Next time you’re looking for a simple, nourishing side, try this white bean quinoa salad! It’s bright, herby, lemony, and SO versatile. We especially love it with portobello “steaks” or baked fish, or really any main dish with parsley and lemon!
Just 1 bowl and 30 minutes required for this protein- and fiber-packed salad. Let us show you how it’s done!
It begins with cooking quinoa until FLUFFY (or using leftover if you have it around). This pseudo-grain (technically a seed!) originated in South America, but its health benefits have now earned it a spot on menus in far-reaching regions. It’s rich in magnesium, fiber, folate, zinc, and all the essential amino acids!
While the quinoa is cooking, we marinate white beans in lemon juice, olive oil, red onion, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and LOTS of parsley. The white beans soak up the flavors, leaving them a little tangy, herby, savory, and spicy!
Then we add the cooked quinoa and give it another good stir.
Then it’s ready for any last-minute tweaks to make it perfect for your taste buds. More olive oil will give it richness, lemon juice adds brightness, and only your heart (okay, and taste buds) will know how much salt is right for you!
We hope you LOVE this white bean quinoa salad! It’s:
Bright
Herby
Lemony
Subtly spicy
Nourishing
& SO delicious!
It’s a quick and easy side that keeps and travels well, making it perfect for picnics, meal prep, or a weeknight dinner. Need some weeknight meal inspo? Try it with our Portobello Steaks with Avocado Chimichurri, Easy Baked Cod with Spring Vegetables, or Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad.
More Delicious Ways to Enjoy Quinoa
- Crispy Quinoa Sweet Potato Fritters
- Baked Quinoa Black Bean Falafel
- Curried Quinoa Salad
- Quinoa Taco Meat
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Lemony White Bean Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups COOKED quinoa* (1/2 cup dry quinoa yields ~1 ½ cups cooked)
- 1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained and rinsed (we like cannellini or butter beans // or sub ~1 ½ cups homemade)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, large stems removed (either kind will work, but flat leaf Italian parsley is best)
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
- 2-3 small cloves garlic, minced (2-3 small cloves yield ~1 Tbsp or 9 g minced)
- 1/2-3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- If you don’t already have cooked quinoa, prepare it at this time. In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup dry quinoa and 1 cup water (1/2 cup dry quinoa yields ~1 ½ cups cooked // adjust amount if altering default number of servings). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking for ~12-15 minutes until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy and has expanded. Remove from the heat, stir, and set aside (covered) while you make the salad. The quinoa will get even fluffier as it sits!
- Meanwhile, to a medium mixing bowl, add drained and rinsed white beans, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, onion, garlic, salt (starting with the lesser amount), black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and let sit for 15-20 minutes to allow the white beans to marinate and soak up the flavors.
- Add the cooked quinoa to the marinated white beans and stir to combine. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more lemon juice for brightness, parsley for herbiness, or salt to taste. We added a little more of each.
- Leftover salad keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Not freezer friendly.
Notes
*This recipe is also delicious as a white bean salad if you replace the quinoa with more white beans!
*Inspired by our Portobello Steaks with Avocado Chimichurri.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amount of salt.
Lauren says
I am not a big fan of lemon, will the beans still marinate well if I omit? Or would I want to substitute with something else acidic? Any recommendations?
Hi Lauren! You could try using a light vinegar like red or white wine vinegar. We suggest starting with less and adding a bit more to taste.
Martha says
This recipe is deceptively simple and really delicious. It became a regular for me to whip up when I was doing a lot of entertaining recently. Always a hit!
Amazing! We’re so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipe, Martha! xoxo
Kristin Golden says
I made this salad last night and LOVED it! If you love Mediterranean style eating, you must make this one! My husband doesn’t much care for citrus flavors, parsley, or quinoa, but I served it to him anyway. He said it wasn’t his thing, but I was glad he tried it. I’m having some of the leftovers for lunch today! Pinned it so I can make it again!
