Delicious Fall Quinoa Salad: A Hearty & Healthy Autumn Meal with Maple Walnut Vinaigrette

As the leaves begin to turn and the air grows crisp, many people instinctively gravitate towards hearty, warm dishes. However, fall is also a season of abundant fresh produce, making it an ideal time for vibrant and nourishing salads. This Fall Quinoa Salad perfectly captures the essence of autumn, offering a delightful blend of textures and flavors. It’s incredibly versatile, equally delicious served warm right after preparation or chilled for a refreshing meal. No matter how you choose to enjoy it, our homemade Maple Walnut Vinaigrette provides the perfect finishing touch, tying all the seasonal ingredients together with its creamy, sweet, and savory notes.

Embrace Autumn with Our Hearty Fall Quinoa Salad Recipe

This hearty fall quinoa salad is more than just a side dish; it’s a celebration of autumn’s bounty. With its wealth of wonderful seasonal produce options, this recipe combines the best aspects of fall into one satisfying salad. The robust flavors and diverse textures make it an excellent choice for a light main course or a substantial side, complementing any fall-inspired meal.

One of the many reasons to love this dish is its flexibility in serving temperature. I often enjoy it warm, shortly after preparing it, which really brings out the comforting flavors of the roasted sweet potato and toasted quinoa. The leftovers are then perfect for refrigerating and packing into lunches for the following days, or serving alongside lighter suppers for a balanced and nutritious meal. It’s a fantastic way to ensure you’re incorporating healthy, whole ingredients into your weekly diet.

The true beauty of this salad lies in its incredible versatility. Don’t feel confined by the ingredient list; consider it a starting point for your culinary creativity! For instance, you can easily swap the crisp apples for juicy pears, adding a different sweet dimension. Instead of sweet potato, try roasted butternut squash or delicata squash for a similar earthy sweetness. If kale isn’t your preference, fresh spinach or even a mix of sturdy greens like chard would work wonderfully. And for those looking to change things up, quinoa can be swapped for other ancient grains like wild rice, farro, or even couscous, each bringing its own unique texture and nutritional profile. Personally, I find fresh cranberries a bit tart for my taste and often opt for the burst of sweetness from pomegranate seeds. However, my kids adore the cranberries, so I typically toss in a handful to keep everyone happy!

Our Fall Quinoa Salad makes a fantastic complement to a comforting fall soup. Imagine pairing it with our homemade pea soup recipe for a vibrant contrast, or alongside a rich French Onion soup recipe. This combination creates a hearty, well-balanced, and utterly delicious meal, perfect for a cozy evening.

And now, let’s talk about the star dressing that elevates this salad from delicious to absolutely unforgettable: our Maple Walnut Vinaigrette. This quick and easy dressing is surprisingly simple to make, requiring nothing more than tossing all the ingredients into a smoothie blender and hitting the puree button. In just a minute or two, you’ll achieve an incredibly creamy, rich texture that will leave you shocked, especially given that it’s completely dairy-free. This makes it an excellent option for those with dietary restrictions or when you’re serving guests whose preferences you might not know.

The dairy-free nature of the maple walnut dressing also makes it a safe and convenient choice for packed lunches, especially when refrigeration might not be available. You can adjust the seasonings to your personal liking – add a little more maple syrup for a sweeter dressing, or increase the salt and pepper for a more savory profile. The way I prepare it results in a luxurious, almost “walnut butter” like consistency that beautifully coats every element of the salad, adding a depth of flavor that is truly unique and satisfying. Its rich umami, combined with the subtle sweetness of maple, creates a harmonious balance that perfectly complements the earthy quinoa and fresh fall produce.

Ingredients for Fall Quinoa Salad

Gathering fresh, high-quality ingredients is key to making this fall quinoa salad shine. Each component brings its own unique flavor and texture, contributing to a truly balanced and delightful dish.

1 cup quinoa
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small sweet potato
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh cranberries, optional
1 apple (preferably a crisp, sweet-tart variety like Honeycrisp or Fuji)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup kale, chopped (massage lightly with a tiny bit of olive oil if using raw to soften)

For the Maple Walnut Vinaigrette:

This dairy-free dressing is incredibly simple yet packed with flavor, thanks to the wholesome ingredients that blend into a creamy delight.

1/2 cup maple syrup (pure maple syrup for best flavor)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin for richer taste)
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful:

Having the right tools can make preparing this delicious salad even easier and more enjoyable. These are some of my go-to items for this recipe.

