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Quinoa Salad with Pineapple, Cilantro and Lime

Quinoa Salad with Pineapple, Cilantro and Lime

By Dimitri DemopolousOctober 17, 2023

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    1¼ hours
  • Active time plus cooling
    20 minutes active

This quinoa salad combines tropical fruit, citrusy lime and spicy fresh chilies (feel free to use a sweet bell pepper instead). We dry-toast the quinoa—which is actually a seed, not a grain—to give it fragrant, nutty notes, and dress it while warm to help it absorb flavor. To tame the onion’s bite, we steep the slices in lime juice while the quinoa cooks. If mango is more to your liking, use an equal amount in place of the pineapple. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled; if chilled, wait to add the cilantro until the last minute.

Ingredients
  • ½

    medium red onion, thinly sliced

  • 2

    Fresno chilies, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced OR 1 small red or orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

  • 1

    teaspoon grated lime zest, plus 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided

  • 1

    cup quinoa, preferably rainbow (tricolor) quinoa, rinsed and drained

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 2

    cups chopped fresh pineapple ORthawed frozen pineapple chunks

  • 2

    tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¾

    cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Step 1

In a large bowl, combine the onion, chilies and lime juice; set aside while you cook the quinoa. In a medium saucepan over medium-high, toast the quinoa, stirring occasionally, until crackling, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to low and simmer, without stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Step 2

While the quinoa rests, stir the pineapple, oil and ¼ teaspoon salt into the onion mixture. When the quinoa is done, use a fork to fluff it, then add it to the onion-pineapple mixture and toss. Cool until barely warm to the touch, 20 to 30 minutes, tossing a few times. Stir in the lime zest and cilantro. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Optional garnish: Toasted unsweetened coconut OR chopped roasted cashews

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