This Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Salad is a blend of some of my favorite hearty ingredients. It's sweet, savory, and drizzled with a bright and zesty lemon dijon dressing. Enjoy this gluten-free salad all fall and winter long.
Looking for an easy side dish for dinner tonight or to bring to your next dinner party? This butternut squash and cranberry quinoa salad is it!
After cooking the butternut squash and quinoa, all you have to do is assemble the salad and serve. It's fresh, light and perfect to eat on its own or with your favorite protein.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Hearty enough for a main dish - Quinoa is a complete protein, helping to keep us full and satisfied until the next meal. This salad is on the more filling side and is a perfect choice for a healthy lunch or easy dinner. No additional sides are needed!
- Perfect for meal prep - This salad will last for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container. Make individual portions to grab and go for quick lunches all week long.
- Very little hands-on time - Although butternut squash has a longer roast time, this salad only requires 10 minutes of prep time. You could even take a few shortcuts and use pre-cut butternut squash or pre-cooked quinoa to save time.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butternut squash- You need a small, 2-pound squash for this recipe. Or, if you've purchased pre-cubed butternut squash, you'll need about 3 cups of squash. If you are new to cooking with butternut squash, follow this simple tutorial to learn how to peel and cut butternut squash.
- Quinoa- I used organic white quinoa in this recipe, but you can also use red or tricolor quinoa. Every bag of quinoa should have cooking instructions on the back, but if needed, learn how easy it is to cook fluffy quinoa at home with this simple tutorial.
- Cranberries- For this salad, you'll need either unsweetened or sweetened dried cranberries. I'd avoid fresh cranberries - they are too tart and will overpower the flavors in this salad.
- Feta cheese - Just like in my Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Quinoa and Mediterranean Lemon Orzo Salad, I used feta cheese in this salad to tie all the flavors together with its creamy richness.
- Lemon dijon dressing- a simple dressing that combines olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper.
See the recipe card below for quantities.
📖Variations
- Butternut squash substitutes: Try delicata squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato.
- Feta cheese substitutes: Goat cheese would also be great in this salad. Or, if you'd like to make this salad vegan-friendly, go with vegan feta cheese.
- Lemon dijon dressing substitute: Use your favorite alternative dressing or a store-bought dressing of your choice.
- Parsley substitute: Try chopped green onion for a sharper bite.
- Add protein: This cranberry quinoa salad pairs well with Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken, steak, or leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
🔪Instructions
- Cook the butternut squash. Use my Air Fryer Butternut Squash recipe or oven roast the butternut squash at 400 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork tender.
- Cook the quinoa. While the squash is cooking, cook the quinoa according to the package directions in 2 cups of water, usually 15 minutes. Once cooked, turn off the heat and fluff with a fork.
- Prepare the lemon dijon vinaigrette. Add the dijon mustard and lemon juice to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Next, add in the olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk until combined.
- Add salad ingredients to a bowl. In a large mixing bowl or serving bowl, add the butternut squash, quinoa, feta cheese, dried cranberries and parsley.
- Toss to combine. Drizzle the salad with dijon vinaigrette and toss to combine. Enjoy immediately!
💭Recipe FAQs
Yes! This cranberry quinoa salad can be made up to 3 days in advance and is great for meal prep. To prep ahead, toss together the salad and store it separately from the lemon dijon dressing. Drizzle with dressing right before serving.
This is a personal preference. I usually prefer to allow the quinoa to cool completely before adding it to the salad, but you can enjoy this quinoa salad hot, cold, or at room temperature.
Both quinoa and this salad recipe are gluten-free. Quinoa is a seed that is commonly classified as a grain and is naturally free of gluten.
Absolutely. Quinoa can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for 6 months.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- Make extra dressing. You'll never be sad you have extra homemade salad dressing on hand. Use it to dress simple green salads during the week.
- Make the quinoa and butternut squash ahead of time. This will speed up the assembly time considerably!
🥗More Salad Recipes You May Like
🍳Recipe
Butternut Squash and Cranberry Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400 degrees F. Season the cut butternut squash with olive oil, salt and black pepper.
- Cook on a sheet pan or in the air fryer for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Set aside.
- While the squash is cooking, cook the quinoa according to the package directions in 2 cups of water, usually 15 minutes. Once cooked, turn off heat and fluff with a fork.
- Make the vinaigrette while the quinoa cools in a bowl.
- Add dijon mustard and lemon juice to a small bowl or jar and whisk or shake to combine. Next, add in the olive oil, salt and pepper and mix everything until well combined.
- Once the quinoa is cooled, add the squash, cranberries, feta and chopped parsley to the bowl.
- Pour the dressing on top and mix the salad together. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make extra dressing. You'll never be sad you have extra homemade salad dressing on hand. Use it to dress simple green salads during the week.
- Make the quinoa and butternut squash ahead of time. This will speed up the assembly time considerably!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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