Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad with Sliced Avocado

5 from 2 votes

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This beautiful vegetarian (or vegan!) salad is a satisfying combination of earthy grains, crunchy carrots, and creamy avocado with a sweet-savory dressing.

Quinoa and carrot salad topped with sliced avocado.

This quinoa salad is downright gorgeous and can be made in 30 minutes. It’s a terrific side at a cookout and a great addition to a buffet. Also perfect for a picnic. This simple grain salad is a nice way to offer up a dish that can act as a main course for vegetarians and vegans (protein, fiber, veggies, this salad has it all!) while also sidling up nicely to other entree options.

You can add other vegetables to the mix for sure. I like the idea of shredded veggies in this salad, which keeps it all very forkable. Try radishes, zucchini, or summer squash. Serve this up with Turkish Stuffed Eggplants (vegetarian), Mediterranean Pork Loin, or Grilled Sirloin Cap.

Here’s more on cooking quinoa and a very basic Quinoa Salad if that’s more your speed.

Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad with Sliced Avocado in white bowl.

Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad with Sliced Avocado: This beautiful vegetarian (or vegan!) salad is a satisfying combination of earthy grains, crunchy carrots, and creamy avocado with a sweet-savory dressing.

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Ingredients

  • Olive oil 
  • Scallions – Use the white and the green parts when you mince them.
  • Quinoa – You can use whatever kind you like, just make sure to rinse it before cooking.
  • Rice vinegar – You can sub in white wine vinegar if you prefer, which is a little more acidic, so maybe reduce the amount by a little.
  • Honey – Use agave instead if you want this salad to be vegan.
  • Sesame oil
  • Soy sauce – Adds a touch of saltiness and a touch of umami.
  • Fresh mint – Fresh only, please! Use parsley or basil instead if you like, but don’t sub in dried; it won’t be great in this salad.
  • Carrots – Scrubbed or peeled and grated on a box grater or in a food processor.
  • Avocados – Halve and thinly slice them just before adding them to the salad.
Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad in white bowl, topped with Sliced Avocado.

How to Make Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad

  1. Cook the quinoa: Then cool it to room temp.
  2. Make the dressing: In a blender or a food processor, puree the rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, olive oil, soy sauce, mint, salt, and pepper.
  3. Make the salad: Combine the cooked, cooled quinoa in a bowl, add the carrots and dressing, and toss to thoroughly combine.
  4. Serve: Turn it into a shallow serving bowl and top with the avocado. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil.
Quinoa and carrot salad topped with sliced avocado.

Variations and Tips

  • As with almost every grain salad, you should feel free to throw in what you have in the fridge — maybe some shredded small-diced zucchini, or other fresh herbs, or chopped tomatoes.
  • Add the avocado just before serving so it stays bright green.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, shred the carrots, mince the herbs, and make the dressing.
  • If you have leftover cooked quinoa, feel free to use that instead of cooking the quinoa from scratch for this recipe. It will come together even faster!

What to Serve With Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad

Red Quinoa Salad, Sesame Honey Quinoa, Farro and Arugula Salad Group in plates on table.

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5 from 2 votes

Sesame-Honey Quinoa and Carrot Salad with Sliced Avocado

This beautiful vegetarian (or vegan!) salad is a satisfying combination of earthy grains, crunchy carrots, and creamy avocado with a sweet-savory dressing.
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Cooling Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients 

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
  • 5 scallions (minced)
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • ¾ cup quinoa (rinsed)
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1 ½ cups grated carrots
  • 1 to 2 avocados (halved and thinly sliced)

Instructions 

  • In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the scallions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until tender. Add the water, turn the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the water is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and let come to room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, in a blender or a food processor, puree the rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, soy sauce, mint, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
  • Place the cooled quinoa in a bowl, add the carrots and the dressing, and toss to thoroughly combine. Turn it into a shallow serving bowl and arrange the avocado attractively on the top. An extra drizzle of olive oil and a bit more salt and pepper is nice.

Notes

  • As with almost every grain salad, you should feel free to throw in what you have in the fridge — maybe some shredded small-diced zucchini, or other fresh herbs, or chopped tomatoes.
  • Add the avocado just before serving so it stays bright green.
  • While the quinoa is cooking, shred the carrots, mince the herbs, and make the dressing.
  • If you have leftover cooked quinoa feel free to use that instead of cooking the quinoa from scratch for this recipe. It will come together even faster!

Nutrition

Calories: 184.33kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.79g, Protein: 3.43g, Fat: 11.74g, Saturated Fat: 1.64g, Sodium: 149.22mg, Potassium: 324.52mg, Fiber: 3.82g, Sugar: 3.67g, Vitamin A: 4200.55IU, Vitamin C: 5.93mg, Calcium: 29.79mg, Iron: 1.23mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

About Katie Workman

Katie Workman is a cook, a writer, a mother of two, an activist in hunger issues, and an enthusiastic advocate for family meals, which is the inspiration behind her two beloved cookbooks, Dinner Solved! and The Mom 100 Cookbook.

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8 Comments

  1. I usually can’t stand quinoa, but my husband loves it. I came across this recipe because I googled the water to quinoa ratio. I had the ingredients and it sounded simple enough so I tried it. I made it exactly according to the recipe because when I try to improvise I usually mess everything up! I LOVED this dish! My hubby said he wants this all the time. Thank you for making quinoa taste good to me! The only thing that I might change is making it with brown rice if I’m out of quinoa.

  2. This is cool, I live in a nursing/rehab home and our head chef is looking into some “different” ingredients. One being confetti couscous, so hopefully I can get him interested in quinoa

    1. I’m sorry I don’t – there are programs online that you can plug the ingredients into if you like. Sorry about that!

    1. Yes, before cooking! Just trim off the root and the top part of the green and chop away – sometimes it’s easier to slice the scallions, then give them a good chop. Don’t worry about making the pieces an even size, they are fine no matter how big or small they are!