This Tropical Quinoa Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing is our favorite meatless meal! It’s also gluten free, dairy free, and vegan as well as an incredible side dish to any potluck or bbq. The caramelized pineapple salsa adds so much flavor to this tasty salad which is perfect paired with the crunchy jicama. And to round it all off the coconut lime dressing with plenty of cilantro adds all the flavor you could want in a salad.
I’m always looking for salad inspiration, especially in the colder months, (which can be most of the year here). I like trying to come up salads that use anything other than tomatoes which can be really pricey, and less than optimal tasting when they’re out of season.
When I saw this salad idea on a menu in Nevados in Fernie B.C., I knew right away I was going to make my own version when we got home. There’s just so much goodness going on in this salad, that it’s easy to forget that you’re even eating salad!
I used a mix of beet greens, baby kale, and spinach, but you can use any greens you like. The greens get topped with plenty of Caramelized Pineapple Salsa, nutty quinoa, and crunchy jicama. Then it’s all enveloped in a creamy coconut lime cilantro dressing, making it a salad I can eat everyday of the week!
It also works great made into salad jars for healthy lunches. Just add into a quart mason jar the salsa, then the dressing, jicama, cooked quinoa, and top with mixed greens. These salad jars keep really well for 4-5 days.
I should note that to safely keep cooked grains to store in the fridge for a few days, they need to be spread out on a sheet pan after cooking, and cooled completely before assembling the salads.
By cooling the cooked quinoa quickly, it keeps for longer in the fridge. You can also sub out the cooked quinoa with a serving of nuts, (stored on the side) or grilled chicken if you’re worried about how long the quinoa will keep.
Let’s get started making this Tropical Quinoa Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing step by step!
We’ll start by dicing up the jicama into small bite sized pieces.
You can usually find jicama at your local grocery store. It’s juicy, crunchy, and slightly sweet. It’s fantastic dipped in guacamole, and cubed up on salads. I use a vegetable peeler to peel the root before slicing and cubing it up.
Jicama is also a nutritional powerhouse of Vitamin C and potassium. It’s also very high in fiber. And not to get into too many boring details, but it’s a special type of fiber which helps you absorb calcium better. This makes it the perfect partner for greens which are high in calcium!
The homemade coconut lime dressing comes together in just minutes in the blender. Once you start blending your own salad dressing, you just can’t go back. They’re so easy to make, and the intense flavor they bring to your salad is addicting!
This recipe is just one more way to use up part of the big batch of Caramelized Pineapple Salsa I posted earlier. Once you taste this salad, I know you’ll have no problem using up salsa like crazy.
You can also make this salsa ahead like the quinoa, then just assemble salads as needed.
More vegan salad inspiration:
- Thai Style Broccoli Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing
- Grilled Summer Veggie Pesto Pasta Salad
- Rainbow Pad Thai Zucchini Noodle Salad
- Healthy Broccoli Salad with Avocado Dressing
- Best of Summer Salad
- Nourish Bowls with Creamy Lemon Dressing
This salad is all kinds of fresh and comforting at the same time which for me is the ultimate combination! I really hope you enjoy this Tropical Quinoa Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing. And if you do get a chance to make this, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here! Also for more salad recipe inspiration, head on over to the recipe index.
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Tropical Quinoa Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Tropical Quinoa Salad with Coconut Lime Dressing is our favorite meatless meal! It’s also gluten free, dairy free, and vegan as well as an incredible side dish to any potluck or bbq. The caramelized pineapple salsa adds so much flavor to this tasty salad which is perfect paired with the crunchy jicama. And to round it all off the coconut lime dressing with plenty of cilantro adds all the flavor you could want in a salad.
Ingredients
Tropical Quinoa Salad:
1 cup pre-rinsed quinoa
8 cups mixed greens, 8 ounces
2 cups diced jicama, 8 ounces, about 1/2 of a medium sized root
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and cubed
2 cups Caramelized Pineapple Salsa
Coconut Lime Dressing:
1 cup coconut milk from the can
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, packed
1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1–2 teaspoons maple syrup
sea salt to taste
Instructions
Place the quinoa in a medium sized saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat to low, cover and cook until done, about 15 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking prepare the rest of the salad.
Place the greens in a large serving bowl, and top with the jicama, avocado, and caramelized pineapple salsa.
Make the dressing by adding all the ingredients into a blender. Blend starting on low and working up to medium high speed, 7-8 on a Vitamix, until the dressing is creamy and emulsified.
When the quinoa is done, add it warm/hot to the salad bowl and top with the desired amount of dressing. You may have a bit of dressing leftover, but it keeps well for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Toss the salad and serve immediately. The leftovers do not keep well if the quinoa is added to the salad hot, so if you think you might not eat all the salad, store all the components separately in the fridge and toss them together when you’re ready to serve.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Mexican
It isn’t often you come across a tropical salad with coconut and pineapple. This is just fantastic!! I feel like this salad would be perfect for a summer picnic (preferably at the beach 🙂 ) Pinned!
Yes to the summer picnic at the beach! It’s been a few years since I’ve been on a beach with sand, so that’s sounding really awesome right now!
Oooh I definitely need to get my hand on some jicama! I’m loving all the fresh flavors in here. That dressing sounds amazing!
I’ve always felt the dressing is the best part of any salad, so I like to go all out! If you can’t find jicama, you can just use cucumbers for that cool crunch, but jicama really is worth looking for because it’s amazing in salads!
I’m in love with this Coconut Lime Dressing . . . and I haven’t even made it yet!! Sounds perfect.
I hope you do because you’ll love it! It’s so good with the pineapple salsa, super flavorful salsa and cool creamy dressing!
I love your recipes, Kari. I don’t read after other cooks regularly, but do read yours each time. Keep it up! You are helping a lot of people, in a yummy way.
Thanks so much for making my day! I hope you enjoy this one, it’s one of my favorite ways to eat salad!