This filling Curried Cashew Quinoa Salad is dressed in a bright, slightly sweet and tangy dressing. Full of nutritious ingredients, this salad is perfect for everything from a summer one-dish dinner to meal prepping lunches. I’ve always loved nuts, which I think I subtlety inherited from my father (maybe or maybe not via peanut M&M’s). I’ve always loved Cashews in particular, but they were cemented as my most favorite nut after living in Brazil and eating them freshly picked and roasted, right on the beach. I originally created this recipe around curried cashews I found at my local store, but any cashews will do!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Salad
- Vegetable broth
- Curry powder
- Quinoa
- Diced pineapple
- Red onion
- Fresh parsley or cilantro
- Cooked chicken breast
- Cashews
Dressing
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Rice vinegar
- Fresh lemon or lime juice
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
How to Make Curried Cashew Quinoa Salad
- First, cook some quinoa in vegetable broth that’s been seasoned with curry powder and salt. Set aside to cool, and then place in fridge until chilled.
- Combine chilled quinoa, pineapple, onion, parsley or cilantro, and chicken and gently toss.
- To make the dressing, place olive oil, honey, vinegar, curry powder, and lemon or lime juice in a small jar. Add a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper and shake to combine.
- Pour your desired amount of dressing over the quinoa mixture and gently toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Right before serving, stir in cashews and enjoy!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- The cashews will soften if stored in the finished salad. You may want to add them to individual salad servings, instead of the whole batch, if you think you are going to have leftovers, or if you are meal prepping ahead of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can absolutely try out other nuts of your choosing. You could even leave them out if serving those with nut allergies.
You can always mix up the dressing a day ahead of time. You can also mix up the salad, but keep your cashews separate until time to serve.
Curry Cashew Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 ½ teaspoons curry powder divided
- 1 cup quinoa
- ¾ cup diced pineapple
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley or cilantro
- 1 ½ cups diced cooked chicken breast
- ½ cup chopped Curry Cashews* or regular cashews
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder, quinoa, and a pinch of salt. Reduce pot to a simmer, cover, and cook until liquid has been absorbed (about 15 minutes.) Set aside to cool, and then place in fridge until chilled.
- Combine chilled quinoa, pineapple, onion, parsley or cilantro, and chicken and gently toss to combine.
- Place olive oil, honey, vinegar, remaining curry powder (1 tsp, however some curry powders are stronger than others, so you might want to start with 1/2 tsp and add more to your liking.) and lemon or lime juice in a small jar. Add a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper and shake to combine.
- Pour desired amount over quinoa mixture and gently toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Right before serving, stir in cashews.
Notes
- Nutrition information was calculated for the entire recipe, not individual servings.
- Store finished salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4-5 days for best results.
- The cashews will soften if stored in the finished salad. You may want to add them to individual salad servings, instead of the whole batch, if you think you are going to have leftovers, or if you are meal prepping ahead of time.
Questions & Reviews
This salad is amazing! Thank you for the great recipe. PS- the honey stuck to the bottom of the dressing jar even with lots of shaking. Any suggestions?
Just whisk it 🙂
I made this recipe to eat for lunch this week – wow, it is so good! I love when you post recipes that are healthy plus unbelievably tasty! Thank you very much!