This Turmeric Quinoa and Edamame Salad with Almond Satay Dressing has been on repeat in our house for years, and is a big favorite amongst those of you who have been here from the early days of my recipe-sharing journey. It’s fresh, colorful, packed with texture, and comes together in just 20 minutes. Golden turmeric quinoa, crunchy massaged red cabbage, creamy avocado, and a rich almond satay dressing that brings it all together. With 30 g of protein, 18 g of fiber, and 8 mg of iron per serving, it’s one of those meals that supports longevity and genuinely makes you feel amazing after eating it. And it’s also packed with antioxidants to promote longevity. It works beautifully as a quick lunch, a light dinner, or a make-ahead meal prep, and it’s naturally gluten-free too. If you love this, try my tofu poke bowl meal-prep, high-protein soba noodle salad, or crispy rice salad with gochujang mushrooms next.
Why I love this recipe (as a nutritionist)
- High-protein: 30 g of protein per serving, mostly from edamame, quinoa, and almond butter
- Iron-rich and energizing: 8 mg of iron per serving from quinoa, edamame, and walnuts
- Great for gut health: 18 g of fiber per bowl from quinoa, edamame, red cabbage, and avocado to support good digestion, a healthy microbiome, and keep you full for hours
- Anti-inflammatory boost: turmeric paired with black pepper (which helps your body absorb curcumin) plus fresh ginger in the dressing makes this a real feel-good meal
- 20 minutes, no fuss: while the quinoa cooks, you prep the dressing and salad, so everything comes together at once with minimal effort and almost no dishes. Even quicker if you batch quinoa ahead of time
- Naturally gluten-free: no swaps needed, it’s gluten-free as written
Ingredient notes
- Quinoa: A fiber-rich plant with a little more protein than most grains. Rinsing it before cooking removes the natural bitterness, and cooking it with turmeric gives it a beautiful golden color along with anti-inflammatory benefits
- Edamame: one of the highest-protein legumes out there, bringing both protein and iron to the bowl. Frozen shelled edamame is pre-cooked, so it just needs thawing. Definitely the quickest plant-protein to prepare
- Almond butter: the creamy base of the satay dressing, adding healthy fats and richness. Swap with peanut butter or any nut butter you have on hand. Tahini is great for a nut-free alternative
- Red cabbage: packed with antioxidants (the anthocyanins give it that gorgeous purple color). Massaging it with lime juice and salt softens the texture and makes it even more vibrant
- Avocado: adds creaminess plus healthy monounsaturated fats that help your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins from the other ingredients
How to make this recipe (summary)
Start by rinsing the quinoa and cooking it with turmeric and black pepper in 2/3 cup of water for about 12 minutes.
While it cooks, blend the almond satay dressing: almond butter, lime juice, ginger, tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and a splash of water until smooth and creamy.
Prep the cabbage by shredding it with a vegetable peeler or knife, then massage it with lime juice and a pinch of sea salt until bright and vibrant.
Let the quinoa cool completely (spread it on a plate and pop it in the fridge to speed things up). Assemble everything in a large bowl: the quinoa, cabbage, thawed edamame, fresh mint, walnuts, scallions, and avocado.
Drizzle the almond satay dressing over the top, toss gently, and serve. View recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Variations and tips
- Make it nut-free: swap almond butter for tahini, and replace walnuts with toasted pumpkin seeds
- Make it soy-free: use coconut aminos instead of tamari and swap edamame for lentils
- Add extra crunch: toss in some toasted sesame seeds or crispy fried shallots right before serving
- Meal prep friendly: store the dressing separately and assemble fresh. Add the avocado right before eating to keep it from browning
- If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our Viral Cowboy Caviar Meal Prep, Rainbow Crunch Salad with Peanut Sauce, or High-Protein Kale Caesar Salad.
Why you’ll love this turmeric quinoa salad TL;DR
- High-protein
- Iron-rich
- Gluten-free
- 20-minute meal
- Meal-prep friendly
FAQ
Yes, it’s naturally gluten-free. Just check that your tamari is labeled gluten-free (most are, but some brands contain trace wheat).
This recipe has 31 g of protein per serving (62 g for the whole bowl). Edamame is the main protein source with 18 g per cup, so it adds up pretty quickly. You can find the full nutrition panel by clicking ‘nutritional information’ under the recipe instructions.
Yes! Store the quinoa, dressing, and prepped vegetables separately in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add the avocado and assemble just before serving for the best texture.
A reader, Zoe, meal-prepped the quinoa and veg in a lunch box with the dressing kept separate, and cut the avocado fresh on the day. She kept hers for 4 days using this method and reported it stayed delicious.
2 whole walnuts (4 halves) is the amount I used in this recipe, but feel free to add more if you’d like.
Peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini or sunflower seed butter all work well in the dressing. The flavor will shift slightly but it will still be delicious.
Yes! This salad is versatile and you can add any other vegetables you like.
Yes, you can use lemon instead of lime. The citrus helps to brighten the flavors of the salad.
