Cranberry and Cilantro Quinoa Salad

This recipe is amazing!!! I would give it 10 stars if I could. I cook my quinoa in chicken broth because I think it gives more flavor,but there are so many amazing flavors in this salad that it would probably be fine just in water.

I added 1/4 teaspoon salt to boiling water. I also used 1 cup chopped cilantro, 1 cup chopped walnuts unread of almonds, and 1 1/2 chopped garlic clove. I used 1/4 cup lime juice and no onions. It was superb. My neighbors loved it too!

Whoever came up with this combination of ingredients is pure genius. I halved the recipe to try it and now I wish I would have made the whole recipe. This is a flavor explosion in your mouth. Every bite tastes different. Next time, I'm going to add more almonds and craisins. Paired this with the "pretty chicken" also from this site.

Thank you - delicious! Served this at a party and everyone wanted the recipe. I have one suggestion for those who find that quinoa can be bitter - soak the uncooked quinoa in cold water for 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly in cold water and then cook. Should take about 10 minutes to cook and no biiter flavour!

I think for 5 stars, no adjustments should have to be made, but with my adjustment it turned out to be a very nice salad. I agree that the salad was pretty dry (is it supposed to be? I've not had quinoa before like this - and just learned tonight that quinoa is a seed, not a grain); but with the addition of at least 1/4 cup Newman's Own Light Lime salad dressing, it was much improved. TIP - in case you are short of time: I read the instructions and knew the quinoa had to be chilled before adding the veggies. However, it took much longer to chill than I expected. So, I put it in my medium aluminum bowl, filled my large aluminum bowl with ice water, put the medium bowl into the large bowl and stirred the quinoa until it seemed cool enough to mix everything else into it.

Oh dear Lord! This was the best meal I ever made!!!! I never write comments on here, but I am so inspired. OK, I made a couple changes because I had already thawed some salmon fillets and wanted a one dish meal. I made the recipe almost as called for except I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth, I added a bag of fresh spinach at the end, a bit of low fat feta, and crumbled the cooked salmon on top. I also added a bit of olive oil while I mixed it all together. Seriously, like something you'd get at a five star restaurant. I will make this again and again, especially when I want to make a good impression.

Liked this very much. I did drizzle it with some olive oil and used cumin not curry. Also used walnuts as I didn't have almonds.

I made this and all my children ate it up. Both my husband and I agree the cilantro taste was too strong so in the future I will use less cilantro. Other then that it was easy and tasteful.

I am trying to like this. I had added more lime because at first taste, it seemed as there wasn't enough, but now that it's sat, I can't even sense it. Like many, I'm rather new to quinoa and I haven't been a fan. I really was hoping to like this recipe, so I would at least use what I have, not to mention all the benefits it has to offer. I will say that the bites that contain the cranberry are my favorite and I added a bit of garlic in hopes of improving the taste. I am not sure if it is just me or the flavors. I am going to add more lime and let it sit a bit longer and see if it improves for my tastes at all.***Update: after sitting overnight, WOW!! What a difference. I also added a bit 2 cloves of crushed garlic and a chopped up some organic cucumbers. I don't think this made the difference, but I can't believe it was the same salad. I would rate this recipe 5 stars if the submitter specified that it needed to sit more than 6 hours, my guess is it probably needs around 10-12 minimum, for the flavors to really take over the quinoa and meld together. I am so happy I found a quinoa recipe that I truly am able to enjoy. If you are not a fan of the quinoa, let it sit overnight and try it for lunch the next day.

Served this at a lunch for 70 and everyone loved it. Not one little bit left over. Would not change a thing.

This was a great salad. I cooked my quinoa with a chicken bullion cube and didnt add the salt and pepper. This salad is so beautiful and colorful There is so much flavor going on in this dish my husband ate most of the batch. The only thing I would do differently is cut my onion supper thin and put less in it. My onion was strong and spicy.

This is delicious. I've made it 3 times now & it's always great. I've varied it some, leaving out bell peppers, adding some red quinoa. It's always good & everyone who tries it seems to like it.

This recipe really surprised me! It was really good. Lots of flavor and texture. I did add a little more lime juice, a little garlic and used a hot pepper from our garden. I served this with grilled salmon....Yummy!!

