Quinoa Spring Roll Salad
Vibrant, colorful, and fresh, this quinoa spring roll salad has all the flavor and crisp texture of spring roll filling, without the fuss of rolling! A creamy peanut dressing brings it all together for the perfect light dinner or meal prep lunch.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For quinoa:
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For dressing:
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter)
- 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
For salad:
- 1 cup shredded, or very thinly sliced red cabbage (¼ of a small head)
- 1 cup shredded carrot (2 medium carrots)
- 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (1 medium pepper)
- 1 cup julienned cucumber (½ English cucumber)
- ½ cup thinly sliced green onion (from 1 bunch)
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts (for topping)
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa with cool running water, drain well. Combine quinoa, water, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat, fluff quinoa with a fork, then cool to room temperature. It will cool faster if you transfer it to a shallow bowl.¾ cup uncooked quinoa, 1½ cups water, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- To make dressing, in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, water, honey, and sriracha until smooth. The dressing may appear slightly grainy at first but it will smooth out.¼ cup creamy peanut butter, 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon sriracha
- In a large bowl combine shredded cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, green onion, cilantro, and cooked quinoa. Toss lightly until combined.1 cup shredded, or very thinly sliced red cabbage, 1 cup shredded carrot, 1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper, 1 cup julienned cucumber, ½ cup thinly sliced green onion, ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Whisk dressing again, then pour it over the salad; toss thoroughly.
- Sprinkle with peanuts and serve chilled or at room temperature.¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
Notes
- Possible variations: If desired, substitute different vegetables such as shelled edamame, thinly sliced radishes, thinly sliced snow peas, jicama, and so on, as long as you keep the total amount of vegetables to 4 cups. You could substitute green cabbage for the red.
- Nut-free: If you have nut allergies, sunflower butter is a good alternative to peanut butter. We tested the recipe using SunButter and it turned out well. Instead of peanuts, add toasted sunflower seeds.
- Sesame: if you’re a fan of toasted sesame, add a few drops to the dressing. The salad could be garnished with sesame seeds, as well.
- Make it a meal: To make this a main course salad, add spicy garlic shrimp or crispy air fryer tofu. Refer to the post above for several more recipe links.
- Storage: Leftover salad can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. If you're making the salad ahead, store the dressing separately, and mix it in right before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 294mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3526IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
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