Paraben Free Quinoa Avocado Salad with Turmeric Lemon Dressing
This vibrant grain salad is a celebration of fresh, whole ingredients — creamy avocado, crisp cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, and fluffy quinoa all tossed together with handfuls of bright herbs. The real star is the golden turmeric lemon dressing, which brings a warm, earthy depth balanced by zippy citrus and a hint of ginger. Every ingredient here is straightforward and naturally derived, which matters when you're trying to avoid synthetic preservatives and chemical additives that sneak into so many store-bought dressings and packaged grain mixes. Making the dressing from scratch with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and ground spices means you stay in complete control of what goes into the bowl. The pumpkin seeds add a satisfying crunch and a little nutty richness that rounds out the textures beautifully. It comes together in simple steps — cook the quinoa, whisk the dressing, toss everything together — making it approachable for a weeknight but impressive enough to bring to a gathering. Fresh, clean, and genuinely delicious, this is the kind of salad that earns a permanent spot in your rotation.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 english cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dry-roasted pumpkin seeds
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1½ lemons)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the rinsed quinoa, water, and ¼ tsp salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is fully absorbed and the quinoa tails have unfurled.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the quinoa steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and spread onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool for at least 10 minutes, until no longer steaming.
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