Whoop! We’re so glad you loved it, Kristin. Thank you for sharing! xo
Corelia says
So I’ve got this addiction to the red quinoa salad at my local deli…and eventually I decided that I needed to recreate it at home! This recipe was the closest to the deli salad that I was able to find, and with a few adaptions, I have now successfully recreated it!!! And let me tell you, it is SO. GOOD. It’s my personal opinion that I may have actually improved the original white bean recipe, though I never tried to make the original. Anyway, if anyone is interested, here are the changes I made to (a doubled batch of) this recipe:
– swapped chickpeas for the white beans, and did 2.5 cups rather than 3
– put ~2 tbsp of maple syrup in the marinade
– made a base of curly kale, maybe 1.5 bunches of it (GAMECHANGER!!) and massaged the marinade from the chickpeas into it before adding the rest of the stuff
– added cherry tomatoes
– put in some chopped pickles! Capers were in the salad at my deli, but pickles did the trick.
– added a LOT more red onion slices
Thanks so much, MB!!! I’ve been trying to make this exact salad forever. :)
Amazing! We’re so happy it helped you be able to recreate that salad at home. Thank you for sharing! xo
KT says
I made this exactly as it was written, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. What a fun way to dress up quinoa and white beans!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, KT! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Emily Boone says
Holy cow! I found this recipe looking for something to do with fresh favas from the CSA. My bean-hating husband and I were both dubious, and this was a knock-out. I did expect a larger quantity than this yielded, so I’d definitely double it next time. This recipe is a keeper.
Whoop! We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Emily. Thank you for sharing! xo
KT says
So good….light, lemony and delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it! xoxo
Zopi says
This is such an amazing recipe. It’s refreshing, wholesome and packed with flavour. I made this recipe with buckwheat as I didn’t have quinoa and absolutely LOVED it. Thanks for sharing another winner recipe!
Thank you for another lovely review, Zopi! We’re so glad you enjoy it! xo
Monica Jae says
Making this now & it’s flavors are incredible. I’m going to plop it onto a bed of arugala tossed with a little olive oil & lemon. Can’t wait!
That sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing, Monica! xo
Catherine says
I made this as part of a Mother’s Day bunch. It was delicious. I will definitely be making this again. I think I may double the recipe next time, because it made fantastic leftovers and the original recipe made a fairly small quantity. It looked beautiful on the buffet as well!
Lovely! Thank you so much for sharing, Catherine! xo
Carol Arment says
Hi, I love so many of your recipes! Thank you. I made this today for lunch. I added 1/2 c each of Kalamazoo olives, marinated artichoke hearts. And about 10 grape tomatoes. So good.
Your modifications sound delicious, Carol. Thank you so much for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Ashley Powell says
I added cherry tomatoes and subbed basil for parsley…So delicious! Will definitely make again!
Yay! Those modifications sound delicious. Thank you for sharing, Ashley!
M says
Can you use a yellow onion instead of red?
Yes!
M says
Thank you! This recipe is soooo good!
We’re so glad you enjoy it! xoxo
Kat Kess says
For as cheap, simple, and easy as this is, it’s surprisingly tasty. I’ve only made it once but I’m definitely going to be using this as a staple meal from now on.
We’re so glad to hear it, Kat! Thank you for sharing! xo
Lena Walker says
Truly delicious!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Lena! xoxo
Susan says
Delicious! I added the zest from the lemon. Otherwise, made as is and this will be a regular on my make-ahead lunch menu!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing, Susan! xo
Daisy says
This is my second time making this. The first time I used vidalia onion because I didn’t have a red onion, it was awesome, so don’t let not having a red onion keep you from making this. It was perfect to use up some parsley I didn’t want to go bad but the store only sells it in huge bunches. The second time I made it I had the red onion, but even though I still had parsley in the fridge, I opted to use some curly parsley that I grew in the garden and it’s a bit stronger in taste, it still tastes great in this salad, I happen to really like parsley (can’t stand cilantro – I omit it whenever I can), I wouldn’t worry if you can’t get flat leaf parsley, but it definitely can’t be left out. This is great for bringing my lunch to work. I wanted to start eating more beans and quinoa and this did not disappoint. The only issue is you will want to do a parsley stuck in your teeth check after eating, especially if you eat this at work.