I accidentally omitted the cilantro and didn't realize until it had already been served. It still turned out quite awesome. In addition to the listed ingredients, I also added two fresno chiles and two serrano chiles (seeds/membranes discarded on the serrano variety). It turned out pretty spicy, but not overtly so. If I make again, I will reduce the chiles by half to make it a more comfortable eat for everyone. Oh yeah, and I'll also remember to add the cilantro!

I LOVED this and so did my husband who is pretty picky. Made it 2 days in a row in fact, when I had my friends over the next evening. I made exactly as directed the first time, second time I added a bit of cayenne and some cumin to offset the brightness a bit. Amazing both times. Thank you so much for the recipe!

It's a KEEPER! Especially liked the unique flavors, textures and colors, the marriage of sweet/sour, crunchy/soft, garden colors of greens/red/yellow - gorgeous. As others have mentioned it was too dry for me so I drizzled with EVOO. But w/wo, it's a wonderful nutritious salad.

This was a good recipe, however we felt that there was too much curry powder. The only variation I made was to use raisins instead of cranberries because I didn't have any on hand. I'll make this again but will use less curry powder.

Love quinoa and this was tasty! Swapped out the cilantro for parsley (we don't like cilantro!) and used raisins as I was out of cranberries. I found that leftovers did need some additional lime juice squirted into the salad as it gets absorbed once it sits overnight. Yummy though!

Yowza! This is De~lish!! I prepared just as the recipe indicated and couldn't be more pleased. No changes needed.

I've made this recipe several times now for potlucks and parties and it always gets great reviews! Definitely cook the quinoa in chicken broth rather than water (the one thing this recipe could stand is a bit more salt and pepper to it) and DO NOT leave out the cilantro or the curry powder--it really makes the dish! I like to garnish with some green onion as well for a little extra kick.

Loved it. I used 1 whole red bell pepper, and celery instead of carrot, and fresh cranberries. I had to bowl the cranberries to soften them, only for about 3-5 minutes. I also roasted my own almonds, preheat oven 350 and bake for 8 minutes on a small cooky sheet. It was my family's favorite thing I made for thanksgiving.

I've made this twice in the past week. It is very tasty and healthy. I think there are endless possibilities for adding other vegetables. (Corn, peas, etc.) I cheated and used a wonderful mix of chopped vegetables that Trader Joe's sells. I put the lime juice in a small container with minced garlic and a little olive oil and shook it well. I loved that there is no real dressing on this salad. It might be a little dry, as the quinoa seems to absorb the moisture. It looks lovely on a plate--some people have never met quinoa, so it's good for them to learn about it! (I cooked the quinoa in chicken stock the first time, not the second. Both were fine.) It's filling and good for you!

Have made this 3 times now. Once to take to a pot luck. I love it. My sister took it to her restaurant and sold out. Have made it as is and also with a few changes. Great both ways. Not a lot of difference using chicken broth instead pf water. I used walnuts second time as ran out of almonds. I like the walnuts more than almonds. Cut out the canberries when serving to my niece wha has a big yeast poblem and is on a no nonsence diet. Quinoa is one of the few things she can eat. Love the recipe. Thanks. Am looking for more recipes using grains I have never used before to expand my healthy horizons.

Delicious. Made according to instructions

Such a wonderful combination of flavors here, fresh, tasty and healthy too! We love this salad. Adding a teaspoon of sugar or splenda really brings out the flavors even more. Thanks for posting this excellent recipe!

I will be making this again. The only changes I made was to use the juice of two limes and I used 1 teaspoon of curry and a half a teaspoon of cumin. This is a delightful salad with a taste combination that wakes up your taste buds. It looks lovely on a bed of spinach. Thank you Alison.

This recipe was outstanding. It was my first time making quinoa, so I was a little unsure what to expect. My only change to the recipe was adding the juice of two limes, not just one. The flavors went together so well and were very complex. It was the perfect summer side dish- refreshing, healthy and no oven required! Next time I may add some chicken and make it a main dish.

This is the best quinoa recipe that I have tried. I have made twice so far. The next day it tastes even better.

On the advice of another reviewer I added EVOO as well as garlic salt as I thought it was a bit dry. Otherwise a terrific taste.

Excellent flavor in every bite! I doubled the recipe using chicken bouillon to cook quinoa. Substituted cumin for curry, increased lemon juice and cilantro amounts and drizzled olive oil over it. Also added a handfull of feta to top. Perfect!

