Crispy Quinoa and Butternut Squash Salad
Published 10/10/2024 • Updated 11/15/2024
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This Quinoa and Butternut Squash Salad delivers lots of crunch and hearty fall flavor. The quinoa is tossed in spicy chili crunch sauce and baked until crispy, offering a deliciously crunchy contrast to the fall flavors of the butternut squash, creamy green dressing, and power greens.
You guys absolutely LOVED our Roasted Butternut Squash and Blackberry Harvest Salad, so we knew we had to make another butternut squash salad this fall — except this time we wanted to include our new obsession, CRUNCHY QUINOA! And let me tell you, the flavors and textures of this salad are total autumn heaven! If you’ve got any leftover cooked quinoa, it’s the perfect way to put it to use.
You’ll preferably need some cooked quinoa for this recipe, as it gets baked in the oven with the butternut squash to crisp it up. But you can always cook some up fresh. After that, just make the dressing and toss it all together! It’s a pretty simple recipe with a big flavor game.
What You Need to Make Quinoa and Butternut Squash Salad
- Cooked quinoa: Use cold quinoa if you can! This recipe is great for leftover quinoa for that exact reason.
- Chili crunch: This gets mixed into the quinoa before baking to create a spicy, crispy coating. It’s SO, so good.
- Butternut squash: This also gets baked to crispy perfection and adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the salad.
- Power greens mix: We used a mix of baby kale, spinach, arugula, and kale in this recipe, but you’re welcome to use your favorite greens.
- Greek yogurt: To make the creamy dressing. Greek yogurt adds a tangy, protein-packed element.
- Mayonnaise: Mayo adds richness to the dressing, giving this salad some healthy fats.
- Fresh herbs: We used fresh tarragon and thyme leaves to give the dressing a bright, herby flavor.
- Green onions: Adds a punch of flavor to the dressing to elevate the overall taste of the salad.
- Lemon juice: Every salad dressing needs a bit of acidity!
- Small blender: You’ll need a small blender to make the creamy dressing.
Toppings
- Golden raisins
- Goat cheese
- Pumpkin seeds
Why does the cooked quinoa have to be cold?
Cold-cooked quinoa is preferred in this recipe because it will hold its shape better and not get mushy when mixed with the dressing and baked with the butternut squash.
If you need to cook quinoa the same day, just make sure to let it cool completely before using.
What kind of chili crunch should I use?
It depends on your taste! We like to use Momofuku or Trader Joe’s brand chili crunch, but you can also use any other brand or make your own at home. Just make sure it has a good amount of spice and crunch to add to the salad!
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Beast Blender
The Beast Blender is our go-to blender for smoothies, dips, soups, and everything in between. It’s the perfect size and moderately priced. Oh, and oh-so powerful!
How to Make Quinoa and Butternut Squash Salad
- Prep Quinoa: Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Next, transfer the cooked quinoa to the lined baking sheet and add the chili crunch, stirring until all of the quinoa is coated. Spread into an even layer over the parchment paper.
- Prep Veggies: Toss the butternut squash, onion, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt on a separate baking sheet.
- Bake: Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Place the quinoa on the top shelf and the butternut squash on the shelf below. Cook both baking sheets for 40-50 minutes or until the quinoa is crispy and the butternut squash is cooked through.
- Make Dressing: While everything bakes, combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, then set aside.
- Assemble & Serve: Remove the baking sheets from the oven and evenly distribute the quinoa and vegetables into 4-6 bowls. Add a handful of greens to each bowl and top everything with golden raisins, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, and dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Why is my salad dressing so thin?
The dressing for this salad is naturally going to be thinner. If you are looking for a thicker dressing, we recommend adding 3-4 extra tablespoons of mayonnaise or Greek yogurt.
here’s a tip!
We recommend tossing the quinoa every 20ish minutes while it bakes to ensure that it gets evenly crispy.
Storage
This quinoa and butternut squash salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To keep everything fresh and crisp, leave the dressing on the side and add it just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
When I think of butternut quinoa salad, I think of other fall recipes like this Creamy Pumpkin Wild Rice Soup or Pumpkin Chili. You can also buy some butternut squash in bulk and have a complete butternut squash-themed meal featuring this Butternut Squash Risotto, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, or Butternut Squash Lasagna. Delish!
Crispy Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa, preferably cold*
- ¼ cup chili crunch
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash, ~½-1 inch chunks
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 5 oz. power greens mix, a mix of baby kale, spinach, arugula, kale*
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 4 oz. plain goat cheese
- ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
Dressing
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons fresh tarragon
- 2 green onions
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the cooked quinoa to the lined baking sheet and add the chili crunch. Stir until all of the quinoa is coated with chili crunch. Evenly spread the quinoa into one evenly layer over the parchment paper.
- On a separate baking sheet, toss the butternut squash, onion, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt.
- Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Place the quinoa on the top shelf and the butternut squash on the shelf below. Cook both baking sheets for 40-50 minutes or until the quinoa is crispy and the butternut squash is cooked through. We recommend tossing the quinoa every 20-ish minutes.
- While everything is baking, prepare the dressing. Place all of the dressing ingredients in a small blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.*
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven when ready.
- Evenly distribute the quinoa and vegetables into 4-6 bowls. Add a handful of greens to each bowl and top everything with golden raisins, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, and dressing.
- Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- Any green salad mix will work. Choose your favorite mix!
- We recommend using leftover, cold quinoa. However, you can also prepare it right before making this salad.
- The dressing for this salad is thinner. If you are looking for a thick dressing, we recommend adding 3-4 extra tablespoons of mayonnaise.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography: photos taken in this post are by Dalya from It’s Raining Flour.
This salad is AMAZING!!! The combination of the crispy quinoa, nutty squash, and tangy and herby dressing were so, so good! My 13-year-old declared this the best salad she’s ever had…and I’m a dietitian so we have had a LOT of salads. This is going into our regular rotation and I am definitely making a double batch of the crispy quinoa to add to my meal prep for the week! Thanks so much for another great recipe!
Oh wow, we’re blushing! So glad you and the fam loved this salad!
So good! I would have never thought to toast quinoa with the chili crunch. Such a different recipe. Will make this again.