Last Updated on July 22, 2025 by Sarah
This Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa salad is a colourful, gluten-free dish that’s perfect for summer BBQs, potlucks, or weeknight dinners. Packed with soft, sweet roasted vegetables and tossed in a zesty lemon and garlic vinaigrette, it’s full of flavour, naturally vegan and protein-rich. Easily customised with seasonal vegetables, your favourite cheese, or even grilled chicken, this flexible salad is satisfying enough to enjoy as a main or a hearty side.
Why You’ll Love These Roasted Veggies with Quinoa
Salads shouldn’t be boring, and this delicious roast vegetable and quinoa salad is a great addition to your usual rotation. You might also like my Summer Roast Vegetable Salad with Roquette, or this delicious Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Basil Oil.
I love that this roast vegetable salad is protein-rich, thanks to the quinoa, while also being gluten and dairy free and naturally vegan. This makes it a great salad to share with others as it caters to many different dietary needs.
The zesty lemon and garlic vinaigrette adds so much flavour and is a great contrast to the sweet vegetables and starchy quinoa. I love to add some sharp cheese too, for an extra punch.
The roasted vegetables can be customised according to the season. In summer I love to use Mediterranean veggies such as tomatoes, courgettes, peppers and aubergines. During autumn, I prefer carrots and squash. In the winter, I use up any root vegetables I have and in spring I make the most of fresh asparagus and radish. It’s delicious every time!
This versatile salad can be served warm or cold and makes a great side to grilled meat – I have some great options if you’re looking for some marinades for chicken! It can also be served as a meal on its own, thanks to the high protein content of the quinoa. Or turn it into a quinoa, vegetable and chicken bowl with the dressing drizzled over the top – it’s sure to be a hit with the whole family.
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Ingredients Needed to Make Roast Vegetable with Quinoa Salad
Serves 6-8
Roasted Vegetables:
- 1 courgette (zucchini)
- 2 carrots
- 1 aubergine (egg plant)
- 1 pepper
- 1 red onion
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 80 ml olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Quinoa:
- 2 cups quinoa
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Dressing:
- 100 ml oil (see below)
- Juice of 2-3 lemons
- 1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 tsp salt
Ingredients tips, substitutions and suggestions
Veggies – use whatever veggies you have to hand. Most vegetables work well when they are roasted. Experiment with what’s in season and find out what your favourite is!
Quinoa – while I particularly like this recipe with quinoa for its added fibre and protein, you can substitute rice if you prefer. To make this salad even more nutritious, consider cooking the quinoa in bone broth.
Oil – I am very careful about which oils I use today. My favourites are olive oil and avocado oil. Either would work well in this vinaigrette recipe, although olive oil would give a stronger flavour that not everyone likes. I also like to use organic, extra virgin, cold pressed rapeseed (canola) oil, as it contains certain nutriments that are very good for you.
Lemon – use fresh lemon juice, bottled lemon juice does not have the same flavour at all. Depending on how lemony you would like your salad to be, you might prefer to add the juice of 3 lemons.
How to Make Roast Vegetables With Quinoa Salad
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.
Cube the vegetables into bite sized pieces – approx 1.5 cm. Spread out on a baking tray or in a cast iron skillet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Roast in the preheated oven for 30 mins.
Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa and then place it in a saucepan with the cold water and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approx 15 mins. I also like to make quinoa in the rice cooker. Use the quantities of quinoa and water as specified above, rince the quinoa, place in the rice cooker with cold water and salt and run as usual.
While the vegetables and quinoa are cooking, mix together the ingredients for the dressing in a jar or small jug.
Leave the quinoa and vegetables to cool completely if you want to serve this salad cold. Alternatively leave them to cool slightly for a warm side dish. I wouldn’t recommend serving it hot.
Once the quinoa and vegetables have cooled, toss them together in a large bowl with the dressing. Serve immediately or reserve in the fridge.
How to Store Roasted Vegetables With Quinoa Salad
This salad will store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Optional Additions
- Cheese – sharp cheese like goats cheese or feta go especially well in this salad. It would also be good with some grilled halloumi.
- Herbs – add extra flavour and freshness with some herbs sprinkled on top. My favourites are basil, parsley and coriander. If you don’t have any fresh herbs to hand, add a couple of teaspoons of Herbes de Provence to your dressing.
- Meat – this salad is a great side to any grilled meat. You can also add chunks of grilled chicken directly to the salad for a quinoa bowl style meal.
- Nuts – add extra nutrition with walnuts, pine nuts or sliced almonds.
FAQs
Is this salad vegan?
Yes, this salad is completely vegan and can be eaten as a meal in itself.
Is this salad gluten and dairy free?
Yes, this salad is completely gluten and dairy free.
Can I prep this salad in advance?
Yes, it will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days and the flavours will intensify. Alternatively, you can make each element (quinoa, roasted vegetables and dressing), store them in the fridge separately for up to 5 days and assemble at the last minute.
How long does Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa Salad Keep in the Fridge?
This salad will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
What did you serve it with? Let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to take a picture and tag me on social media @candleinthekitchen — I love to see your creations!
Roasted Vegetables with Quinoa – Gluten Free Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables:
- 1 courgette (zucchini)
- 2 carrots
- 1 aubergine (eggplant)
- 1 pepper
- 1 red onion
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 80 ml olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
Quinoa:
- 2 cups quinoa
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Dressing:
- 100 ml oil see below
- Juice of 2-3 lemons
- 1-2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.
- Cube the vegetables into bite sized pieces – approx 1.5 cm. Spread out on a baking tray or in a cast iron skillet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 30 mins.
- Meanwhile, rinse the quinoa and then place it in a saucepan with the cold water and salt. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approx 15 mins. I also like to make quinoa in the rice cooker. Use the quantities of quinoa and water as specified above, rince the quinoa, place in the rice cooker with cold water and salt and run as usual.
- While the vegetables and quinoa are cooking, mix together the ingredients for the dressing in a jar or small jug.
- Leave the quinoa and vegetables to cool completely if you want to serve this salad cold. Alternatively leave them to cool slightly for a warm side dish. I wouldn't recommend serving it hot.
- Once the quinoa and vegetables have cooled, toss them together in a large bowl with the dressing. Serve immediately or reserve in the fridge.
Notes
- For the dressing, you can use as much lemon juice as you like, I like to use 3 lemons for a stronger lemon flavour. The same is true for the garlic. Using one clove gives a delicate garlic flavour where as adding 2 cloves will give a stronger flavour to the salad.
- Store the salad in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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