Quinoa Spring Roll Salad Recipe
Why you’ll love this recipe: This Quinoa Spring Roll Salad captures the vibrant flavors and satisfying crunch of traditional spring rolls without the hassle of wrapping. It’s a colorful and fresh dish that’s perfect as a light meal or a make-ahead lunch. The creamy peanut dressing ties all the elements together beautifully, creating a harmonious blend of textures and tastes that will leave you wanting more.
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Equipment: Saucepan, mixing bowl, small bowl, whisk
Yields: 8 servings
Perfect for Meal Prep!
If you enjoy the fresh and crunchy goodness of spring rolls but dislike dealing with delicate rice paper, this spring roll salad is tailor-made for you. It encapsulates all the desirable aspects of a spring roll – the crisp vegetables, bright flavors, and satisfying textures – and transforms them into a simple, filling salad.
This salad is excellent for meal prepping because it maintains its quality in the refrigerator, making it a convenient option for quick lunches or dinners throughout the week. Serve it alongside soy-glazed salmon for a complete and nutritious meal!
Here’s what makes this Quinoa Spring Roll Salad so special:
- Wholesome and Filling: Quinoa contributes protein to this spring roll salad, ensuring a satisfying and sustained energy release. Abundant crisp vegetables not only enhance the flavor profile but also introduce vibrant colors and essential nutrients to the dish.
- No Rice Paper Hassle: Say goodbye to the challenges of working with rice paper, which can be sticky and prone to tearing. This recipe cleverly omits the wrapper, focusing solely on the delicious filling. After all, the filling is the best part!
- Highly Customizable: Feel free to experiment with different vegetables based on your preferences. Consider adding a protein source to make it a more substantial meal. You can also swap the quinoa for jasmine rice or Instant Pot brown rice. Alternatively, explore various dressing options to suit your taste. With this recipe, the possibilities are endless!
Ingredient Notes
This delightful spring roll salad consists of three key components:
- Quinoa: Opt for white or tri-color quinoa, and prepare it with water and kosher salt to enhance the flavor.
- Peanut Dressing: This dressing features a creamy peanut butter base (you can substitute sunflower seed butter if needed). To elevate its flavor, we incorporate soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten-free version), fresh lime juice, honey, and a dash of sriracha for a hint of heat. Adjust the consistency with water until it reaches a pourable consistency.
- Salad: The salad includes sliced red cabbage, shredded carrots, red bell pepper (feel free to use orange or yellow for variety), cucumber, green onion, cilantro, and roasted peanuts for added crunch.
How to Make Spring Roll Salad
Cook the Quinoa: Start by rinsing the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear, effectively removing any potential bitterness. Then, in a saucepan, combine the rinsed quinoa, water, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the saucepan, and allow the quinoa to simmer for approximately 15 minutes. Afterward, remove the saucepan from the heat, gently fluff the quinoa with a fork to separate the grains, and let it cool. To expedite the cooling process, consider transferring the quinoa to a large, shallow bowl.
Make the Dressing: In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, thoroughly whisk together all the dressing ingredients. During the initial testing of this salad recipe, the dressing appeared somewhat grainy upon mixing. However, I discovered that it gradually smooths out as it sits for a few minutes, resulting in a consistently smooth and creamy texture.
Assemble the Salad: In a large bowl, combine the shredded red cabbage, shredded carrots, chopped bell pepper, julienned cucumber, green onion, cilantro, and cooled quinoa. Gently toss all the ingredients together until evenly distributed.
Dress and Serve: Pour the prepared dressing over the salad and toss again to ensure that every element is coated with the flavorful peanut dressing. Add the roasted peanuts as a garnish, enhancing both the texture and flavor of the salad. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled, based on your preference.
Recipe Variations
- Nut-Free Option: If nut allergies are a concern, consider substituting sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter. This alternative maintains the creamy texture and nutty flavor while accommodating dietary restrictions. Additionally, you can either omit the peanuts or replace them with toasted sunflower seeds, pepitas, or sesame seeds.
- Vary the Veggies: Feel free to use regular green cabbage instead of red cabbage for a milder flavor. Experiment with thinly sliced radishes, edamame, snow peas, or jicama to introduce diverse textures and tastes to the salad. Aim to maintain a total vegetable volume of approximately 4 cups. For a touch of sweetness, consider incorporating pineapple chunks or diced mango into the mix.
- Enhance with Sesame: To elevate the sesame flavor, consider adding a few drops of toasted sesame oil to the dressing. Alternatively, you can replace half of the peanut butter with tahini to achieve a unique nutty and savory profile.
Make It a Meal
- Chicken: Pair this quinoa spring roll salad with Asian marinated chicken or grilled teriyaki chicken on the side or placed directly on top of the salad for a substantial meal. Baked spicy Asian chicken wings also make an excellent accompaniment.
- Seafood: Introduce a hint of heat to your meal by serving bang bang salmon or kung pao shrimp alongside this salad. Spicy garlic shrimp is another flavorful option. If you prefer salmon, try teriyaki salmon or orange-glazed salmon.
- Plant-Based Proteins: Elevate this salad with baked sesame tofu for a delightful plant-based option. Alternatively, all-purpose baked tofu or crispy air fryer tofu are also excellent choices to complement the fresh flavors of the salad.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover quinoa spring roll salad in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For optimal freshness, store the dressing separately and mix it in just before serving to prevent the quinoa from absorbing too much dressing.
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Quinoa Spring Roll Salad Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Quinoa:
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the 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 the Salad:
- 1 cup shredded 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
- ¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts (for topping)
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa, combine with water and salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Fluff and cool.
- In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, water, honey, and sriracha until smooth.
- In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbage, carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, green onion, cilantro, and cooked quinoa. Toss lightly.
- Whisk dressing again, then pour it over the salad; toss thoroughly.
- Sprinkle with peanuts and serve chilled or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
- Possible variations: Substitute different vegetables as desired, keep total amount of vegetables to 4 cups.
- Nut-free: Use sunflower butter instead of peanut butter. Add toasted sunflower seeds instead of peanuts.
- Sesame: Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil to the dressing. Garnish with sesame seeds.
- Make it a meal: Add spicy garlic shrimp or crispy air fryer tofu.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftover salad for up to 4 days. Store dressing separately and mix in before serving.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.