balsamic vinaigrette is absolutely perfect on this salad!

Recipe tips

this salad does not keep well and should be served within an hour of preparing it
if you leave off the basil, this salad will keep for up to 48 hours
make sure your quinoa is completely cool before adding the strawberries, mozzarella and basil
add a protein to make this a meal

collage image showing the steps required to prep strawberry caprese quinoa salad

Step by step directions

Cook and cool quinoa.
Shake up the balsamic vinaigrette.
Combine the cooled quinoa with strawberries, mozzarella and basil.
Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette and enjoy!

close up side angle shot of strawberry caprese quinoa salad

More summery salads for us

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can make the components ahead of time, such as the quinoa and salad dressing. However, it is best assembled when ready to eat.

What protein would work well in this recipe?

This dish would pair exceptionally well with grilled chicken. It would also work nicely with salmon or shrimp.

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

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Print Rate

This strawberry caprese quinoa salad has fresh strawberries, basil and mozzarella tossed with quinoa and drizzled in a balsamic vinaigrette. Fresh, light and summery!

Ingredients

Salad

▢ ½ cup quinoa uncooked
▢ 1 cup strawberries sliced
▢ ¼ cup basil leaves packed; coarsely chopped
▢ ½ cup fresh mozzarella sliced