Quinoa Avocado Salad with Roasted Carrots and Beets
Packed with healthy greens, quinoa, roasted carrots and beets, and drizzled with a delicious orange-balsamic dressing, this quinoa avocado salad is a wonderful addition to your next holiday or friends gathering.
This is not your simple green side salad. It’s substantial. It has lots of interesting flavors, colors and textures. Simply delish.
![quinoa avocado salad with roasted carrots and beets on white plate.](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-1.jpg)
What to expect
This hearty vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free salad is a terrific combination of earthy beets, creamy avocado, caramelized carrots, zesty orange, and slightly crunchy quinoa. The rich, bright, and smooth orange-balsamic-honey dressing is sensational with this salad.
Roasting the beets and carrots takes a bit of extra time, but it’s worth the effort I think. There are some perfectly good shortcuts you can take though.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Ingredients: Quinoa, salad greens, carrots, beets, avocado and orange-balsamic-honey dressing.
Quinoa: I use red quinoa for drama. Regular, black or tri-colored quinoa are good too.
Carrots: You can use regular orange carrots, or if you prefer, yellow, white, red or purple carrots (often sold together as rainbow carrots).
Salad greens: I like to use watercress, but most leafy greens will work such as spring mix, arugula, romaine, and frisée lettuce.
Beets: Use any color beets or a combination of red beets, yellow beets or multi-colored beets.
Dressing: The dressing ingredients include orange juice and zest, balsamic vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Other variations and substitutes
- Substitutes
- Try cubed sweet potato, parsnips or butternut squash instead of carrots.
- Instead of orange, add a tangier twist with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Substitute maple syrup for the honey.
- Add-in options:
- Crumbled goat cheese is a great option. Or feta if you like stronger cheese.
- Toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Raisins and/or dried cranberries
- Fresh herbs such as fresh cilantro, parsley or basil.
- Other roasted veggies like red onion or bell pepper
- Fresh cherry tomatoes cut in half.
- Instead of roasting the carrots, try using our Grilled Carrots with Balsamic Glaze in this salad.
Step by step instructions
![water spray rinsing red quinoa in colander.](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-4.jpg)
![raw carrot sticks and foil wrapped beets on sheet pan.](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-7.jpg)
![](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-5-1.jpg)
![roasted red and yellow beets cubed on plate.](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-6.jpg)
Roast vegetables until tender and caramelized. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
![quinoa avocado salad with roasted carrots and beets on white plate.](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-8.jpg)
![quinoa avocado salad with roasted carrots and beets and goat cheese on white plate.](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-19.jpg)
Recipe FAQs
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), a seed often mistaken for a grain due to its appearance, is considered gluten-free whole grains with numerous nutritional benefits according to Healthline. With over 3000 varieties available, including black, red, and tri-color, quinoa offers a versatile range of options for cooking.
Quinoa can have a bitter taste caused by the protective coat on the outside of the seed called saponin. Even though most Quinoa is pre-rinsed when you buy it, I would give it a quick rinse just in case.
Yes, you can use canned beets, keeping in mind they are softer and milder than roasted beets with a less intense and less earthy taste.
Shortcuts
- Buy pre-roasted beets – they come in a package in most grocery stores. Alternatively, microwave the beets which is quicker than roasting them. But keep in mind that you are roasting the carrots. Here’s a microwave beet recipe.
- Use leftover quinoa or pick it up at a deli counter in your local grocery store.
- Use a store-bought dressing for drizzling such as Balsamic, Honey Mustard or Poppy Seed.
Make Ahead
- The carrots, beets, quinoa and dressing can all be made earlier in the day or a couple of days ahead. Assemble the salad before serving.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for a day (or two if the dressing and avocado are not added)
What to serve with this quinoa salad recipe
For a full meal, consider serving the quinoa avocado salad with Vegetable Bean and Barley Soup, Red Lentil Vegetable Soup or Squash, Sweet Potato & Mandarin Soup.