Turmeric Quinoa and Edamame Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
Turmeric Quinoa
- ⅓ cup (55 g) dry quinoa
- ½ tsp (1.5 g) ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp (0.5 g) freshly cracked black pepper
Almond Satay Dressing
- 2 tbsp (30 g) almond butter
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) lime juice
- 1 tbsp (10 g) fresh ginger - or sub for 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) tamari - reduced sodium
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) rice vinegar
Salad
- 2 cups (160 g) red cabbage - shredded
- 1 tsp (5 ml) lime juice
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups (310 g) shelled frozen edamame - thawed – see notes
- ⅓ cup (30 g) fresh mint - finely chopped
- 2 tbsp (15 g) walnuts - roughly chopped
- 2 spring onions - finely chopped
- ½ avocado - diced
Instructions
- Prepare the quinoa: Rinse the quinoa thoroughly to avoid bitterness. Add to a small saucepan with ⅔ cup water, the ground turmeric, and black pepper. Bring to a soft boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for about 12 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, rest for 5 minutes with the lid on, then fluff with a fork. Allow the quinoa to cool completely before adding it to the salad. Spread it on a plate and refrigerate it to cool more quickly, if needed.
- Prepare the Almond Satay Dressing: In a small blender, blend the almond butter, lime juice, ginger, reduced-sodium tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and ¼ cup (60 ml) water until smooth. Alternatively, mince the ginger and whisk all the ingredients (except the water) together in a small bowl. The dressing thickens quickly, so add a dash more water and whisk again before adding to your salad if needed.
- Prepare the cabbage: Shred the red cabbage using a Y-shaped vegetable peeler for ease, or finely slice with a knife. Discard the outer leaves, shred, then rinse under cold water. Add to a bowl with a squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of sea salt flakes, then massage briefly until bright and vibrant.
- Assemble the salad: In a large serving bowl, combine the quinoa, cabbage, edamame, fresh mint, walnuts, spring onion, avocado, and the almond satay dressing. Toss gently to combine, and serve right away. Enjoy!
Notes
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This salad is absolutely delicious! I have meal prepped the veg and quinoa in a lunch box and kept the sauce separate and then cut the avocado on the day to prevent mushing/browning and it has kept well for 4 days! So tasty and filling despite being low carb. Will definitely be a regular rotation lunch for me!
Hi Zoe, so happy you loved it! Thank you for sharing your meal prep tips with everyone 🥰
I absolutely loved this! Added low sodium kimchi for bonus point 🙂
Hey Julie! Wow, that looks so beautiful! I love the idea of low-sodium kimchi. Can you please tell me more about it? 💚
Lots of lovely textures and flavours!
That’s beautiful, thank you for sharing Chezza 💚
This is a winner! Made exactly as written except I didn’t add any avocado or walnuts (didn’t have any).
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing Carol 💚
Really just 2 walnuts? Or is that a typo?
2 whole walnuts (4 halves) is the amount I used in this recipe, but feel free to add more if you’d like 🙂
This is yum! I used garlic instead of ginger & omitted the walnuts & spring onions. Definitely a winner.
so happy you liked it 🥰
Love your recipes so much! Can you please include Saturated Fat as a subset of total Fat? I’m on a low cholesterol diet and need to monitor my Saturated Fat grams. Your recipes have been amazing for high-fiber, high-protein plant-based — I eat healthy, but have totally changed the kind of greens, beans, etc. I eat which your recipes have been so helpful for.
Hi lovely, I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes, at this stage, I would not have the time to go back and update all the existing recipes, but I will consider it for the future! The only sources of saturated fats in whole plant foods are palm, coconut, and cacao products. Out of those I only use coconut in some recipes, you can replace it with soy milk in my curry recipes 🙂
I calculate my nutritional information myself and do my best to make it as accurate as possible, but there will always be variations, mainly depending on the brands used. Most recipe blogs use an automated tool to calculate the nutritional information you see under recipes, and in my experience, it’s rarely accurate. If you need to count any metrics for health reasons, I always recommend tracking yourself using tools like chronometer or my fitness pal
Hi, how much protein does this give per serve? Curious as to how it can. Be high protein? Thanks will give it a try.
Hey BM, this recipe has 31 g of protein per servings (62 for the whole bowl). You can unveil the full nutrition panel by clicking “nutritional information” under the recipe instructions. Edamame contain 18 g of protein per cups, so it adds up pretty quickly from there! Hope you love it
The instructions mention adding garlic to the dressing but it is missing from the ingredient list. How much?
Sorry, no garlic in this one! I’ve changed my mind after testing it, and must have forgotten to remove it from the instructions 🙂 appreciate you pointing it out 💚
This was really tasty and easy to prepare. Love your recipes, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Dawn, so happy you liked it!
Do you have all these receipts in a book as they look very nice
I have a cookbook with 100 delicious recipe, but this one is not included in it 💚
https://plantbaes.com/the-ultimate-plantbased-cookbook/
I’ve made this twice and can’t wait to make it again and again. Such a delicious and crunchy salad—perfect for a quick and tasty lunch! Loved the flavor combination. You are such an inspiration for healthy plant-based recipes. I’m a fan of yours :))
Hey Justine, thank you so much for your lovely message, it means the world to me 🥹😍
Made this at the weekend and so easy to grab from the fridge for lunch. Delicious, thank you, so vibrant and tasty!
Thank you for the lovely feedback, I’m so happy you’re enjoying it 💚
Made this for Thanksgiving with some changes but it was still soooooooo good! It was a crowd favorite and a couple people asked for the recipe 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this with the world x
I’m so happy to hear that, thank you for the lovely feedback 🤍