Lentil quinoa salad with nutritional yeast dressing. A quick and easy vegan salad that’s packed with flavor. This nutritious salad is made with quinoa, lentils, leafy greens, carrots, cucumbers and a delicious nutritional yeast dressing. Feel free to add different vegetables using what you have on hand!

Looking for a quick and easy vegan salad? Look no further. This salad is ready in 30 minutes and can easily be made with vegetables that you have on hand! It’s also packed with plant-based protein thanks to the quinoa, lentils, sunflower seeds, tahini and nutritional yeast. Plus, it’s high in fiber! It’s a great nutritious meal to prepare on busy weeknights or as part of your meal prep on the weekend.

This salad is inspired by my Cozy Winter Salad with Crispy Tofu and Rice. If you haven’t made that one yet, you need to give it a try. The nutritional yeast dressing is my absolute favorite dressing and so I used it in this lentil quinoa salad as well. Once you try it, you won’t want any other dressing on your salads. Trust me, it’s that good.

How to Make a Lentil Quinoa Salad:

First, start by cooking your quinoa. Combine 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan, then bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low heat and let it simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.

Meanwhile, prepare the nutritional yeast dressing. Add olive oil, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, tahini, garlic and water to a blender. Blend until smooth.

When the quinoa is done, stir in the lentils and dressing. Serve the lentil quinoa mixture with leafy greens, shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast. Enjoy!

Make it for Meal Prep:

This recipe is great for meal prep! Simply prepare the quinoa and nutritional yeast dressing. Combine the cooked quinoa, dressing and lentils together. Let it cool and store the salad in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can then serve it with fresh vegetables when you’re ready to eat. You can also add the vegetables in advance, but I would recommend waiting until the salad has cooled completely before adding any vegetables when doing meal prep.

Notes on Substitutions:

• Vegetables: You can substitute the carrots and/or cucumbers with other vegetables you have on hand. I love to add diced peppers or shredded beets. Use your favorite salad vegetables!
• Lentils: You can substitute the canned lentils with 1 1/2 cup of cooked lentils. I prefer to use canned lentils for convenience in this recipe, but if you’re not in any hurry, feel free to cook your own lentils.

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4.67 from 3 votes

Lentil Quinoa Salad with Nutritional Yeast Dressing

A quick and easy vegan salad that's packed with flavor. This nutritious salad is made with quinoa, lentils, leafy greens, carrots, cucumbers and a delicious nutritional yeast dressing. Feel free to add different vegetables using what you have on hand!

Course Salad

Cuisine vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, dry
• 1 can (540ml/19oz) lentils, drained and rinsed
• 4 handfuls leafy greens of choice, spinach, arugula, mixed greens
• 1/2 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded
• Roasted sunflower seeds, for topping (optional)
• Nutritional yeast, for topping (optional)

Nutritional Yeast Dressing

• 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 medium garlic cloves

Instructions

• Start by cooking the quinoa: Add 1 cup of dry quinoa and 2 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 minutes, covered until the water has been absorbed.
• Meanwhile, prepare the nutritional yeast dressing: In a blender or small food processor, add all the dressing ingredients. Blend until smooth.
• Drain and rinse the canned lentils. Add the lentils to the saucepan with the cooked quinoa. Top with the dressing and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Prepare the vegetables. Divide the leafy greens into 4 bowls.
• Divide the lentil quinoa mixture into the 4 prepared bowls. Top with cucumbers, carrots, sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

You can easily substitute the carrots and/or cucumbers for other vegetables. Diced peppers are also great. You could also use shredded beets.

This recipe is great for meal prep. Simply prepare the quinoa and nutritional yeast dressing. Combine the cooked quinoa, dressing and lentils together. Let it cool and store the salad in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can then serve it with fresh vegetables when you’re ready to eat. You can also add the vegetables in advance, but I would recommend waiting until the salad has cooled completely before adding any vegetables when doing meal prep.

If preferred, you can substitute the canned lentils for 1 1/2 cup of cooked lentils. Of course this takes more time. I love to use canned lentils in this recipe for convenience.

This recipe is inspired by my Cozy Winter Salad with Crispy Tofu and Rice.

If you make this lentil quinoa salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!