20 Tasty Quinoa Recipes

Try our favorite recipes for quinoa salad, plus quiche bites, sliders, and pancakes featuring this versatile grain.

We love quinoa for its nutty flavor and satisfying texture. We've compiled some of our favorite quinoa recipes that highlight this nutritious ingredient. The quick-cooking grain is delicious cold in a salad, served warm as a side dish, or combined with vegetables and dairy to make a spectacular and filling main course. Read on for even more of our favorite quinoa recipes, from quinoa pancakes to crispy quinoa sliders.

Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

This delicious quinoa salad makes an ideal vegetarian lunch or dinner. If you want to get a head start on the recipe, the sweet potatoes and quinoa can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to two days.

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Quinoa Egg Bowl with Pecorino

Cookbook author Melissa Clark takes inspiration from Caesar salad in this quinoa bowl, which includes a soft runny egg and a lemony, cheese-spiked dressing. It's one of the best grain bowls we've ever had.

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Santa Fe Quinoa Salad

Chef Chad Aaland's tasty quinoa salad comes together quickly with canned black beans, jarred cocktail onions, and a simple dressing of toasted cumin seeds and lime juice.

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Smoky Quinoa and Bacon Salad

This earthy and smoky spiced quinoa recipe is loaded with bacon and makes the perfect accompaniment to barbecue or grilled dishes.

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Crispy Quinoa Sliders

These crispy, light little patties are fantastic as mini vegetarian burgers, but they'd be great served alongside a salad as well.

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Quinoa and Brown Rice Bowl with Vegetables and Tahini

Top Chef judge and cookbook author Gail Simmons was inspired by a grain bowl she enjoyed at Café Gratitude in Los Angeles when developing this recipe. It features shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, kale, and more.

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Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

Here, chef Ken Oringer mixes quinoa with black beans, onions, and peppers to make a hearty and very satisfying side dish that's a fun variation on prosaic five-bean salad.

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Roasted Delicata Squash with Quinoa Salad

To create a terrific vegetarian main course, chef and television personality Michael Symon tosses quinoa with arugula, apple, raisins, and fresh herbs, and then spoons the salad into a halved baked squash.

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Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios

In this fluffy salad, chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi blends quinoa with nutty Camargue red rice. The salad gets a fruity sweetness from orange juice and zest — it's delicious alongside roast chicken.

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Quinoa with Spice-Roasted Shrimp and Pistou

Chef John Currence coats shrimp with a potent mix of fennel seeds, dried oregano, and garlic and onion powders. He flavors the quinoa with a vibrant, pesto-like pistou made with a judicious amount of oil.

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Bacon Quinoa with Almonds and Herbs

Here, chef Bruce Sherman tosses quinoa with smoky bacon and toasted almonds to make a substantial side dish that's delicious with poached eggs or roasted chicken.

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Golden Semolina Quinoa Spinach Cakes

These vegetarian patties are coated with panko breadcrumbs so they become deliciously crispy in the skillet. "I love to serve them topped with a poached egg," says 1996 F&W Best New Chef Maria Helm Sinskey.

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Quinoa Tabbouleh

Quinoa is substituted for bulgur wheat in this herb-packed salad, a twist on tabbouleh.

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Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa with Candied Walnuts

Here, roasted cauliflower and toasted quinoa combine to make a simple and elegant side dish.

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Corn, Basil, and Quinoa Salad

This dairy-free and vegetarian salad serves as the perfect side or lunch. The best part? It only takes 20 minutes to make.

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Three-Mushroom and Quinoa Salad

Use this recipe as a template to create any mixed mushroom and grain salad. Quinoa is delicious here, but you can also try brown rice, wild rice, black or white barley, farro, or couscous.

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Quinoa and Cauliflower Salad with Popped Sorghum

Sorghum, a type of grass, has seeds that can be popped like popcorn. Chef Daniel Patterson tops his nutty, crunchy quinoa salad with popped sorghum, which gives it a buttery flavor. You can also substitute regular popping corn.

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Quinoa Pancakes with Ricotta and Lemon

Nutty whole wheat flour, fluffy ricotta, and tender cooked quinoa add flavor and texture to these light pancakes, while lemon zest, vanilla, and maple syrup add just enough sweetness to balance the slightly bitter quinoa.

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Mini Crustless Quiche Bites with Mushrooms, Quinoa, and Cheddar

These mini crustless quiches are a perfect make-ahead breakfast. They're bulked up with cooked quinoa and layered with sautéed cremini mushrooms — a perfect balanced bite when you're on the go.

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Blistered Shishitos with Furikake Ranch and Crispy Quinoa

Chef Sheldon Simeon serves charred shishito peppers with a swoop of cooling ranch and a topping of crunchy fried quinoa and a homemade furikake blend, but feel free to use a store-bought furikake for this quick recipe.

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