Treat yourself to this delicious Watermelon Quinoa Salad! Sweet, savory, and super refreshing, this tasty twist on the classic Watermelon Basil Salad is the ultimate summer recipe!
My husband and I love taking road trips. While we were still living in California, we spent a long weekend driving through the San Joaquin Valley.
We first drove to Sacramento, and then traveled to Bakersfield the next day. It was a long drive and as we pulled into Bakersfield late in the evening, we were worried there wouldn't be much to eat. Of course, we were starving, so we were excited to find Eureka restaurant open.
Not sure what to expect, we hoped for the best. We shouldn't have worried though, because the food was wonderful! I had an amazing Watermelon Salad and fell in love at first bite. The sweet, savory, and refreshing flavors were the perfect thing after a long, hot day on the road.
As soon as I got home from our trip, I had to recreate that Watermelon Quinoa Salad, and I've been making it ever since. This unique salad has become one of my all-time favorite recipes. It's simple to make and perfect for hot summer days.
Serve it as a main course, like I do, or as a side dish at a picnic or BBQ. Either way, you're going to love this light, refreshing, summery salad just as much as I do!
Ingredients
The fresh, creative flavors of the Quinoa Watermelon Salad are perfect for hot summer days! Here's what you'll need to make it:
- Watermelon
- Quinoa
- Vegetable Broth
- Tomatoes
- Feta
- Garbanzo Beans
- Fresh Basil
- Homemade Dressing: Lemon Juice + Olive Oil
These ingredients may sound a little strange, but trust me, they work so well together!
How to Make Watermelon Quinoa Salad
This Watermelon Basil Salad couldn't be easier to prepare! You'll find a detailed recipe below, but here's a quick overview of the steps:
- Cook the quinoa. Start by cooking the quinoa in vegetable broth until it's tender. If you're unfamiliar with quinoa, check out my how to cook quinoa guide. It has lots of helpful tips. Once the quinoa is finished cooking, set it aside to cool.
- Prep the other ingredients. While the quinoa cools, dice the tomatoes, watermelon, and feta. Chop the basil. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans.
- Make the vinaigrette. To make the simple lemon dressing, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil, then season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix everything together. When the quinoa has cooled, mix it together with the tomatoes, feta, garbanzo beans, watermelon, basil, and lemon vinaigrette.
And that's all there is to it ... your delicious Watermelon Quinoa Salad is ready to eat! This recipe is a great way to use up leftover quinoa, too.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this salad as a main course (it's makes a tasty lunch or light dinner), or as a side dish. It works great with any summer meal, including picnics and BBQs.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator, where it will stay fresh for up to three days. Just keep in mind that watermelon releases a lot of water once cut ... drain off any excess before serving.
Related Recipes
If you enjoyed this delicious salad, you'll love my easy Watermelon Feta Salad, too! Or try one of my other watermelon recipes:
- Watermelon Mojito
- Watermelon Juice
- Watermelon Popsicles
- Watermelon Punch
- Watermelon Salsa
- Watermelon Gazpacho
- Watermelon Lemonade
- Watermelon Sorbet
Looking for more quinoa ideas? You can find all my quinoa recipes here! And I've got lots of summery salads for you to try too, like Tropical Rice Salad, Superfood Salad, and Greek Pasta Salad.
Watermelon Basil Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 2 large plum tomatoes, diced
- 4 ounces feta, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ medium watermelon, diced
- 10 large basil leaves, chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook quinoa in broth according to package directions. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Once quinoa has cooled, transfer it to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, feta, garbanzo beans, watermelon, and basil to the quinoa. Toss gently to combine.
- In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Pour lemon vinaigrette over the quinoa mixture and toss to coat.
- Taste salad, then add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Delish! I'm a big fan of balsamic on watermelon (sprinkled with Feta, ideally!), so I added balsamic to the dressing and am in love with this salad! (Going to go get a last-of-the-season melon to have some more!) Thanks! (Also looking forward to your other delicious recipes!)
I'm so glad you enjoyed the salad, Cynthia! It's definitely a favorite around here, too 🙂