Quinoa lentil salad is an easy, tasty, and protein-rich recipe for a quick lunch, side dish, or healthy dinner.
You’ll love the textures and flavors of tender sweet potatoes, earthy lentils, and fulfilling quinoa hugged by a creamy, tangy mustard dressing.
This quinoa lentil salad is a nutrition powerhouse that will make you feel great!
Table of Contents
Dietary Note: this recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet. It’s low in cholesterol and saturated fats.
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What is Quinoa Lentil Salad?
You guys loved our tasty lentil salad and refreshing lentil tabbouleh and have asked us for more easy recipes with lentils.
So we went back to our kitchen, and after some rounds of testing, we are happy to share this delicious quinoa lentil salad with you.
It’s an easy, flavor-packed, nourishing recipe with simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
The recipe is inspired by our lentil sweet potato salad, where bite-size pieces of sweet potatoes are roasted in the oven or air-fried until beautifully tender.
Their natural sweetness perfectly matches the nuttiness of lentils, the earthiness of quinoa, and the freshness of parsley.
The lemon mustard dressing adds acidity, tanginess, and a bold, savory flavor, making this dish so tasty you won’t believe it is made with such simple veggies.
Like lentil carrot salad and cauliflower lentil salad, you can serve quinoa lentil salad warm or at room temperature.
The lentils and quinoa pack the recipe with wholesome and complete plant-based protein and gut-healthy fiber.
We have this as a post-workout meal in a wrap with a sprinkle of crumbled feta, and it’s incredible!
Quinoa lentil salad video
Ingredients and Substitutions for Lentil Quinoa Salad
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Lentils
You can make lentil quinoa salad with drained and rinsed canned lentils or with dry lentils that you previously cooked in lightly salted boiling water until tender.
Brown lentils, black lentils, and green lentils are best for this recipe as they keep their shape well.
Here’s everything to know about how to cook lentils and how to cook black lentils.
Substitute chickpeas or black beans for lentils.
Quinoa
Quinoa is delicious with lentils. We use white quinoa, but you can also use red, black, or tricolor quinoa.
Remember to rinse the quinoa to remove its slightly bitter flavor before boiling it as per package instructions.
Substitute couscous, farro, or barley for quinoa.
Sweet potatoes
You’ll love the natural sweetness of roasted sweet potatoes in this salad.
Substitute carrots, pumpkin, or cauliflower florets for sweet potatoes.
Parsley
Fresh flat-leaf parsley adds freshness.
Substitute dill, chives, or cilantro for parsley.
Dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice
- Dijon mustard or American mustard
- Paprika
- Ground cumin
- Garlic: grated finely
- Salt
- Black pepper
Feta
We often top this quinoa lentil salad recipe with crumbled feta cheese or non-dairy feta, but that’s optional.
Optional Add-Ins
Take our recipe as a guideline, and feel free to add your favorite add-ins.
We can recommend diced red bell pepper, grated lemon zest, thinly sliced green onions, and finely chopped red onion.
How to Make Quinoa Lentil Salad
US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
1. Roast the sweet potatoes
Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Peel and chop the sweet potato into bite-size pieces.
Add them to a baking tray and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, two pinches of salt, and a twist of black pepper.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until fork tender and slightly browned.
2. Prep the quinoa, lentils, and dressing
Rinse and boil the quinoa as per package instructions. Drain the canned lentils and rinse them under running water.
Tip: We cook the quinoa like we cook pasta; in a pot with plenty of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes, we drain it in a sift and let excess water drip for a minute or two.
If you use dry lentils, rinse them and let them simmer in plenty of water for 15 to 45 minutes or until they are tender but still keep their shape.
For the dressing, whisk extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, mustard, grated garlic, ground cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper well.
3. Assemble the salad
To a large mixing bowl, add lentils, cooked quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, finely chopped fresh parsley, and the mustard dressing.
Toss gently but thoroughly until the ingredients are well distributed.
Taste and adjust for salt and lemon juice before serving in the mixing bowl or on a platter.
Optionally, you can add crumbled feta cheese or non-dairy feta on top.
Serving Suggestions
We recommend serving this quinoa lentil salad recipe warm or at room temperature.