I made this exactly as written. I thought it was good and my husband completely raved about it. The only reason i gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is that i thought the onion sort of overpowered it. Next time i would reduce this to 1/4 cup just like the peppers. Update: I have continued to make this dish for our family and for almost every gathering where I am slated to bring a dish. With only using 1/4 cup onion it is absolutely perfect. I have had so many people ask for this recipe and then say that they had people asking them for the recipe. The recipe author really was genius with this one!

I love that this salad contains no oil. Great flavors and interesting textures! I used half of a medium red onion, but it was a little strong. Next time, I will use less onion.

Be careful not to put too much onion in this. A small onion is 1/4 cup roughly. I think I put way too much! I ended up having to put another 1/2 cup carrots, cranberries, juice of 2 lemons and some more cilantro to counteract it. I hope it works! We will see tomorrow after it chills.

This was a good salad. I think my rating comes down to personal taste preferences. I love curry powder in Indian food, but I did not think it was the right taste here. My family ate it and liked it, but we agree that we would like it even better with cumin instead of curry powder, avocado chunks, tomato, and lose the cranberries and almonds. I agree that it tastes much better the second day after being in the fridge overnight. So, from now on, I will make the day before. I also tried adding about a tablespoon of EVOO. Wow! That made it fantastic! I think it made it less dry and smoothed out the taste. Delicious!

All I would add is a little honey to the dressing to compliment the lime juice. Great way to eat quinoa

LOVED IT! Made this for 30+ people at an event. So thankful for that feature of adapting to serving sizes. I preferred a vinaigrette dressing (only lime juice & olive oil) mixed the spices w/the dressing - delish. I needed to add to this recipe since i was cooking for 30, i included: chopped kale, chick peas, black beans & feta cheese. Quinoa is so good, you could pretty much use whatever veggies you need to use up - love it!

It was just all right for me - nothing that I would make again. It was missing flavour ... something ... but that something definitely wasn't in this recipe. That being said, it wasn't awful.

So good. A flavor explosion in my mouth. And no oil!

Delicious! Such a good combination of flavors, colors and textures. My limes were sort of dry since I didn't actually plan to make this salad and just used what I had on hand. It took two of my dry limes and half of a very juicy lemon. I will be making this again soon!

I am new to making Quinoa and so far have loved it. Unfortunately, we did not love this.

This was fantastic and delicious as it was beautiful. I cooked my quinoa with veggie stock (and therefore omitted salt), used green onions for a milder onion flavor, and shredded the carrots instead of mincing. The next day I did end up adding some olive oil for dryness and extra curry and lime the for a more intense flavor. This would be great as a side dish or a great vegan/vegetarian dish.

It had a very strong red onion taste and bitterness. It's good because of all of the vegetables, but it has more of a bitter taste to it. It needs a dressing or the vegetables need to be cooked to make the flavors better. I think I'm going to make the dressing from the Quinoa Beet and Arugula salad from this website. That was GOOD!

This was a great salad! Per suggestions, I used Cumin instead of Curry (not a curry fan), added 1/2 Tsp. minced garlic, used chicken broth, used 1/2 cup chopped green onion(instead of red/yellow onion)and added 1 TBSP Olive oil. I put the minced garlic & cumin into chicken broth to cook with the quinoa. Everyone I have shared this with loved it!

Great recipe ~ I pretty much followed exactly, although I did use hot curry powder. Next time, I will add extra fresh lime juice. Love the colours of this salad ~ would make a great picnic side. Thank you for sharing

FANTASTIC!!!

Everyone said they liked it, but everyone thought it had either too much cilantro or too much onion, and I used the amounts called for in the recipe. Next time I'll just use a bit less of each and hopefully it will be even better!

I use green onions instead of red, but otherwise I stuck to the recipe. Yum!

So much onion, I literally couldn't eat it.

this is one of my favorite staples! the only thing I change is I double the curry powder. Otherwise I follow the recipe exactly. LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!!!

I'm not one to be negative, but I found this dish absolutely atrocious. All sorts of flavors fighting over each other and not blending one bit. I followed the recipe to the tee and I couldn't find anything about this recipe that I liked. I can see many others liked it, but I didn't.

I just didn't care for the flavors here. I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth not water, and I didn't have fresh cilantro so I sprinkled in some dried. Other than that I followed the recipe. But all I tasted was the curry powder, it was overpowering and one-dimensional. I ended up throwing it away.

