Healthy Carrot Cake Quinoa Salad

What’s not to love about carrot cake? It’s naturally sweet, packed with fruit and nuts, and even includes a veggie! This Healthy Carrot Cake Quinoa Salad delivers all the classic flavors you crave—without the guilt. Enjoy it as a wholesome side for Easter or brunch or serve it as a nutrient-packed dessert with a boost of protein!

Why You’ll Love this Carrot Quinoa

1. Naturally Sweetened – Enjoy all the warm, cozy flavors of carrot cake without refined sugar! This salad gets its sweetness from wholesome ingredients like carrots, dried fruit, or a touch of maple syrup.
2. Nutrient-Packed & Satisfying – Made with protein-rich quinoa, fiber-filled carrots, and heart-healthy nuts, this salad is both nourishing and satisfying—perfect for a balanced meal or snack.
3. Tastes Like Dessert, Feels Like Fuel – With warm spices, crunchy textures, and just the right amount of natural sweetness, this dish delivers the indulgent flavors of carrot cake in a light, wholesome way!

Can’t get enough quinoa recipes, try this Autumn Salad, you’ll love it.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) are the seeds from a flowering plant in the amaranth family. They can be yellow, red, white, black, or purple. It is a gluten free “grain”, packed full of nutrients.

This little grain is a healthy carbohydrate, as well as a protein. In every 1/2 cup of quinoa there is 4 grams of protein.

Quinoa contains all 9 essential amino acids. A few other reasons to eat quinoa, according to this Healthline article, 8 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Quinoa, written by Jillian Kubala, MS, RD and Kris Gunners BSc:

• anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties
• high in fiber, which helps your gut
• good source for magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc

Quinoa is a super food! Incorporate it into your meals to reap the benefits of these little gems.

If you like this pineapple recipe, you’ll love Hummingbird Muffins.

Carrot Cake Quinoa Ingredients

Everything you would find in a yummy carrot cake is in this quinoa salad, except the white sugar, flour, and icing.

• Quinoa
• Carrots
• Pineapple & Juice
• Golden Raisins
• Pecans
• Coconut
• Cinnamon & Ginger
• Orange Zest & Juice
• Honey
• White Wine Vinegar & Olive Oil

Making the Quinoa Salad

This quinoa carrot salad is easy to sling together. First, make the quinoa. Second, whisk the dressing. Third, put it all together.

If you like quinoa, you’ll love this quinoa recipe with Cantaloupe and Goat Cheese.

Tips for Fluffy Tasty Quinoa

I spent years, eating soggy tasteless quinoa. Don’t let this happen to you. Here are a few tips…

Rinse

Quinoa has a compound called saponin, which has a bitter taste. If you don’t rinse it, the quinoa will taste unpleasantly bitter. And you’ll vow never to eat quinoa again! (How sad.) Rinse the quinoa several times with cool water to get rid of the bitter taste.

Flavor Quinoa with the Cooking Liquid

Quinoa can be bland, if you don’t gussy it up! Swap out some of the water with a flavorful liquid. In this recipe, orange juice, pineapple juice (from the can of pineapples), and water are used.

Ratio of Quinoa vs. Liquid

Quinoa instructions will typically say 1:2 ratio of quinoa to water. It works best to cut the liquid slightly. In this recipe, use 1 cup quinoa, 1-3/4 cup liquid.

Wait to Put a Lid on It

Don’t be tempted to put the lid on right away. Keep the pot uncovered while cooking. This will prevent the quinoa from getting soggy. Quinoa may be done in more or less time depending on the size of pot you are using.

1. Once liquid is absorbed, put a lid on it.
2. Take it off the heat.
3. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
4. Fluff with a fork.

Assembly of Carrot Cake Quinoa

With quinoa cooked and fluffed, it’s time to add the goodies!

Toss in carrots, pecans, pineapple, raisins, and coconut. If you don’t like coconut, omit, or put a side of coconut on the table for sprinkling in. Coconut can be a battle. We are a split household.

Mix in the fruit, nuts, and carrots. The final step is the dressing!

Quinoa Dressing

The dressing is what truly brings any salad to life, and this one is no exception! Bursting with flavor and natural sweetness, it’s incredibly easy to make—just whisk everything together in a bowl. Plus, you can easily adjust the honey to customize the sweetness to your liking.

Salads don’t have to be boring. If you like this salad recipe, you’ll love my post on 5 Healthy Salad Dressings.

• White Wine Vinegar (or any good quality vinegar)
• Orange Juice & Zest
• Olive Oil
• Honey
• Ginger (fresh is best)
• Cinnamon
• Salt

Homemade dressing is what makes a salad. If you like this dressing, you’ll love this Lemony Mint dressing. Or this Easy Pesto Dressing.

What to Serve Carrot Quinoa With

The possibilities are endless with what this side dish goes well with. Salty and sweet are always a good pair.

• Ham or this Pork Piccata recipe
• For a Breakfast Bowl
• Anything off the Grill (especially this Salmon recipe)
• Make it a Dessert
• Make it a meal by adding in some arugula and chicken or chick peas, for an extra dose of protein.

Leftovers

• Store in air-tight in fridge for up to 4 days.
• This salad would be a good pancake or yogurt topper for breakfast.
• Add garbanzo beans for a protein and have for lunch.

Thanks for reading along. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you would like more healthy recipes like this one sent right to your inbox, sign up for my Recipe Drops. They’re always FREE.