Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa Vegetable Salad
Learn how to make this Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa Vegetable Salad that is a one-pot dish full of flavor. The simple lemon dressing brightens the quinoa and vegetables. This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Would you believe that it only takes one minute to cook quinoa in the Instant Pot? I still can’t believe how easy it is. The ratio of uncooked quinoa is 1:1, so that means you just need to use one cup of uncooked quinoa to one cup of water or broth.
Then, you just need to rinse your quinoa, place it in the stainless steel insert with your liquid, and cook it on high pressure for one minute. I usually like to let the pressure come down naturally for about 10 minutes, and then I release any remaining pressure, remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
This salad is a one-pot dish which makes is just so easy to prepare and clean up.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and recipe steps.
I like to make this for a quick lunch or dinner, and it’s really perfect if you need a portable meal. You can even make this for an easy potluck dish.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes You Might Like
- Instant Pot Baked Apples
- Instant Pot Carrot Ginger Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Salad
- Instant Pot Rice Pudding
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato Mash
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PrintInstant Pot Lemon Quinoa Vegetable Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minute
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Learn how to make this Instant Pot Lemon Quinoa Vegetable Salad that is a one-pot dish full of flavor. The simple lemon dressing brightens the quinoa and vegetables. This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 cup water
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 Persian cucumbers, chopped (or 1 large English cucumber)
- 1/3 cup chopped olives (green or black)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear. Drain and place the quinoa in a 6-quart Instant Pot. Add the water.
- Lock on the lid and set the Instant Pot to one minute cooking time at high pressure. Be sure the sealing valve is set to “sealing”.
- Once the cooking time is up, let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid and use a fork to fluff the quinoa.
- Add the red bell pepper, cucumber, olives, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds to the quinoa and stir to combine.
- Add the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir one more time to combine.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
- This salad will keep in the refrigerator in a tightly-sealed container for up to 4 days.
- Category: Salad
- Method: Instant Pot pressure cooker
- Cuisine: Healthy
Keywords: instant pot quinoa salad, pressure cooker quinoa
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I’ve made this a few times in the last couple of weeks and loved it every time.
★★★★★
Why do you have aocado oil in the picture and use olive oil?
Great question! They’re interchangeable in my mind. Feel free to use whatever you prefer.
I’ve been getting back in to quinoa a bit more recently – it’s great to fill you up but without feeling heavy. This looks great as a side for summer.
This is my kind of food! Thank you so much for including stovetop instructions, I don’t have an instant pot so it’s great that you’ve included those instructions too 😉
★★★★★
We use our Instant Pot a lot and are constantly looking for Vegan recipes. Thank you for this, I can’t wait to try it.
★★★★★
What a great IP meal! Such wonderful flavors are in this dish, its perfect for summer!
★★★★★
Can this be made without the oil? Do I need to substitute something else for the moisture?
Nope, you can just leave it out Nancy! It is just for added flavor.
Just made it without the oil. I used regular cucumbers (couldn’t find Persian). Toasted quinoa in sauté for a minute or two before adding water and cooking on HP. BTW I cook 1 cup quinoa with 1 1/4 cup water fir 5 minutes, natural release after 10 minutes of letting it come down naturally. Delicious!