This is a great way to use quinoa. I love all the colorful veggies, and with the variety of ingredients, it's easy to customize. I cut back the curry to 1 tsp., and added about 1 Tbs. of olive oil, because I thought it a little dry. I doubled the cranberries for extra zing and added about 1 tsp. sugar. I will try cooking in chicken broth next time. Thanks for the idea!

I cooked quinoa in chicken broth, and didn't have curry powder so I added other spices that I had on hand. It was very tasty and filling.

It was pretty good. I just wasn't a total fan - seemed a little dry and lacking some punch. COuld it be that I didn't mix the curry into the quinoa? I prepped veggies ahead of time so all I had to do was mix it in the next day after the quinoa was cold

Great way to enjoy quinoa! Flavorful, and tasty! Enjoyed by everyone. This recipe is now my family's favorites! Thank you, Alison, for sharing! I cooked quinoa in water as the recipe calls for, but added a handful more of cranberries...

This recipe gets 2 stars for having fresh, healthy ingredients. I would give the taste one star. I used only half of a small red onion and it was overwhelmingly onion-y.Less onion and some tomato would make this recipe better. Try the black bean and quinoa salad from this site, it's amazing.

This salad was delicious! I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth, used grated carrots in place of minced and served it with BBQ'd Tandori chicken breast. Everyone loved it!

Delicious, but the 10 minutes of prep is a pipe dream. Five stars for taste, one star for unrealistic prep time.

This is really tasty and I have 2 clients that request it often. I do cook the quinoa in broth - you can add any vegetables that you like - this is a great healthy recipe - prefect for vegetarians too.

Made as directed (no deviations). It was good. Some people don't dig quinoa, but for those with refined taste buds - this was very tasty.

I make it with red Inca quinoa, and it makes a lovely salad for a pot luck. The box says there is no need to cook the quinoa, just add the boiling water and let it soak up the water. I toast the almonds. I also add feta, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. It is a meal in itself and always a hit. Be prepared to explain to admirers what it is!

I think is a very healthy recipe, my adjustment would be less cilantro and curry. The cilantro flavor was way too powerful!

I'm giving this 4 stars as written. I did make it as written the first time. My changes are more personal preference, not because the original recipe is bad in any way. Didn't like the idea of curry in this recipe so I substitued1/2 teaspoon of ground chipotle and 1/2 teaspoon of ancho chili powder. I also added sliced avocado and chopped tomato and omitted the cranberries. My favorite way to cook quinoa is the rice cooker. 1 cup quinoa to 2 1/2 cups of water or other liquid (I like better than bouillon vegetable broth base) Set the rice cooker for white rice. Perfect and fluffy every time

i think i just found my new favorite summer salad! delicious! i made as written except i did not use any curry powder. there are so many different kinds of curry, not sure of which one to use. so, i tasted it without it and loved it and decided not to use any. a keeper for sure. thanks for the post Alison!

I am on a Quinoa kick, and this recipe was great. The only things I did differently was use cumin instead of curry (not a fan of it) and I didn't have any carrots. This was delish cold, I ate it as it or I added about 1/2 cup to an Asian Lettuce salad. I also heated it and put a cube of Laughing Cow cheese and some steamed califlower and brocolli. Love it both ways. My only lil diss would be that it was slightly dry, which was why I probably loved it with the Asian Dressing best. Quinoa Rocks!

You have hit the top of the list with this alternative salad. Gluten free, quinoa being a superfood and the other healthy combinations of flavors is spectacular!

I used chicken broth to cook the uinoa instead of water. The only other alteration I made was to add a little cyanne pepper. Nice flavors, next time I will remember to start with half of a lime then taste before adding more. My lime was pretty big and it ended up having more lime flavor than I wanted.

After reading all the reviews I thought let's try this recipe, I was also intrigued by the ingredients. This recipe lacks in flavor.

This was absolutely delicious! I do think the onion needs to be cut down quite considerably, as I only used half and still thought it was almost overkill (then again it was a particularly potent onion) -- but I'll be making this a lot. Thanks for a great recipe!

I went to the store to purchase the quinoa, but did not get because couscous was less expensive. I figured it was not to much difference between the two. I cooked with beef broth did not add curry, lime juice nor cranberry used pine nuts and cranraisins instead. My family enjoyed and it will now be one of our go to sides.

