Salads are wonderful any time of year especially hearty salads like this pumpkin quinoa salad. With big flavours and a wonderful texture it’s great as a side but perfectly filling as a meal too.
The pumpkin is roasted to get a little caramelisation around the edges and a little maple syrup encourages that along too. Along with quinoa, toasted pecans, cranberries, and a sweet yet zingy dressing, it boasts a delicious fall vibe but it is lovely enough to make all year round.
Naturally vegan and gluten-free, this quinoa pumpkin salad can be enjoyed warm or cold. There are also several ways to customise it, bulk it up, and make it your own. It’s definitely a winner. Try this spiced roast sweet potato salad too.
Never Miss a Recipe!
Get the latest recipes straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
- Pumpkin: I use jap pumpkin (also called Kent pumpkin or Japanese pumpkin), but other varieties or even squash will work for pumpkin quinoa salad. Use what you can get — kabocha squash, Jarrahdale pumpkin, and butternut squash are all good options. Whichever you choose, you’re looking for about 1.3kg (around 3lbs) prepared.
- Oil: I use a light flavoured olive oil for cooking the pumpkin then you can choose the same or an extra virgin olive oil for the dressing.
- Maple syrup is used both on the roasting pumpkin and in the dressing. You could use honey (which is not vegan, of course) or even rice malt syrup.
- Seasonings: The pumpkin has a light sprinkle of paprika, salt and pepper for added flavour.
- Pecan add crunch. I like to toast these too to bring out their nutty flavour even more.
- Quinoa: Bulks up the pumpkin & quinoa salad and adds even more texture. Quinoa is full of protein, which helps make this dish more filling.
- Orange juice and lemon juice add zingy flavour to the dressing.
- Dijon mustard is wonderful in the dressing adding a certain sharp and spiciness to the dressing.
- Spring onion, also known as green onion or scallions add just a light onion flavour.
- Fresh mint is wonderful here for lifting all those cosy flavours. If you can’t get it, just use fresh parsley instead.
- Dried cranberries add some sweetness but also their chewy texture is wonderful. Use unsweetened for the best flavour.
How to make pumpkin quinoa salad
While roasting pumpkin takes a little time, it’s so worth it. Roasting brings out its natural sweetness and adds flavour, thanks to all of those caramelised edges. If your pumpkin has tough skin, it’s best to peel it off with a vegetable peeler before roasting. If you choose a variety that you know will tenderise well in the oven, feel free to leave it on. The rest of this quinoa pumpkin salad recipe is very straightforward!
Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Prepare & roast the pumpkin
Preheat your oven to 200C/395F and line a large baking sheet with baking paper or aluminium foil. Cut the pumpkin in half and remove any seeds, then cut into small pieces and add to the baking sheet. Combine oil, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and paprika then toss with the pumpkin. Roast for 20 minutes, drizzle over more maple syrup and flip, then roast for 20-25 more minutes.
2. Toast the pecans & make the quinoa
When the pumpkin is done, remove it from the baking sheet and set aside. Place the pecans on the same baking tray and toast for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Cook the quinoa
While they toast, add the rinsed quinoa to a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing the cooked quinoa with a fork.
3. Make the vinaigrette & assemble
Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk, or add to a jar with a lid and shake well. Introduce all of the prepared pumpkin quinoa salad ingredients, with half of the dressing, to a large serving bowl and mix to combine. Serve with the rest of the vinaigrette on the side, and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Remember to rinse the quinoa first. You must rinse the quinoa well before you cook it to remove a natural coating on it called saponin. Also, for added flavour, you can cook it in vegetable stock instead of water.
- Taste as you go. As the pumpkin is roasted in a mixture that includes maple syrup, it’s important to taste a piece before adding the dressing to make sure it isn’t too sweet for your liking. If it is, add a bit more salt or pepper.
- Easily prep ahead. Feel free to roast the pumpkin and cook the quinoa ahead of time. This allows you to assemble your pumpkin quinoa salad quickly when ready to serve. You can also make the dressing in advance and store it in the refrigerator.
