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4.91 from 33 votes

Cucumber Quinoa Salad

This Cucumber Quinoa Salad is made with lots of fresh basil and feta, tossed with a simple lemony vinaigrette, and it’s SO fresh and delicious! Plus, it’s naturally gluten-free and quick and easy to make.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easter, vegetarian
Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

Cucumber Quinoa Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 English cucumber diced
  • 2 cups chilled* cooked quinoa (see this tutorial for how to cook quinoa)
  • 1/2 cup diced red onion
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup julienned or roughly-chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 batch Lemony Italian vinaigrette (see below)

Lemony Italian Vinaigrette Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning homemade or store-bought
  • pinch of salt and black pepper

Instructions

To Make The Cucumber Quinoa Salad:

  • Toss all ingredients together until combined.  Serve immediately.

To Make The Lemony Italian Vinaigrette:

  • Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.

Notes

*If you add hot quinoa fresh out of the pan, it will melt the cheese and wilt the basil a bit in this recipe.  So I recommend cooking it beforehand and letting it chill in the refrigerator before making the salad.  Or, if you need to cook it immediately beforehand, just spread the cooked quinoa out in a thin layer on a baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  That will help it cool down nice and quickly!
**Cook time does not include the time needed to prepare the quinoa.  See this post for instructions on how to cook quinoa.