Quinoa Beet Salad

Name: Quinoa Beet Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup dried quinoa ((regular or red quinoa work)); 2 cups filtered water; 8 ounces beets, steamed and peeled, diced; 4 stalks celery, diced; ½ cup crumbled feta; 1 lemon, juiced; 2 tablespoons olive oil; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

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Quinoa Beet Salad is a delicious make-ahead side dish that’s perfect for any meal and ready in less than 20 minutes! Don’t miss this simple and refreshing side dish!

Quinoa Beet Salad in a white bowl with feta cheese on top.

Quinoa Beet Salad is the one dish that is always in my fridge. Great on it’s own or as a side, this dish seems to get better the longer it sits. Plus, it’s super healthy and so easy to make!

If you love make-ahead salads, be sure to try this Broccoli Cranberry Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing or my Greek Pasta Salad with Whole Wheat Pasta. For a delicious 5-ingredient pasta salad that’s always a hit, don’t miss this Pesto Pasta Salad with Store-Bought Pesto.

Why this recipe works

The combination of sweet beets, salty feta, and crunchy celery really makes this recipe special. Plus, it’s actually really easy to make.

The star of the recipe are the beets. You could make your beets from scratch, but I recommend using the steamed and peeled beets you can find in the produce section of the grocery store.

Quinoa Beet Salad is a great make-ahead salad too! I always use this recipe for meal prep and it’s great to have around for lunches or a healthy snack.

overhead photo of quinoa beet salad in a white bowl with feta and celery.

Lastly, I love to make this salad because of all of how healthy it is. Quinoa is a superfood that, if you haven’t added to your diet already, you really should. And beets are so good for you!

Ingredients

Quinoa Beet Salad only requires a few ingredients: quinoa, beets, celery, feta cheese, olive oil, lemon, and kosher salt.

Quinoa: I like to use red quinoa for this salad whenever I have it. The red quinoa is a heartier grain and works well here. However, regular quinoa works too. Trader Joe’s is a great place to find red quinoa.
Beets: You could peel and steam your own beets, or save time and buy the prepackaged beets that taste just as good. These pre-peeled and steamed beets can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores. Again, Trader Joe’s is great for this.
Feta: I always have a large container of feta cheese crumbles in my fridge. You could however use fresh feta and cut it into cubes.

For another easy to make beet salad, check out my Beet Salad with Feta and Celery. And for a summertime salad try this delicious Watermelon Feta Salad.

Read on to see how tasty and easy this recipe is to make!

How to Make Quinoa Beet Salad

This recipe is super easy and fast to put together. Firstly, cook the red quinoa using either broth or water. Quinoa is fast to make too. Just combine one part of quinoa to two parts water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Let the quinoa sit and cool slightly while you prepare the remaining ingredients. You could even make the quinoa a day in advance and refrigerate until ready to use.

Then, dice the beets and celery. For the beets, just cut in half and dice into about inch long chunks. With celery, slice in half lengthwise, then dice.

overhead photo of the recipe ingredients in a bowl, including feta and celery.

The feta can either be crumbled or diced, depending on what you have on hand. I always seem to have the large feta container from Costco that just lets you shake and add crumbles. However, fresh block feta is ideal if you can find it.

Lastly, add the dressing to the red quinoa beet salad. Here there is no need to make the lemon/olive oil dressing in a separate bowl. You can just toss it with the salad.

Let the salad chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Can be make up to a day in advance.

close up of quinoa beet salad with celery and feta cheese.

This simple salad would be great served with Grilled Marinated Chicken or Grilled Chicken Kabob Skewers. Great served cold or at room temperature. Enjoy this healthy make-ahead dish any time of the year!

Recipe Tips and FAQs

Quinoa Beet Salad is a simple recipe to make and, once you make it, you’ll want to have it all the time. Here are my best tips for making this recipe:

Quinoa does not need to be rinsed ahead of time. To make quinoa, simple combine one part quinoa with two parts water in a pot. Cover and bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let simmer, with the lid on, for 10-15 minutes.
Always leave the lid on and let the quinoa sit for about 5 minutes after cooking.
Peeled and steamed beets are a great shortcut! To use them, cut open the bag, drain the liquid (or you could save it for another use), then cut the beets into bite-sized pieces.
To make this salad vegan, omit the feta cheese and either replace it with a vegan version, or you could add in walnuts or pistachios in place.

What goes well with beet salad?

Beet salad pairs well with any protein, especially grill proteins like chicken, pork, or steak. You could even do grilled fish or tofu. Add healthy fiber to your beet salad with the addition of cooked quinoa.

How to flavor quinoa?

Cooked quinoa is a blank slate. Like rice, there are so many ways you can flavor it. Firstly, cook your quinoa in broth instead of water to add more flavor to it. Then, afterwards, add a squeeze of lemon, lots of fresh or dried herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

Quinoa Beet Salad in a white bowl with feta and celery.

If you love simple and healthy side dishes, be sure to check out these fan favorite recipes:

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