Smoothie-style blender (essential for that creamy vinaigrette!)
Saucepan (for cooking the quinoa)
Kitchen knife (for chopping all your fresh produce)
Measuring cups and spoons (for accurate ingredient ratios)

We’d love to hear from you! What unique ingredients or creative twists would you add to this recipe to make it your ultimate fall quinoa salad? Perhaps some crumbled feta, goat cheese, or a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds? Share your ideas in the comments below!

If you’re on the hunt for other deliciously easy AND healthy meal ideas, be sure to explore this General Tso’s Cauliflower. Featuring panko-crusted cauliflower and quinoa, this recipe is a fantastic choice for vegetarians looking for a flavorful meal, or a healthier, homemade alternative to traditional take-out dishes!

You may also find inspiration in our Mix and Match Meal Prep guide, which offers quick, easy, and healthy strategies to keep you nourished throughout your busy work week! And for more quinoa goodness, don’t forget to check out our refreshing summer quinoa salad and our convenient slow cooker breakfast quinoa options for any time of day!

Fall Quinoa Salad

Many people don’t typically associate salads with the fall season, but as this Fall Quinoa Salad proves, there truly is no better time for a fresh, vibrant, and incredibly flavorful salad. It’s a wonderful way to enjoy the crisp produce of autumn. This salad is deliciously versatile and can be served warm, allowing its comforting flavors to shine, or cold, offering a refreshing and satisfying meal. Its hearty ingredients make it perfect as a main dish or a robust side.

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Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings: 3

20 mins

Calories: 432

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small sweet potato
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup fresh cranberries optional
1 medium apple
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup kale chopped

For the Maple Walnut Vinaigrette:

½ cup maple syrup
½ cup walnuts
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper

Before You Begin

Please note that the provided calorie count for this Fall Quinoa Salad does not include the Maple Walnut Vinaigrette. The dressing adds a significant amount of healthy fats and natural sugars. Always consider your personal dietary needs when preparing and consuming. For a more precise total, you would need to calculate the dressing’s nutritional values separately and add them to the salad’s base.

Instructions

Carefully take a fork and jab it all over your sweet potato. This helps steam escape and ensures even cooking.
Place the punctured sweet potato on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for approximately 3 minutes, or until slightly tender. This jumpstarts the cooking process.
Meanwhile, add the dry quinoa to a saucepan along with the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
Toast the quinoa over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it develops a fragrant, nutty aroma and a few grains have browned. This step enhances the quinoa’s flavor profile significantly.
Add 2 cups of water to the saucepan with the toasted quinoa and increase the heat to bring it to a rolling boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan tightly, and let the quinoa simmer for approximately 5-8 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed.
While the quinoa is cooking and absorbing the water, use this time efficiently to prepare the remaining fresh ingredients for the salad.
Once cool enough to handle, peel and chop your sweet potato into bite-sized cubes. Prepare the kale as you like it (raw and massaged, lightly boiled, or quickly sautéed). Finally, chop the apple and walnuts to your desired size and texture.
For the Maple Walnut Vinaigrette, place all listed ingredients into a smoothie-style blender. Puree for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is completely smooth and wonderfully creamy. Taste the dressing and adjust seasonings (more maple syrup for sweetness, more salt/pepper for savory balance) to suit your personal preference.
Check on the cooked quinoa; it should be light and fluffy with all water absorbed. Fluff it gently with a fork. Once fluffed, combine the cooked quinoa with the prepared sweet potato, kale, apple, dried cranberries (and fresh if using), and chopped walnuts in a large mixing bowl. Toss all ingredients well to ensure an even distribution.
Serve the Fall Quinoa Salad immediately, either warm or at room temperature, and drizzle generously with the homemade Maple Walnut Vinaigrette as desired. Enjoy this wholesome and flavorful autumn delight!

Nutrition

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The recipes on this blog are tested with a conventional gas oven and gas stovetop. It’s important to note that some ovens, especially as they age, can cook and bake inconsistently. Using an inexpensive oven thermometer can assure you that your oven is truly heating to the proper temperature. If you use a toaster oven or countertop oven, please keep in mind that they may not distribute heat the same as a conventional full sized oven and you may need to adjust your cooking/baking times. In the case of recipes made with a pressure cooker, air fryer, slow cooker, or other appliance, a link to the appliances we use is listed within each respective recipe. For baking recipes where measurements are given by weight, please note that results may not be the same if cups are used instead, and we can’t guarantee success with that method.