Crispy Quinoa Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

Crispy rice is super popular right now, but have you tried crispy quinoa?! Same vibes, similar texture. Try this crispy quinoa salad.

It’s made with a seriously delicious maple tahini dressing and tossed with roasted sweet potatoes, arugula, and fresh pomegranate seeds. It’s a perfect Fall salad with amazing textures and balanced flavors. Crunch from the crispy quinoa and arugula, sweet creaminess from the sweet potatoes, and tangy bursts from the pomegranate seeds. This Crispy Quinoa Salad will be one of your new favorites!

Let’s talk about the maple tahini dressing. It’s a stunner. I use it on my Apple Cheddar Kale Salad as well! Except for this crispy quinoa salad, I thinned it out with a little bit of water. Because this salad uses arugula, which is a more delicate lettuce than kale, it needs a thinner salad dressing. But this dressing has so much flavor and goes really well with all the flavors here. It’s made with tahini paste, maple syrup for a little sweetness, red wine vinegar, lemon juice (I just like that combination of acids), hot sauce, and good quality extra-virgin olive oil.

How do you make crispy quinoa? It’s actually so easy! Cook your quinoa according to package instructions. You can also use leftover quinoa that might be sitting in your refrigerator. Toss it on a parchment-lined sheet pan with avocado oil and seasonings, then cook in your oven, stirring every so often, until browned and crispy. Literally so easy for something that elevates a salad so much!

Ingredient Notes:

• Cooked Quinoa – Cook to package instructions or use leftover quinoa that might be in your refrigerator. This can be made a few days ahead of time and used for the salad (yay)!
• Avocado Oil – Feel free to substitute with any neutral oil, I just prefer avocado oil because it’s healthier.
• Garlic Powder – I always use my favorite, from Burlap & Barrel, which can be bought here.
• Pomegranate Seeds – If you can’t find them, you can substitute with dried cranberries or chopped up figs or strawberries.
• Tahini Paste – Using a good quality tahini is important. My favorites are Al Arz and Seed and Mill.

Crispy Quinoa Salad with Maple Tahini Dressing

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Cooling Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Salad

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 2

Equipment

• 2 Medium Bowls
• Parchment Paper
• 2 Sheet Pans
• 1 Whisk

Ingredients

  

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For the Salad:

• 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
• Avocado oil
• ½ teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
• 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 oz. sweet potatoes peeled and cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into ¼-inch-thick half moons
• Maple Tahini Dressing recipe below
• 1 tablespoon water
• 5 oz. baby arugula
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds

For the Maple Tahini Dressing:

• ¼ cup tahini make sure you mix well to get some of the thicker paste at the bottom, if not you may need some more tahini
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

For the Salad:

• Adjust two racks in the upper and lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the cooked quinoa, 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil (double this amount if doubling the recipe), herbes de Provence, a third of the garlic powder, and a big pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• On a sheet pan, toss the sweet potato slices with 1 tablespoon avocado oil (double this amount if doubling the recipe), the remaining garlic powder, and a generous amount of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Place the quinoa on the upper rack and the sweet potatoes on the bottom rack and roast for 20-25 minutes, mixing the quinoa halfway, until it’s golden and crispy and the sweet potatoes are tender. Remove from the oven and let cool. Taste crispy quinoa and season with more Kosher salt, if needed.
• Mix the Maple Tahini Dressing with the water to loosen it slightly. In a large bowl, combine the arugula, pomegranate seeds, sweet potatoes, and crispy quinoa with as much of the Maple Tahini Dressing as desired. Season with Kosher salt and toss to evenly combine.

For the Maple Tahini Dressing:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, and hot sauce. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. If dressing is too zesty for your taste, whisk in another tablespoon of olive oil.

Notes

Once dressed, salad is best served immediately. 

Maple Tahini Dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let come to room temperature, whisk to combine, and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, before serving. 

Keyword celiac, easy, Fall, Fall Salad, gluten free, healthy

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