This hearty quinoa, kale, and pomegranate salad has an amazing mix of textures and flavors! It's great served warm or as a make-ahead meal.

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This quinoa salad with kale and pomegranate seeds comes from my first cookbook, Bowls! If you love this recipe, I hope you'll pick up a print or e-book copy of Bowls! The book walks you through whole bowl meals, like this one, plus gives you a roadmap to creating easy vegan bowl meals of your own.
Quinoa makes a great base for a salad. It's chewy, nutty, and full of protein and fiber. It's simple and satisfying paired with earthy kale, sweet pomegranate seeds, creamy avocado, and a little lemon juice and olive oil.
Ingredients and substitutions
- quinoa - Use regular or tricolor quinoa for this colorful salad.
- water - To cook the quinoa. If you're doing the oil-free variation, you'll use mushroom broth instead of water and use more lemon juice in place of the oil and salt when you massage the kale.
- lemon juice - For massaging the kale and adding acidity.
- olive oil - Also to massage the kale and make the salad dressing all at the same time. See the recipe for an oil-free option!
- salt - A little salt helps break down the kale as you massage it.
- pomegranate seeds - These sweet, tender, crunchy seeds give this salad an amazing flavor! You can use dried cranberries, dried apricots, orange pieces, or other favorite fruit instead, if you prefer.
- avocado - Creamy avocado is a must in this recipe. It's just so delicious!
- red onion - Red onion brings the umami and brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
How to make quinoa, kale, and pomegranate salad
Cook the quinoa in the water. I made mine in my Instant Pot, but you can also do it on the stove or in a rice cooker, too. I have instructions for all three quinoa cooking methods here.
In a large bowl, combine the kale, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Get in there with your hands and massage the kale, so it's well coated, and set it aside.
Add the quinoa to the kale mixture along with the pomegranate seeds, avocado, and onion.
Toss well. You can serve immediately or make this salad a day ahead and refrigerate overnight.
Helpful tips
- If you're starting with a whole pomegranate, slice it into quarters, then place the quarters into a bowl of water while you remove the seeds. You'll end up with a lot less mess!
- It's going to seem like a lot of lemon and oil when you're massaging the kale, but that's because we are making the dressing for the whole salad, not just the kale!
Storage directions
You can serve this salad warm or chill it for 10 to 15 minutes in the fridge. It's even better after it rests, so the flavors get a chance to meld.
This salad will keep for three to four days in the fridge, so you can prepare it the night before, if you prefer. It also works great as a grab-and- go lunch, perfect for meal prep!
More vegan quinoa recipes
📖 Recipe
Quinoa, Kale, and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 packed cups kale - chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 1 Haas avocado - chopped
- ½ cup minced red onion
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa in the water. I made mine in my Instant Pot, but you can also do it on the stove or in a rice cooker, too. I have instructions for all three quinoa cooking methods here.
- In a large bowl, combine the kale, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt. Get in there with your hands and massage the kale, so it's well coated, and set it aside.
- Add the quinoa to the kale mixture along with the pomegranate seeds, avocado, and onion. Toss well. You can serve immediately or make this salad a day ahead and refrigerate overnight.
Anna
I think now I know what we´ll have for dinner tomorrow!
Thank you so much for this wonderful inspiration!
Happy Monday,
Anna
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, Anna, and happy Monday to you, too!
Sarah De la Cruz
This looks so yummy! I want to make this over the summer so I can have some in picnic lunches! Kale and quinoa hold up so well together!!!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Sarah! Happy picnicking!
Cadry
Wow, this is really is a superfood salad! And I love the use of pomegranate seeds for color. I always forget about them!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Cadry! I rarely use them, and I'm not sure why. That needs to change!
Dianne
Quinoa salad is one of my favorites, and I love this one because you've added so many wonderful foods, like avocado and pomegranate! Yum!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Dianne! Pomegranate seeds are the BEST!
J
how many servings is this?
Becky Striepe
I'd say 6-8 as a side, 4 as a main dish.
Stephanie Harris
Is there a printable version by chance?? This looks delightful!
Becky Striepe
There's not, but you can copy the recipe into a text file to print, if you'd like! :) I know printing images wastes so much ink!
Penelope
Thanks Becky for this great recipe! Quinoa and pomegranate seeds? What a winner! Can't wait to try on my munchkins!