20 Tasty Quinoa Recipes

This delicious quinoa salad makes an ideal vegetarian lunch or dinner. If you want to get a head-start on the recipe, the sweet potatoes and quinoa can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for up to two days

Cookbook author Melissa Clark takes inspiration from Caesar salad in this quinoa bowl, which includes a soft runny egg and a lemony, cheese-spiked dressing. It's one of the best grain bowls we've ever had.

Chef Chad Aaland's tasty quinoa salad comes together quickly with canned black beans, jarred cocktail onions, and a simple dressing of toasted cumin seeds and lime juice.

This earthy and smoky-spiced quinoa recipe is loaded with bacon and makes the perfect accompaniment to barbecue or grilled dishes.

These crispy, light little patties are fantastic as mini vegetarian burgers, but they'd be great served alongside a salad as well.

Top Chef judge and cookbook author Gail Simmons was inspired by a grain bowl she enjoyed at Café Gratitude in Los Angeles when developing this recipe. It features shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, kale, and more.

Here, chef Ken Oringer mixes quinoa with black beans, onions, and peppers to make a hearty and very satisfying side dish that's a fun variation on prosaic five-bean salad.

To create a terrific vegetarian main course, chef and television personality Michael Symon tosses quinoa with arugula, apple, raisins, and fresh herbs, and then spoons the salad into a halved baked squash.

In this fluffy salad, chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi blends quinoa with nutty Camargue red rice. The salad gets a fruity sweetness from orange juice and zest — it's delicious alongside roast chicken.

Chef John Currence coats shrimp with a potent mix of fennel seeds, dried oregano, and garlic and onion powders. He flavors the quinoa with a vibrant, pesto-like pistou made with a judicious amount of oil.

Here, chef Bruce Sherman tosses quinoa with smoky bacon and toasted almonds to make a substantial side dish that's delicious with poached eggs or roasted chicken.

These vegetarian patties are coated with panko breadcrumbs so they become deliciously crispy in the skillet."I love to serve them topped with a poached egg," says 1996 F&W Best New Chef Maria Helm Sinskey.

Quinoa is substituted for bulgur wheat in this herb-packed salad, a twist on tabbouleh.

Here, roasted cauliflower and toasted quinoa combine to make a simple and elegant side dish.

This dairy-free and vegetarian salad serves as the perfect side or lunch. The best part? It only takes 20 minutes to make.

Use this recipe as a template to create any mixed mushroom-and-grain salad. Quinoa is delicious here, but you can also try brown rice, wild rice, black or white barley, farro, or couscous.

Sorghum, a type of grass, has seeds that can be popped like popcorn. Chef Daniel Patterson tops his nutty, crunchy quinoa salad with popped sorghum, which gives it a buttery flavor. You can also substitute regular popping corn.

Nutty whole wheat flour, fluffy ricotta, and tender cooked quinoa add flavor and texture to these light pancakes, while lemon zest, vanilla, and maple syrup add just enough sweetness to balance the slightly bitter quinoa. 

These mini crustless quiches are a perfect make-ahead breakfast. They're bulked up with cooked quinoa and layered with sautéed cremini mushrooms — a perfect balanced bite when you're on the go.

Chef Sheldon Simeon serves charred shishito peppers with a swoop of cooling ranch and a topping of crunchy fried quinoa and a homemade furikake blend, but feel free to use a store-bought furikake for this quick recipe.