This quinoa feta salad has quickly become a favorite around these parts. It’s healthy, loaded with whole foods, and can play any role from main to side dish and is a nice, light dish you can make all fall and winter long.
This walnut quinoa feta salad is inspired by a recent trip to California Wine Country for Cherry Bombe Jubilee. While attending the alfresco lunch at the lovely Auberge Solage Hotel event, I tried a similar recipe and instantly wanted to make it myself.
As a Californian born and raised in California who has long been a recipe developer and has celiac disease, I’ve made many gluten-free quinoa salads. However, many of them contain overcooked quinoa, are drowning in dressing, or totally lacking flavor.
So, I decided to remedy that with this version of the walnut quinoa feta salad for my friends at California Walnuts. Toasting the walnuts gives them maximum sweetness, nutty flavor, and crunch, which is what a salad like this needs.
Why You’ll Love This Walnut Quinoa Feta Salad
The smoky honey-lime dressing brightens everything while the combination of crunchy walnuts, sweet dates, pickled onions, and salty feta means it’s loaded with flavor.
The quinoa feta salad is refreshing, packed with textures, and easy to prepare ahead of time. Whether you’re meal prepping for the week, hosting a holiday party, or headed to a potluck its citrusy, nutty, and savory flavors make it ideal for any occasion.
Recipe Ingredients
This quinoa feta salad is made with a base of cooked quinoa (a great way to get rid of leftover quinoa, btw) that is layered with juicy seasonal citrus, sweet Medjool dates, crunchy Persian cucumbers, and toasted California walnuts.
The crumbled feta adds a creamy, tangy finish, while the quick pickled onions (that we also enjoy on these deviled eggs, by the way) and a smoky honey-lime dressing tie all the flavors together.
Honey-Lime Salad Dressing
The dressing can be made up to 4 days ahead of time – keep it refrigerated in an airtight container. This smoky honey-lime dressing is a nod to the salad dressing at Chipotle (though not an exact copy) and works as well here as it does on a kale and mango salad or in this hearty grain salad.
- Extra virgin olive oil – Adds richness and ties the flavors together.
- Freshly squeezed lime juice – Provides a bright, zesty tang.
- Honey or maple syrup – Balances the tartness with a hint of sweetness.
- Smoked paprika – Adds a subtle smokiness to the dressing.
- Dried oregano or dried thyme – Brings an earthy, herbaceous flavor.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – Enhances all the flavors.
Quick Pickled Onions
Are these quick-pickled onions essential? I think so! They bring a bright note to the dish that works really well with the walnuts and the salty cheese. And, because they are pickled, they don’t have the harshness of raw onion.
- Rice vinegar or white wine vinegar – The acidic base for pickling the onions.
- Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to balance the acidity.
- Kosher salt – Enhances the pickling solution.
- Pinch peppercorns – Adds a mild peppery note.
- Red onion – Provides a sharp, tangy crunch and vibrant color.
Walnut Quinoa Feta Salad
This is a riff on the salad that the chefs at the event made (they included mint and microgreens didn’t have cucumber, dates, or feta) but you can riff on it to account for what you have on hand!
- Quinoa – The protein-packed base of the salad
- Oranges – Adds bursts of citrusy sweetness. Use whatever sort of oranges or mandarins you like best from Cara Cara to blood oranges or satsumas. Here we supreme the oranges because we like the texture and how it brings out the jewel colors of the citrus. However, you can simply peel them if you prefer.
- Medjool Dates – Brings a natural caramel-like sweetness to the mix.
- Persian Cucumbers – Add a refreshing, crisp texture.
- Toasted California walnuts – Offer nutty crunch and richness. Keep them in halves or whole for a big bite.
- Feta Cheese – Delivers a creamy, tangy finishing touch.
How to Make This Recipe
To make the quinoa feta salad, prepare the dressing by combining lime juice, olive oil, honey, and spices. Pickle the onions for a pop of acidity, then toss cooked quinoa with the dressing. Layer the quinoa with citrus, dates, cucumbers, walnuts, and feta, and finish with the pickled onions for a stunning presentation.
What to Serve With This
Serve this quinoa feta salad alongside grilled chicken or roasted salmon or as part of a Mediterranean-inspired spread with hummus and pita. It’s also delicious as a standalone meal for a light lunch or dinner.
Other Walnut Recipes You’ll Love
I love adding toasted California walnuts to a load of recipes for a bit of flavor and crunch. Here are a few additional walnut recipes where they really shine:
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Citrus Walnut Quinoa Feta Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Honey-Lime Salad Dressing:
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano or dried thyme
- kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
For Make The Quick-Pickled Onions:
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black peppercorns
- 1/2 medium red onion minced
For The Walnut Quinoa Feta Salad:
- 4 cups cooked quinoa
- 3 medium oranges (mix of blood, navel, and Cara Cara) supremed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6 Medjool dates pitted and chopped
- 5 Persian cucumbers finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups toasted walnuts (about 6 ounces), broken up
- 4 ounces Feta cheese minced
- kosher salt and Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Make The Honey-Lime Salad Dressing:
- Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake to incorporate evenly. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. (The dressing can be made up to 4 days ahead of time. Store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.)
Make The Quick-Pickled Onions:
- Place everything except the onions in a small saucepan and warm up over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved, remove from heat. Strain out the peppercorns then pour into a heatproof bowl, and stir in the onions. Set aside for at least 30 minutes or until the onions turn bright pink. (Pickled onions can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Store refrigerated in an airtight container (in the pickling liquid) until ready to use.)
Make The Walnut Quinoa Feta Salad:
- Toss the cooked quinoa with 2/3 of the dressing and taste, adding more salt, pepper, or dressing as desired. Mix the quinoa with everything reserving a handful of each pickled onions, walnuts, cheese, and oranges for garnish. Place the quinoa on a serving platter scatter the reserved ingredients on top. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve.(The salad can be made ahead but we like it best when served just after being served. Also, resist the urge to add all the dressing. If you let it sit a few minutes, usually two-thirds of the dressing is more than enough.)
