Autumn is the perfect season to embrace the flavors of the harvest, and what better way to do that than with a hearty and nutritious quinoa salad? Packed with seasonal ingredients, this colorful Autumn Quinoa Salad brings together earthy, sweet, and tangy notes in every bite.

Why I Love This Recipe

Autumn Quinoa Salad is packed with cozy flavors and a variety of textures. Creamy roasted sweet potatoes, chewy cranberries, tangy feta, and crunchy pumpkin seeds all come together for the perfect seasonal bite. It’s not just delicious—each serving is also loaded with nutrients, making it a wholesome and satisfying way to celebrate the best of autumn’s harvest.

Another reason I love this salad recipe is the measurements don’t need to be exact. If you have 2 cups of leftover quinoa, then add in an extra cup of sweet potatoes and call it good. Don’t want to leave 1/4 cup cranberries in your pantry, then throw in extra. And measure that cheese with your heart, people!

Autumn Salad Ingredients

Quinoa

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

This recipe calls for 4 cups of cooked quinoa, which you get from 1 cup dry quinoa. To save time, the quinoa can be made ahead.

If you like quinoa, you’ll also love my Carrot Cake Quinoa Salad. See tips below on making perfectly fluffy quinoa.

Sweet Potatoes

A healthy complex carbohydrate, sweet potatoes are an excellent choice to incorporate into your diet. For example, one cup of sweet potatoes contains 213% of the daily value needed for vitamin A! Overall Vitamin A is essential for immunity.

Simply peel, dice, and roast a sweet potato or two for this recipe. Not only can this be done easily in the air fryer (my preferred method) at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, but also in the oven at the same temp for 20 minutes.

Other options instead of sweet potatoes are:

• Butternut Squash
• Acorn Squash
• Beets

Any of these 4 root vegetables bring color and essential vitamins and minerals to this dish. And they all take about the same amount of time to cook, so they can easily be subbed in this recipe.

Can’t get enough of sweet potatoes? You’ll also love this Sweet Potato Crisp.

Kale

I’ve made this recipe with and without kale. There is not much of a taste difference, but the color it brings, makes this recipe even more appealing. PLUS- it’s loaded with powerful antioxidants and vitamin C.

Buy kale pre-chopped in the salad mix section of the grocery store.

Cranberries

Ruby red dried cranberries bring sweetness, color, and an excellent texture to this salad.

If you like dried cranberries, you’ll also love this Pork Chop recipe with crumble topping.

Pumpkin Seeds

Add the crunch with pumpkin seeds. These green little seeds are packed with magnesium, zinc, and antioxidants.

Feta

This cheese packs a tangy punch. I love how crumbly it is, with the perfect amount of salt. Ensuring there is a little bit in every bite.

Cinnamon Maple Vinaigrette

This dressing is warm, sweet, and tangy. You can also make it for this Harvest Apple Salad. Most of these ingredients you probably already have in your pantry:

• Olive Oil
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Dijon Mustard
• Maple Syrup
• Cinnamon
• Salt and Pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Or shake them together by putting all ingredients in a glass jar with lid on.

How to Make This Autumn Delight

The quinoa and sweet potatoes for this salad can be made ahead. You’ll want the quinoa cooled off when assembling. Here’s what to do:

1. Make the Quinoa- see tips below on making perfect quinoa.
2. Roast Sweet Potatoes- dice potatoes, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp garlic salt. These can be roasted in the air fryer at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or in the oven for 20-25 minutes.
3. Make Dressing- put all ingredients in a jar, put a lid on it and shake, set aside.
4. Assemble- once quinoa and sweet potatoes have cooled, toss together with the rest of the salad ingredients and dressing.
5. Enjoy!

Tips on 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.)

Put quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse the quinoa for a few minutes with cool water to get rid of the bitter taste.

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.

Substitutions for Quinoa

I get it, some of you may not like quinoa. You can still enjoy this harvest dish by swapping out the quinoa. Here are some other options that work beautifully in this recipe:

• Farro
• Couscous
• Cauliflower
• Rice
• Orzo

Make it a Meal

Turn this Autumn Quinoa Salad into an Autumn Chicken Salad. Simply add precooked chicken (leftover or rotisserie work) to this colorful combination and you have yourself a balanced meal. Keep it vegetarian by adding garbanzo beans instead of chicken.

This recipe will keep in the fridge for 2 days when using kale.

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, please sign up for my Recipe Drops. They’re always FREE.

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