Quinoa Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing

Quinoa crunch salad.
This recipe is sponsored by ALDI

Quinoa Crunch Salad?

With loads of crunchy fresh veggies like carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, and edamame?

Plus juicy fresh mango?

And fluffy quinoa tossed with a few handfuls of chili lime cashews?

Covered in a just-the-right-amount-of-spicy peanut dressing?

Um, let me think. HARD YES.

Ingredients for Quinoa Crunch Salad.

I’m a big fan of crunch salads – see also this Thai Noodle Salad which is so punchy and delicious that it still visits me in my dreams sometimes, and the Crunchy Shrimp Salad which is basically an excuse to eat those home-fried wonton strips on top, and then this Cashew Crunch Salad which was the cold, sweet-and-savory magic I needed to get through my summer pregnancy – complete with retro chow mein noodles and everything.

This crunch salad is no exception to the Lindsay-Loves-Crunch-Salads Rule. It is a rainbow to behold.

Bonus is the fact that many of our essential ingredients were purchased – for a steal – at the grocery store adored by everyone and their mom: ALDI.

Ingredients for Quinoa Crunch Salad in a mixing bowl.

My personal favorite thing about ALDI is that I can AFFORDABLY stock up on the healthy eating basics, including organics because life is awesome. Like, we’re talking multi-huge-bags of quinoa, dried mangoes, canned beans, and chili lime cashews that are sitting in my pantry aka basement.

My second favorite thing about ALDI is that I can now use Instacart to deliver it right to my house. This is a relatively new thing in my life (ALDI + Instacart), and you guys, I legitimately never go to the store anymore. There’s a tiny baby in my house. There’s a 30% chance that I’m dressed in real clothes. It’s fifty million degrees below zero.

We’ll take the delivered-right-to-your-door thing. ♡

And you can too! Right here, right now. If you’re a first-time ALDI Instacart shopper, you can grab $10 off your first three ALDI orders of $35 or more with the code ALDIPOY. Pretty great, right?

Quinoa Crunch Salad in a bowl.

I know technically we’re not to Friday’s meal prep recipe yet, but may I suggest this recipe, in little (er, HUGE) pre-portioned containers, waiting for you for lunch this week?

Quinoa Crunch Salad in bowls.

Fresh veggies, powerhouse quinoa, peanut dressing and bites of crunchy and sweet… you were made for this moment.

Check Out Our Video For How To Make Quinoa Crunch Salad:

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A colorful mix of veggies and quinoa in a bowl with peanut dressing and cashews.

Quinoa Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing

5 from 24 reviews
  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 6 huge servings
Print Recipe

Description

Quinoa Crunch Salad! Crunchy rainbow veggies, juicy fresh mango, fluffy quinoa, chili lime cashews, and some creamy peanut dressing.

Ingredients

Quinoa Salad:

  • 2–3 cups shelled edamame
  • 2 cups Simply Nature Organic Quinoa
  • 1 cucumber, diced
  • 1–2 bell peppers, diced
  • 2 ripe mangoes, diced
  • 3 carrots, shredded
  • half a head of purple cabbage, shredded
  • sliced almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc. (I used the addicting Southern Grove Chili Lime Cashews from ALDI)

Peanut Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup Simply Nature Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup vinegar (white distilled or rice vinegar)
  • 1/4 cup sesame oil
  • 1–2 tablespoons chili paste like sambal oelek
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 knob of fresh ginger, peeled

Instructions

  1. Cooked stuff: Cook the quinoa and edamame according to package directions.
  2. Veggies: Chop everything up. It will take a little while. Put on some good music and light a candle and a glass of wine wouldn’t hurt.
  3. Dressing: Give it all a whirl in the food processor or blender. 
  4. Serve: Assemble individual salads, or toss it all together.

Notes

If You Want To Be Extra: This is really good with a handful of dried fruit thrown in the mix. Dried mango, golden raisins, dried cherries… all good choices.

Storage: I stored all the veggies together in one container, but I kept the quinoa and the dressing separate. It should last you for the week!

Dressing: If you find yourself with extra dressing (I never do, but I’m a dressing hog), you can also freeze it for another time!

Amounts: If you want to be very methodical about it and make sure you get your 6 servings balanced out, you’ll use about 3/4 cup quinoa, 1/4 cup dressing and 1+ cup veggies per salad.

Nutrition Info: Most of the calories come from the quinoa and dressing. To make this a lower-calorie salad, use less dressing or higher veggies than quinoa.

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Category: Salad
  • Method: Chop
  • Cuisine: Asian-Inspired

Keywords: quinoa crunch salad, quinoa salad, peanut dressing

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Thank you to ALDI for sponsoring this post!

Free guide and meal plans for sugar free January.

One More Thing!

This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy vegetarian recipes. Check it out!

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