This was delicious. Have not done much with qunioa in the past but will certainly make again. The only complaint I had was the onion was a little bit too much. I did use slivered almonds and added just before serving so it added a nice crunch.

First time using quinoa, fantastic! This salad is so fresh tasting. Great combination of flavours and textures. I added 1 minced clove of garlic and a drizzle of EVOO after tasting. This will be made often.

I used this for my first attempt at quinoa. It was fairly simple and I loved it! Love that it can be ate alone or used as a creative side dish.

DELISH! I forgot my carrots & used cumin instead of curry powder. I added some minced garlic & EVOO. Great recipe the way it is or change to what you have in the fridge.

Followed this recipe exactly and it was ok. Not great, not bad. Likely won't make it again

Made this last night with my husband! so delish! the flavors are fresh and light, I used walnuts instead of almonds and made the quinoa in chicken broth and it turned out fabulous!

Delish ! Unfortunately I didn't have any dried cranberries so I used dried apricots instead, but still VERY tasty.

Excellent salad! I had to sub lemon juice for the lime, and added a bit of zest. I also chose not to use cilantro (not a fan) and put in parsley instead. I love how the flavours blend and that there is a touch of sweet (carrot and cranberries) sour (citrus) savoury (curry) and that it's healthy! I have been searching for a quinoa salad to try and I am keeping this one for sure. Thanks for posting!

The whole family loves this one and I have yet to not be asked for the recipe when served to friends.

I made salad and it was great I did leave out the cranberries through. They are not my favorite additions I added raisins instead... Lee

I've tried several quinoa recipes and never liked any of them enough to make again, but this was really good! I skipped the peppers because my kiddo doesn't like them (and because I was out), but this was very good anyway. I love that there's no oil in it, and yet it's still very flavorful. Will make again, thanks!

Yum - what a great combination of flavors!

The combination of flavors & texture is delightfully tasty and fresh. Our adjustments: cooked the quinoa in chicken broth (i'm sure this isn't necessary and I might try it without the broth next time). Also, I put the minced onions on the side. Those that wanted them mixed them into their serving. This recipe got rave reviews from the family, and we will definitely be making this again.

Absolutely delicious!

Just used turmeric instead of curry, but WOW is what i have to say. I seriously love this salad. It's become one of my very favorites!

Don't know if I over cooked quinoa but it was very dry??. It was quite a bit of work putting it together. Disappointed.

This is delicious!

I made this salad for a potluck at work, following the directions as written. This worked well for both the vegan and gluten-free co-workers, and it was very good, too! It went over well with the crowd, and many asked for the recipe. I would definitely make this again. I toasted the almonds in the oven for a few minutes. This was easy to prepare.

Delicious

Fresh, zesty, and filling! Such a great salad and very easy to make! Mine turned out great and I'm no kind of chef. Try it out!

It was my first time to cook and eat quinoa and i must say, this recipe had me floored! The curry powder, the cilantro and the red onions make for a powerful and delicious flavor. I followed some reviewers' suggestions of cooking the quinoa with chicken broth or bouillon cubes. I used chicken-flavored vegetarian bouillon powder. Other than that, the only thing I did differently was to lightly roast my colorful peppers together with some zucchinis and yellow squash, chopped them up and tossed them all in the mix. I loved this recipe so much i don't even feel like looking for other quinoa recipes :)

I added extra veg. Also added one diced seeded jalapeno and walnuts instead of almonds. I like the idea of adding some olive oil to moisten a little.

Quinoa was a little bitter, I'm not sure why. Used as a side dish with lemon pepper talapia. Thought I would prefer it hot vs cold.

Very good! I added a bit of extra curry powder.

There was a lot of chopping involved, but it was well worth it. This is so good. Every bite tastes different. I will be making this often.

This has such great favors and textures! Will be making this for my Christmas dinner - YUM!!

Love this recipe. Add a variety of different things. I've use pine nuts, fresh kernel corn and/or peas, etc.

great recipe and sooo much better the day after you make it. the flavors really blend, yet you can taste each item individually

Wow! this was my first experience with QUINOA and I have to say..."where has this little nutty grain been my whole life" changes I made were: added walnuts (its what i had on hand) and edamame (for added color and texture) and i peeled the carrot the chopped it into confetti.....this side is tasty and GORGEOUS