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
Kate says
I zested the lemon and added that too and topped it with asparagus and doubled the batch making it a main course. So bright and yummy.
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Kate!
Kim says
YUM! This came together so quickly, it’s light, bright, and flavorful. This will be in the regular rotation for my spring and summer, a great way to spruce up my usual quinoa salads.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, Kim!
Celine Reskovich says
this was DELICIOUS! I cannot get over how simple and delicious this little recipe is. such a keeper! My two littles (4 and 1) gobbled it up! Will be making on repeat this summer. Your recipes come to my inbox and always inspire me and they are always a hit – thank you!!
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Celine. We’re so glad you (all!) enjoy our recipes!
Jeanene says
Superb. A new favorite! Perfect exactly as is.
We’re so glad to hear it, Jeanene! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jason r says
Made according to recipe.
Used veg broth in cooking Quinoa.
This is excellent.
Flat leaf parsley.
I’m not huge fan of quinoa but I want to eat it and this was a perfect integration with white beans which I also don’t love. Together this works and will make again and again.
We’re so glad to hear it, Jason! Thank you for sharing!
Jodie Tanino says
I was so mad at myself! Bought everything at the store and said “let’s do this!”. I accidentally opened garbanzo beans instead! And I knew it would taste good but I wanted the cannelini beans! So I opened another can. This recipe is so simple yet delicious. I added some sweet corn and am going to bulk up some left over cabbage slaw instead of making the quinoa. Thanks for a quick healthy delicious meal. I’ll make some curry with the chickpeas tomorrow I guess!
Ah, shucks! We’re so glad you found a solution :) Extra chickpeas sounds like a happy accident! Thank you for sharing, Jodie! xo
Laura says
Very easy and delicious. I added some kalamatra olives. Ate it with some Naan bread.
Yum, that sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Laura! xo
Leslie says
So delicious and fresh! The ingredients are simple but they come together in such a flavorful way. I accidentally left out the red onion, but I added more crushed red pepper which gave it a spicy kick!
Love that you already made it, Leslie! Thank you for the wonderful review! xoxo
Beth says
Hi! Do you have a tried and true method for dried white beans that does not involve an instant pot? Thanks!
Hi Beth, we’ve only used the Instant Pot. For cooking on the stovetop, we’d definitely suggest soaking for at least 6-12 hours before cooking.
Lauren Hruska says
Thanks for all your amazing recipes! Question… do you have a recommendation for an alternative to parsley in this recipe?
Hi Lauren, maybe cilantro or a lesser amount of mint? Let us know if you try it!
Tracy says
yeah — i dont have quinoa or parsley but I am thinking this could work with brown rice and cilantro! sounds delish
Bec Andrew says
I wonder if spelt, whole-wheat or Israeli cous cous could be good alternatives? I’m going to try it with one of these… but I reckon rice would work well too. And so would risoni or orzo if you’re not GF.
Couscous or orzo would be delicious! We think rice would be good if eating on the first day, but would become dry/hard after refrigerating.
Cyndy says
I’m wondering what would be a nutritious substitute for quinoa. I’m not a fan of quinoa or brown rice. The recipe sounds good, and I have lovely dried Lingot white beans from SW France that I would like to use.
Hi Cyndy, you could sub more white beans. Hope that helps!
Grace says
I tried it with millet and it was delicious!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Grace!
Audrey says
What herb/green would you suggest as a parsley substitute?
Hi Audrey, maybe cilantro or a lesser amount of mint? Let us know if you try it!