Storage
You can store leftover roast pumpkin quinoa salad covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep well for 3-4 days. If you add salad leaves like rocket or spinach, it’s best eaten fresh or within 1-2 days.
Variations
This roasted pumpkin salad is lovely as is, but there are several ways to customize it if you’d like:
- Incorporate some baby spinach or rocket (arugula) for some added greens
- Delicious with some crumbled feta cheese crumbled or chunks of goat cheese
- Swap out the pecans for other nuts you like — almonds and cashews are both really yum, and walnuts are too
- Use wild rice or barley instead of quinoa
- Swap the green onion for finely sliced red onion.
I’ve tried this with pomegranate seeds too. And while the flavour works, I prefer the chewy texture of the cranberries… but you can try it if you’d like. It just goes to show how customisable and versatile quinoa salad with pumpkin is. You can easily change things up to suit your specific preferences!
FAQs
Quinoa has quite a mild, nutty flavour and takes on other flavours really well. You can cook your quinoa in stock or add spices like salt, pepper, cumin, or bay leaf to cook it in. In a salad like this, it’s given loads of flavour from the surrounding ingredients, so add it to salads like this one.
Yes. Just make sure to grab frozen pumpkin pieces (sometimes called chunks or cubes) and not pumpkin purée. You also may need to adjust the roasting time as frozen pumpkin tends to cook faster.
No — if allergies are a concern, or you just don’t like nuts, you can leave them out. I do like the added crunch, but you could always replace them with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to keep things nut-free.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Did you try this pumpkin quinoa salad? Show it some love in the comments below.
Hungry for more?
- Subscribe via Email, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
- Add Sugar Salt Magic as a Google Preferred Source.
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin or medium butternut squash (about 1.4kg/3lb)
- 1 tablespoon oil (notes 1)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (notes 1)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ cup pecans (90g/~3oz)
- ½ cup quinoa rinsed well (100g/3 ½oz)
- 1 medium spring onion (green onion/scallion) finely sliced
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries (40g/~1 ½ oz)
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh mint
MAPLE ORANGE VINAIGRETTE
- ⅓ cup light flavoured olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (notes 1)
- 2 tablespoon orange juice (notes 1)
- 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (notes 1)
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- large baking sheet
- Large salad bowl
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan forced) / 395F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper or aluminium foil.
- Peel and remove the seeds from the pumpkin. Cut into 2.5cm/1 inch slices, then cut those into 2-3 pieces – a good mouthful. You can leave the pumpkin skin on if you like it.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the pumpkin on top. Mix with the oil, 2 teaspoons maple syrup, salt, pepper and paprika. Mix well and roast for about 20 minutes. Drizzle over 2 more teaspoons of maple syrup, toss the pieces of pumpkin around and flip them, then bake for a further 20-25 minutes or until looking golden and caramelised on the edges.
- Once finished, lift the pumpkin off the baking sheet, using the baking paper and set aside. Scatter the pecans on the baking tray and cook for 5-6 minutes until golden brown. Be careful not to let them burn. Transfer immediately to a large bowl to stop cooking.
- Meanwhile, place the rinsed quinoa into a small saucepan. Cover with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down to very low and cook for 15 minutes until the quinoa is cooked through. Take it off the heat, leaving the lid on and let it sit for 10 further minutes before fluffing up with a fork.
- In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the dressing ingredients and shake well.
- To a large bowl, add the salad ingredients with half the dressing and mix well to combine. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission for my referral, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Sugar Salt Magic.
4 Comments on “Pumpkin Quinoa Salad”
I made this for Christmas day , I added pomagranite seeds to it .Everybody loved the salad definitely make it again
I’m so happy you love it, Corina. The pomegranate seeds add a lovely tartness and slight crunch too!
Made this salad tonight and it was divine!!! Oh soooo good! Will definitely make this next time 😍
I’m so happy you love it, Phan. Thank you so much for dropping back to leave a review.