The easiest + prettiest salad dressing you will ever make! So colorful, packed with nutrients, full of flavor + oh so delicious! This Pomegranate Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate Dressing is dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free. This salad is full of so many wonderful veggies + yummy toppings! The best part is that it is ready in 10 minutes with only a few simple ingredients! Perfect for a winter salad, meal prep, lunches, parties, or any time!
Tara’s Tips for Pomegranate Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
Pomegranate Seeds
- To make this dressing super simple + quick, I buy pomegranate seeds already taken out of the skin. This is a real time hack for this recipe!
What to Put in Your Bowl
- Lettuce (I use butter lettuce in this one but another lettuce mix would work), red onion, avocado, quinoa, cucumbers, slivered almonds (but you could substitute almonds or pepitas or pistachios).
Quinoa
- See below for detailed quinoa cooking instructions.
- Alternatively, you could use toasted quinoa which is fabulous in every and any salad! Here is my favorite recipe: How To Toast Quinoa.
Oil-Free?!?!
- YES! You do not need oil in salad dressing. I will say it again for the people in the back of the room: you do not NEED oil in your salad dressing for it to be creamy, full of flavor, satisfying, and delicious! Trust me here.
- Still not sure? Read these: Guide to Oil-Free Cooking, How To Eat For Heart Health, Oil-Free Salad Dressings.
Vinegar
- I use white vinegar to make this dressing, but it works great with apple cider vinegar too!
Coconut Palm Sugar
- This is a favorite in the MVF kitchen. As I try to use as many unrefined sugars as I can, coconut palm sugar is a perfect option! You could use organic cane sugar or even turbinado sugar if you like. Read this: Healthy Alternatives to Refined Sugar.
How To Cook Quinoa
Cooking Quinoa Stove-Top:
- Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cool water.
- Bring 2 cups of water + 1 cup of quinoa to a boil, lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. You will know the quinoa is cooked when all of the water has been absorbed and you can see the quinoa open up a little. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff with a fork.
Rice Cooker Quinoa:
- Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cool water.
- Place 2 cups of water of water + 1 cup of quinoa in your rice cooker. Follow your device’s instructions as you would for white rice. The cooker should automatically turn off when quinoa is finished cooking.
Instant Pot Quinoa
- Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cool water.
- Place 1 cup quinoa + 2 cups water in Instant Pot.
- Put the lid on and set the lever to ‘seal’.
- Press ‘manual’ and adjust the arrows to 1 minute cook time.
- When your Instant Pot beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally (usually takes around 10 minutes).
- See my full post here on Basic Instant Pot Quinoa.
Can You Eat The Whole Pomegranate Seed?
You absolutely can eat the show pomegranate seed! Plus, you get the added benefit of the fiber boost if you do! The arils are the seed plus the juicy part surrounding the seed. This is the edible part of the pomegranate fruit. Eat the whole pomegranate seed! High in vitamin E, fiber, magnesium, antioxidants, polyphenols, and fatty acids, you are getting a high nutrient boost by eating these little guys to help with insulin sensitivity + inflammation!
Love Salads? Me too!
Check out ALL of my salad + salad dressing recipes right here in one place: My Vegetarian Family Salad Recipes!
Pomegranate Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate Dressing
Oil-free, dairy-free, packed with antioxidants and yummy goodness! This is perfect for a winter salad or any time of year!
Ingredients
- For The Salad
- 1 head of butter lettuce (or 4 cups of your favorite lettuce mix)
- 1 diced avocado
- 1 sliced red onion
- 1 cup slivered almonds (or walnuts or pepitas)
- 1 cup sliced cucumber
- 2 cups cooked quinoa (see body of post for instructions on cooking quinoa)
- For The Dressing
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds (plus more for topping to taste)
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or other sugar of choice)
- 1/4 cup water
Directions
- Step 1 Combine all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl, set aside. Make your dressing by combining all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, if a thinner consistency is desired.
- Step 2 Pour over salad, mix to coat the salad ingredients in the dressing, divide equally into 4 salad bowls.
- Step 3 Garnish with additional pomegranate seeds.
- Step 4 Store extra dressing in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If using for meal prep or making ahead of meal time, blend all ingredients for the dressing, store in jar, shake and pour over greens when ready to use. Enjoy!
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