Pumpkin Quinoa Salad is a rich and delicious salad filled with fall flavors. It is made with roasted pumpkin, quinoa, feta, pomegranate seeds, lettuce, and walnuts and drizzled with the most amazing Balsamic Dressing. It is gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
Adding roasted pumpkin to the quinoa salad gives a totally unique flavor. It works as a perfect side for Thanksgiving dinner. Plus a little twitch in ingredients, this salad can be enjoyed all season long.
My husband loves pomegranates. My kitchen was filled with pomegranates during this time, which is why I used this delicious fruit in my quinoa salad. It just elevated the flavors to the next level. If you feel the same, then also try my Pomegranate Rice Pilaf.
The post contains Helpful Tips & Tricks to make Pumpkin Quinoa Salad. But if you're in a hurry, you can also click "Jump to Recipe' under the Heading to go directly to the Recipe Card or click Recipe Card from the Table of Contents below.
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🥘INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED
- Roasted Pumpkin
- Quinoa
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce or Arugula
- Green Onions
- Cooked Beets
- Walnuts or Pecans
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Pomegranate Seeds or Dried Cranberries
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice
- Mustard
- Garlic Powder
*See the recipe card for quantities.
📖VARIATIONS
This Pumpkin Quinoa Salad is too delicious, but here are some swaps or variations you can try to make it more appetizing to your taste:
- Instead of pumpkin, you can use butternut squash or sweet potatoes. You can roast them or boil them. But roasting gives far better flavor.
- If you don't like quinoa or want to use something else, use pasta, orzo, couscous, etc.
- If you want to make vegan, use vegan feta cheese, which is easily available in most stores. I have used vegan feta cheese in the recipe.
- Add nuts like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or walnuts for crunch.
- You can serve this salad in Stuffed Bell Peppers.
🔪STEP-BY-STEP PHOTO INSTRUCTIONS
Roast Pumpkin:
Remove the top and bottom of the pumpkin and peel the skin. Cut the pumpkin in half and then remove the seeds. Then cut the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
In a bowl, mix pumpkin with oil and seasoning and mix. Place the pumpkin in a baking tray or cast iron skillet and roast it for 25-30 minutes.
Tip: You can broil the pumpkin for 2-3 minutes to bring out the charred color.
Once the pumpkin is roasted. Remove them from the oven and keep them aside.
Cook Quinoa:
You can cook quinoa in a microwave, stovetop, or Instant Pot. I love cooking it in the Instant Pot because it cooks quickly and leaves hardly any mess. If you're new to cooking quinoa, follow my detailed guide on how to cook quinoa in the Instant Pot for perfectly fluffy results.
Add a cup of quinoa to an Instant Pot and 1 ½ cups water. Stir and close the lid. Pressure cook at High for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally or Quick Release after 10 minutes by turning the vent to the venting position.
Make Dressing:
Add extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and salt & papers in a bowl. Whisk the ingredients until well combined.
Serving:
In a salad bowl, add cooked quinoa. Add roasted pumpkin, lettuce, cooked beets, green onion, tomatoes, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds, or dried cranberries. Drizzle balsamic dressing and mix. Garnished with feta cheese, and enjoy!
💭 EXPERT TIPS
- Roast the pumpkin instead of boiling it. When you roast, pumpkin will turn extra sweet and add a beautiful charred flavor.
- The dressing gets mixed well when the quinoa is warm and not hot. So add quinoa when it is a bit cooled down and not hot.
- You can also make a dressing with apple cider vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar. When using apple cider, mix 1 tablespoon of honey into the dressing.
- You can pressure cook beets or roast the beets in the oven. Cooked beets taste much better in the salad.
- For crunch, add lots of nuts like pumpkin seeds, walnuts, etc.
HOW TO STORE IT?
You can make this Pumpkin Quinoa Salad in advance and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The salad stays fresh for 1-2 days in the fridge. The salad tastes best when served cold and not hot.
👪WHAT TO SERVE IT WITH?
This salad is so good that it tastes great as it is. But you can also pair it by serving it at a Thanksgiving dinner with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, etc.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
It is a personal preference. When made fresh, this salad can be served warm. Or you can serve the leftover salad cold.
Pumpkin Quinoa Salad is such a healthier alternative. Quinoa is protein-rich. So those on a vegetarian diet should definitely add this grain to their diet. However, if you want to make this quinoa salad healthier, just limit the oil in the recipe.
This Pumkin Quinoa Salad is vegan as I have used vegan feta cheese in the recipe. You can use any vegan cheese in the salad to make the recipe vegan.
Add cooked beets, sweet potatoes, raisins, dried cranberries, roasted butternut squash, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pecans, etc., to your salad.
🥗OTHER FALL RECIPES
- Instant Pot Quinoa: The Foolproof 1-Minute Method
- PERFECT BASMATI RICE INSTANT POT RECIPE: THE 1:1 METHOD
- POMEGRANATE RICE
- CHIMICHURRI RICE
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Pumpkin Quinoa Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup Water
- 1 cup Quinoa
- ½ cup Cherry Tomatoes
- 2-3 Green Onion sliced
- 1 cup Lettuce or Arugula
- 1-2 Beets cooked
- 1 medium Pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Mustard
- 2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
- Salt & Peppers
- ¼ cup Pomegranate Seeds or dried Cranberries
- 1.4 cup Walnuts
- 2-3 tablespoon Pumpkin Seeds
- ¼ cup Feta Cheese or Vegan Feta Cheese
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the pumpkin. ,Remove the top and bottom of the pumpkin and remove the skin. Cut the pumpkin in half and then remove the seeds. Then cut the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces.
- Place diced pumpkin in a baking tray and drizzle oil. Mix until the pumpkin is well coated in oil. Then, bake at 400°F for 25-30 minutes until fork tender and a little charred in color. Once the pumpkin is roasted. Remove them from the oven and keep ithem aside.
- Add Quinoa and water to an Instant Pot. Stir and close the lid. Pressure cook at High for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally or Quick Release after 10 minutes by turning the vent to the venting position.
- Add extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder, and salt & papers. Whisk the ingredients until well combined.
- In a salad bowl, add cooked quinoa. Add roasted pumpkin, lettuce, cooked beets, green onion, tomatoes, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle balsamic dressing and mix. Garnished with feta cheese, and enjoy!
Notes
- Roast the pumpkin instead of boiling it. When you roast, pumpkin will turn extra sweet and add a beautiful charred flavor.
- The dressing gets mixed well when the quinoa is warm and not hot. So add quinoa when it is a little cooled down and not hot.
- You can also make a dressing with apple cider vinegar instead of balsamic vinegar. When using apple cider, mix 1 tablespoon of honey into the dressing.
- You can pressure cook beets or roast the beets in the oven. Cooked beets taste much better in the salad.
- For crunch, add lots of nuts like pumpkin seeds, walnuts, etc.
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