Name: Vegan Quinoa Salad with Brussels Sprouts & Pepitas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 ½ cups uncooked quinoa ((or 4 ½ cups cooked quinoa)); 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth; ½ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots; ⅔ cup untoasted pepitas ((shelled pumpkin seeds)); ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds; 16 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded; 1 or 2 carrots, cut into ribbons with vegetable peeler; ½ large red onion, sliced or chopped (see note); ½ cup chopped fresh parsley; ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar; ¼ cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons maple syrup; 1 tablespoon coarse ground mustard; 1 teaspoon ground cardamom; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; ½ teaspoon ground pepper

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: You’ll love the crisp green Brussels sprouts shredded into this exciting vegan quinoa salad with dried apricots, sunflower seeds, and pepitas. The homemade vinaigrette is fabulous! This hearty salad keeps well in the fridge and is great for lunches.

How long it takes: 55 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sauce pan, large bowl, small skillet
Servings: makes about 12 cups

Overhead view of a white bowl filled with quinoa and colorful vegetables.

This vegan quinoa salad has so much going for it, you’ll want to eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I know I do! It has just the right elements to make it appealing all day long.

Shredded emerald green Brussels sprouts provide a crisp counterpart to filling quinoa, with chewy sweet bits of dried apricot, vivid orange carrot ribbons, and nutty seeds. Dressed with a mildly sweet but tangy maple vinaigrette and subtly flavored with cardamom, the salad is so flavorful, not spicy-in-your-face, but gentle and interesting.

Whether you are vegan or not, whether you’re a quinoa fan or not, whether you love Brussels sprouts or not, I know you’ll love this salad because the sum total of all the parts is so delicious!

Vegan Quinoa Salad (or Bowl)

You could call this vegan quinoa salad a Buddha bowl or grain salad. This type of salad is so popular and with good reason. It’s:

nutritious (packed with healthy grains, vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts)
filling (lots of protein and complex carbs that stick with you)
easy to make
versatile (use what you like or happen to have in the house)
portable (great for lunchboxes or picnics)
keeps well in the fridge
never boring (lots of different elements in every bite).

Ingredient Notes

Quinoa: Quinoa is easy to prepare, mild-tasting, and freezes well. I almost always have cooked quinoa in my fridge or freezer. This gluten-free grain (actually it’s a seed) can be used to make quinoa salads, quinoa soup, quinoa stews, quinoa tacos, and even quinoa pancakes! We love this vegetarian quinoa chili with black beans. Cooked breakfast quinoa is similar to oatmeal and is a nice way to change things up a bit in the morning.
Vegetable Broth: Using broth to cook the quinoa adds more flavor but water can be substituted. Look for low-sodium or no-salt-added broth.
Dried Apricots: Dried fruit adds chewy bits of sweetness to the salad. Golden raisins, dried cherries, or dried cranberries are good substitutes.
Pepitas and Sunflower Seeds: You’ll be toasting the seeds for the salad so look for raw pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) and sunflower seeds.
Brussels Sprouts: Trim the sprouts, removing the tough stem and outer leaves. Shred the sprouts with your food processor slicing blade or slice them thinly with a sharp knife.
Carrots: The carrots add a lot of color and sweetness to the salad. Use a vegetable peeler to make beautiful ribbons of carrot.
Red Onion: Soak the sliced onion for 10 minutes or so in ice water to remove some of the sharp flavor if you like. Green onions are a good substitute.
Fresh Parsley: Chopped parsley adds lots of herbaceous flavor and emerald green bits of color, not to mention that it’s good for you.
Homemade Vinaigrette: This easy-to-make vinaigrette is good on all sorts of salads. You’ll need apple cider vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup, coarse ground mustard, ground cardamom, salt and pepper. Cardamom adds a unique flavor that you’re going to love. It really makes this salad stand out!

A white bowl filled with colorful salad with quinoa, brussels sprouts, carrots, and red onions.

How To Make Quinoa Salad

Cook the quinoa. Follow the package instructions. For this salad, I recommend cooking the quinoa with vegetable broth to add even more flavor. Add the chopped dried apricots right to the pan so they soften a bit as the quinoa cooks.

Prep the Brussels sprouts. Once you’ve trimmed and washed the Brussels sprouts, use a food processor to shred the sprouts (use the slicing blade), or just slice them very thinly with a sharp knife.

Prep the carrot ribbons. Employ your vegetable peeler to make beautiful orange carrot ribbons. Weirdly, I think it’s kind of fun to make carrot ribbons. You can substitute packaged matchstick or shredded carrots if you prefer.

Soak the sliced onions. Add thinly sliced red onion to provide crunch and just a bit of sharp flavor. Soak the sliced onions for ten minutes in ice water so your salad isn’t overpowered by onion flavor.

Toast the seeds. For optimum flavor, the pepitas and sunflower seeds should be toasted. It’s easy to do using a small skillet or microwave oven. If you don’t have both kinds, no problem. Just use one or the other, or another nut of your choice. Sliced almonds are a perfect substitute.

Combine. Throw in a handful of chopped parsley, stir up the vinaigrette, and mix it all together. It’s ready to eat right away or store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.

Overhead view of a shaved brussels sprouts salad with quinoa and red onions.

Easy Recipe Variations

Like I mentioned above, grain bowl salads are endlessly versatile. If there’s something in this salad you don’t like, leave it out. Go ahead and substitute (or add) all your favorite things. My mom loves to add gorgonzola cheese, and I often add feta cheese.

Add more protein. Cheese, chickpeas, even chicken could be added to the salad.
Use a different green. Substitute finely chopped cabbage, spinach, or kale for the Brussels sprouts.
Nut options: Instead of seeds, use toasted almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
Fruit options: Replace the dried apricots with another dried fruit, such as golden raisins, dried cranberries, or cherries. Fresh fruit is great, too. Choose a sturdy fruit that won’t disintegrate easily, such as chopped apples, halved grapes, blackberries, etc. Roasted or boiled beets are also a great option.
Try a different grain: farro, brown rice, barley, bulgur (cracked wheat), or couscous (which is really a pasta, not a grain) are good choices. If you like barley, you may wan to try my vegan casserole with barley and vegetables. It’s a one pan meal that’s really like a warm grain bowl salad.

Hearty quinoa salad in a white bowl with a black spoon.

Make-Ahead & Storage Tips

The entire salad can be made at least a day in advance. Store it in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to a couple of days. Quite honestly, this salad doesn’t last long at my house!

Get a head start: Prepare the elements of the salad ahead of time and store them separately. Cook up the quinoa, shred the Brussels sprouts, make the carrot ribbons, toast the seeds, make the dressing. Stir them together just before serving.

Quinoa salad in a white bowl on a light grey background.

Vegetarian meal plan graphic with text and photos, reading meal plan 53.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #53. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. We add a new meal plan weekly.

Browse Meal Plans

Grain salads & Buddha bowls

Excited about vegetarian grain salads that make your taste buds sing and your body happy? So am I! Try:

Vegan Quinoa Salad with Brussels Sprouts & Pepitas