Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad

Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad is a simple salad that’s filled with fall flavors and amazing textures. It’s crunchy, nutty, tart, and sweet. Perfect for a side dish or light lunch.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I’ve been making this cranberry apple quinoa salad on repeat since apple season started! I love all the textures in this one. Quinoa is topped with crunchy apples, sweet dried cranberries, and creamy goat cheese.

It’s now my go-to when I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It’s ready in just 30 minutes but can be made in half that time if you cook the quinoa ahead of time.

Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad is the perfect everyday fall salad with the best flavors, but it’s also great for a holiday side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. My favorite way to eat it is as a light lunch paired with some butternut squash soup.

Want to make it into a meal, you can top it with a protein like chicken or chickpeas. Customize it even more by swapping or adding other fall veggies, nuts, seeds, or cheese you like.

Love adding apples to your salads? Try this Kale Apple Cheddar Salad or Apple Arugula Salad.

Ingredients

• Quinoa: Uncooked quinoa is the base of this salad. Use either white or tricolor quinoa in this recipe. You can swap it out for your favorite grain, like couscous, farro, or orzo.
• Broth: Use low sodium chicken or vegetable broth to cook the quinoa. You can use water, but I love broth for even more flavor.
• Spinach: Roughly chop a couple of handfuls of fresh baby spinach. Substitute for your favorite green, like kale or arugula.
• Apple: A medium apple, diced. Opt for a sweet and crisp apple variety like Honeycrisp or Fuji. If you prefer a more tart apple, use a Granny Smith.
• Dried Cranberries: Sweetened or unsweetened dried cranberries both work here. I like to use the 50% less sugar craisins. Not a fan of cranberries? Swap for dried cherries or golden raisins.
• Sliced Almonds: Add in sliced almonds for added crunch. Walnuts or pecans would also work well in this salad.
• Goat Cheese: Mix in crumbled goat cheese for some tang and creaminess. Feta cheese also works in this recipe!
• Maple Cider Vinaigrette: Extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, pure maple syrup, dijon mustard, and sea salt.

*The full ingredient list with amounts is in the recipe card below.

How to Make Apple Quinoa Salad

1. Combine the quinoa and broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the broth. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Spread on a large plate or baking sheet to cool for a few minutes.
2. While the quinoa cools, prepare the dressing. Stir or shake all the dressing ingredients in a bowl or small jar. Season with sea salt to taste.

3. Toss the quinoa, spinach, apple, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and crumbled goat cheese in a large bowl. Drizzle with the maple cider vinaigrette and give it another toss until combined.

Expert Tip: If you want to make it ahead of time, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the diced apples to prevent them from browning.

Variations

• Try a different grain. Use your favorite grain as the base, like farro, couscous, or orzo.
• Make it with pears. Swap out the diced apples for fresh diced pears.
• Swap out the greens. Don’t want to use spinach? Try it with your favorite greens like kale, arugula, shredded Brussels sprouts, or mixed greens.
• Add a protein. Mix in some grilled chicken or roasted chickpeas.
• Use different nuts or seeds. Though almonds are excellent in this salad, walnuts, pecans, and pepitas are all great options. You can even try it with candied pecans.
• Swap out the dressing. A balsamic vinaigrette would be delicious!
• Make it vegan. Just leave out the cheese to make it vegan.

Serving Suggestions

This fall quinoa salad is one of my favorite holiday side dishes! Serve it at Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, or bring it to a potluck or Friendsgiving. It’s also perfect for a weeknight dinner or light lunch.

It pairs perfectly with your favorite soup recipe or easy roast turkey. Pair it with your favorite sides like homemade stuffing with french bread and maple balsamic brussels sprouts. 

Make Ahead and Storage

Make Ahead: Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad is great for making ahead or meal prep. You can prep the whole salad and refrigerate it for a few hours before serving. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the apples before mixing them into the salad to prevent them from browning.

My favorite way to prep it ahead is to cook the quinoa and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Prep the rest of the ingredients just before serving and toss them with the quinoa, which takes only 10 minutes.

You can also prepare the salad dressing ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container or jar for up to 5 days. If the oil solidifies in the fridge, leave it on the counter for a few minutes, then give it a good stir.

To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

More Fall Salad Recipes

• Apple Manchego Salad
• Fall Kale Salad with Sweet Potato
• Sweet Potato and Kale Quinoa Bowls
• Butternut Squash Couscous Salad
• Fall Orzo Salad

To get even more recipes straight to your inbox, sign-up for the Fresh Apron Weekly Newsletter.

If you make this recipe, don’t forget to come back and leave a 5-star rating and a comment below.