Protein packed grapefruit quinoa salad recipe! A bright, vegetarian quinoa bowl with chickpeas, walnuts, grapefruit, and lots of herbs.
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Here we are in January, already Rhubarbarians! In our house that means aaallll the citrus. Booyah!
Have you checked out our January produce guide?
SO. Grapefruit. Are you a fan? This topic is totally up for debate with me and Jared. I love love love grapefruit. Eat it like mad when it comes into season. The hubbs though, hmmmm, not so much. I keep trying and trying to come up with recipes to get him to like it.
You know what though? He LOVES this grapefruit quinoa salad! Oh yes.
A grain bowl with winter fruit
Grain bowls, power bowls, buddha bowls.... whatever you call them.... they are just awesome, right?
This one starts out with quinoa and chickpeas, but gets smacked with winter flavor goodness with the grapefruit. It's bright and herby and filling. Add some walnuts, feta, herbs, and a simple grapefruit vinaigrette and you've got yourself a salad that everybody in your family will love (ahem... even grapefruit skeptics, LOL!)
Choose the right grapefruit
Choosing the right grapefruit for this quinoa salad is key! Some grapefruits can be much sweeter than others.
Have you checked out our beginner's guide to grapefruit?
- Ruby grapefruits: If you are new to grapefruit or prefer sweeter grapefruits, look for ruby grapefruits. Ruby grapefruits are the sweetest.
- Pink grapefruits: Pink grapefruits aren't too sweet or too tart. They are my go-to for this salad!
- White grapefruits: The most tart of all grapefruits. Get ready to pucker up (in a good way).
Taste the dressing after you've made it and see if it makes your lips pucker. If it's too tart, just add a bit of honey or maple syrup and that should help.
Have a lot of quinoa? Try this hearty vegan quinoa chili recipe!
So much protein!
This quinoa bowl is PACKED with protein! 14 grams per serving, to be exact.
Quinoa, chickpeas, walnuts, cheese.... it's all loaded with protein. Which makes this quinoa salad hearty enough to eat as a main dish OR as a healthy side dish.
Try our 15-minute arugula salad with lemon rosemary chickpeas or 15-minute Belgian endive salad!
Customize it
One of the best things about quinoa bowls: you can customize them any way you'd like.
Add chunks of avocado, toss in some peppery arugula, or serve over kale. Maybe try oranges instead of grapefruits. You do you!
Veganize it
So easy! Just leave out the cheese or try out your own vegan feta cheese.
Try our grapefruit avocado salad with strawberry and mint!
Grapefruit quinoa salad recipe
Recipe
Grapefruit quinoa salad with herbs and walnuts
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 ruby grapefruits
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring the quinoa, water, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool a bit.
- While the quinoa is cooking, segment the grapefruits over a bowl, removing all of the white pith and flesh, reserving the grapefruit juice. Place the segments in a large bowl and set the juice aside. Discard the peel and pith, or reserve for another use.
- Add the slightly cooled quinoa, beans, walnuts, herbs, and feta to the large bowl with the grapefruit segments. In a jar with tight fitting lid, combine the remaining 2 tablespoon oil, the vinegar, and ¼ cup of the reserved grapefruit juice. Shake shake shake until the oil is emulsified. Pour over the quinoa mixture and stir until everything is well combined. Taste and season well with salt and pepper. Toss again and serve.
Nutrition
If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians.
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Dana
I love this! Citrus does wonders for me this time of year and I always seem to skip over grapefruit. I just forget about it! Oranges always get my attention. This salad is the perfect reminder of why I should stop snubbing grapefruit. It's so rejuvenating and muchly needed with these dreary days.
Jenni LeBaron
There are so many layers of gorgeous texture and flavor in this salad. I love anything with walnuts so that's a huge win for me, but the grapefruit really elevates everything. Plus, this looks like it's going to pack beautifully for meal prepped lunches!
Gloria
Quinoa is such a great ingredient to work with. It works for ALL meals of the day. A great source of protein. This salad is the perfect dinner salad. Hearty, delicious and nutritious too.
Debra
Awesome find. So nutritious and I love all the flavors and textures in this mix. Grapefruits are so underrated. I love to add them wherever possible. YUM.
Amanda | My Gluten-Free Miami
Sold! This sound out of this world. Fortunately I live in citrus grove heaven (Florida!)
Patricia Bozeman
Oh man, SO JEALOUS! Would love to try out some Florida citrus. 🙂
Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago
This looks delicious - so many great flavors in there!!
Patricia Bozeman
Thank you!
Beth (OMG! Yummy)
So my hubby can't eat grapefruit for medical reasons but I would totally make this with another citrus (or just for me :-))
Patricia Bozeman
That sucks! Well, oranges would be pretty great in this too. 🙂