It works well as a side dish or a light main, with some lettuce leaves and a spread or sauce. You’ll love it with:
Turn this into a meal by serving it with a lick of hummus in a wrap or with pita bread.
Variations
Lentil sweet potato salad
Similar to our lentil quinoa salad, sweet potato lentil salad combines tender sweet potatoes with earthy lentils and a Mediterranean-inspired dressing.
Check out our lentil sweet potato salad.
Cauliflower lentil salad
Tender florets or roasted cauliflower meet earthy lentils and flavorful dressing with olive oil and lemon juice.
This is another simple and tasty recipe with lentils to serve as a side dish or a quick meal.
Check out our cauliflower lentil salad.
Carrot lentil salad
Carrots never tasted as good as they do in this salad with lentils, parsley, and a creamy and tangy mustard dressing.
Add extra creaminess with a dollop of yogurt tahini sauce, and enjoy it with pita bread.
Check out our carrot lentil salad recipe.
Tips
Serve warm or at room temperature: if stored in the fridge, take it out 15 minutes before serving or warm in the microwave for one minute.
Don’t overcook the sweet potatoes: roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven and 15 to 20 minutes in the air fryer. They should be fork-tender but not mushy and overcooked.
Make it a meal: make this lentil quinoa salad a meal by serving it with a dollop of Greek yogurt, tzatziki, or yogurt tahini sauce and some pita bread or a wrap on the side.
Storage & Make Ahead
Make Ahead: quinoa lentil salad is excellent for meal prep as it keeps well for days.
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days.
Freezer: We don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
Reheat: Take it out of the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving, or reheat it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. The flavor will be more pronounced if the salad is served slightly warm or at room temperature.
More Lentil Recipes
- Mujadara
- Lentil vegetable soup
- Turkish lentil soup
- Moroccan lentil soup
- Lentil chili
- Lentil loaf
- Lentil pasta
- Curry lentil soup
- Lentil curry
Or get more inspiration from our 20+ best lentil recipe compilation.
More Quinoa Salad Recipes
- Lentil salad with quinoa
- Chickpea quinoa salad
- Kale quinoa salad
- Tabbouleh with quinoa
- Black bean mango salad
- Black bean salad with quinoa
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Chickpea Quinoa Salad
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Black Bean Mango Salad
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Kale and Quinoa Salad
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Quinoa Lentil Salad
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 can (15 ounces) lentils or 1 ⅓ cups cooked or ⅔ cup dry lentils
- ⅓ cup quinoa uncooked, or 1 cup/150 grams cooked
- 4 tablespoons parsley chopped
- 2 ounces feta or non-dairy feta, optional
FOR THE DRESSING
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more to taste
- 1½ tablespoons mustard American or Dijon
- 1 small clove garlic grated
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- SWEET POTATOES: Preheat oven to 400°F or 200°C. Peel and chop 1½ pounds sweet potatoes into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes and add them to a baking tray.Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, 2 pinches of salt, and a pinch of black pepper and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until fork tender.
- QUINOA: Rinse and boil ⅓ cup quinoa as per package instructions.LENTILS: Drain and rinse 1 can (15 ounces) lentils, or cook ⅔ cup dry lentils in lightly salted boiling water for 15 to 30 minutes or until tender.
- DRESSING: In a small bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1½ tablespoons mustard, 1 small clove garlic (grated), 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper until well combined.
- SALAD: To a large bowl, add roasted sweet potatoes, lentils, quinoa, dressing, 4 tablespoons parsley, and toss until combined.Taste and adjust for salt before serving. Optionally, add 2 ounces feta crumbled on top.
- MAKE IT A MEAL: Turn quinoa lentil salad into a delicious meal by serving it on lettuce or watercress leaves, topped with a dollop of yogurt tahini sauce, and with a side of warm pita bread.
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this lentil quinoa salad, you might also enjoy:
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Simple, easy and very nourishing. I enjoyed the simplicity of this meal especially after a really long hard day. I used the American mustard but will try the Dijon next time.
Thank you for a great meal!
Wonderful, Mary! I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed it, and happy that it brightened up your evening a little 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment here. Kindest,
Louise