Or serve the salad as a side dish with a main course of Maple Balsamic Rainbow Trout, Sous Vide New York Strip Steak, Crispy Baked Fish, Marinated Grilled Pork Chops or Grilled Vietnamese Chicken.
![quinoa avocado salad with roasted carrots and beets on white plate.](https://twokooksinthekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/quinoa-avocado-salad-roast-carrots-10.jpg)
Other delicious salad recipes
- roasted vegetable salad with quinoa (3 sides in one)
- quinoa and butternut squash salad
- charred corn salad with lime and cilantro
- lemon orzo salad and grilled vegetables
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟in the recipe card below. And if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments. Thanks very much!
Quinoa Avocado Salad with Roasted Carrots and Beets
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1 cup red quinoa (or regular or tri-colored quinoa)
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Roasted carrots and beets
- 4 small beets, red or golden (or combination)
- 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 x 4 inch (1.3 x 10 cm) sticks
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 large orange (zest plus 1 tablespoon juice for dressing)
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
- 1 avocado, peeled and diced
Orange-Balsamic Dressing
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Salad
- 4 cups watercress (or 4-6 cups mixed spring salad greens)
- Optional garnish: crumbled goat cheese, toasted nuts and/or raisins
Instructions
- MAKE QUINOA: Rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer for 2 minutes. Place rinsed quinoa in medium-sized saucepan with water and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered. Fluff with fork and let it cool while carrots and beets are roasting. You can cool in the fridge if time is short.
- PREPARE CARROTS AND BEETS: Heat oven to 425F/218C. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and spray well with oil (or use parchment paper). BEETS: Scrub the beets under running water to remove dirt and sand. Oil the beets, then wrap tightly in tin foil. Place them on one end of the pan. For a shortcut, buy roasted beets instead. CARROTS: In a medium bowl, mix together oil, honey, nutmeg, salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon orange zest. Add carrots and toss. Lay in single layer on the prepared pan.
- ROAST CARROTS AND BEETS: Roast vegetables for about 20-25 minutes, turning carrots once, until carrots are tender and caramelized. Spoon onto a plate. If beets pierce easily with a knife, they are ready, Otherwise, continue roasting for another 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from oven and let cool a bit. Over the sink, slide off the skins. Wash your hands right away to avoid stains from the beet juice. Dice into 1/2 inch/1.27 cm pieces.
- MAKE DRESSING: Combine all dressing ingredients in a small measuring cup and whisk until well blended.
- ASSEMBLE SALAD: In a large wide-mouthed bowl, toss together watercress and 2 cups of quinoa (save the rest for another use). Distribute roasted carrots and beets and diced avocado evenly. Add goat cheese, raisins and/or nuts if using. Drizzle dressing just before serving over salad.
Recipe Notes
- Variations:
- Try cubed sweet potato, parsnips or butternut squash instead of carrots.
- Instead of orange, add a tangier twist with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Add-in options:
- Crumbled goat cheese is a great option. Or feta if you like stronger cheese.
- Toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
- Raisins and/or dried cranberries
- Fresh herbs such as fresh cilantro, parsley or basil.
- Other roasted veggies like red onion or bell pepper
- Fresh cherry tomatoes cut in half
- Shortcuts
- Microwave the beets. Here’s a microwave beet recipe. Or even easier, buy pre-roasted beets found packaged in most grocery stores.
- Use leftover quinoa or pick it up at a deli counter in your local grocery store.
- Use a store-bought dressing for drizzling such as Balsamic, Honey Mustard or Poppy Seed.
- Make Ahead: The carrots, beets, quinoa and dressing can all be made earlier in the day or a couple of days ahead. Assemble the salad before serving.Â
i give this recipe a five star rating!
Such a refreshing and delicious meal!
So glad you like it Fran. And thanks for taking the time to leave us a comment. ?