Quinoa Fruit Salad Recipe
If you're looking for the perfect breakfast — one that is quick and easy to make and will give you fuel to spare for the morning hours — then it's time for some good news: you've just found it! This quinoa fruit salad recipe, courtesy of chef and recipe developer Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge, has so much good stuff going on. "This is great for breakfast," Olayinka says, explaining that it's got protein to fill you up, carbs to fuel you on your way, vitamins and minerals for that health infusion. And yes, it tastes great. And when you plan, cooking the quinoa the night before, for example, it's ready to be eaten in about five minutes.
Looking to make this an even more robust dish for those days when you need all the human fuel you can get? Olayinka recommends adding some dairy "like Greek yogurt, milk, or kefir" to the mix. But really, that's just gilding the lily: this is a bowlful of tastiness ready to get you out there and on your way as it is.
Gather your ingredients to make quinoa fruit salad
This recipe calls for a lot of naturally sweet stuff, thus the great taste and no need for added sugars. All told, you'll need about eight medium-sized strawberries, a mango, a cup of blueberries, three tablespoons of honey, the juice of a lime, and then for the not-sweet stuff, you need a cup of quinoa (a cup uncooked, that is), a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of coconut oil.
The health benefits of quinoa
Though a so-called "ancient grain," in recent decades, quinoa hasn't been that big of a player in the culinary scene. Now largely rediscovered, quinoa is getting more popular each and every year and for two very good reasons: it's delicious and it's nutritious. Quinoa tends to soak in the flavors of any foods it is served with while also lending a pleasant nuttiness, especially when it has been lightly toasted.
And according to Health Line, it is packed with vitamins, with essential minerals like copper and manganese, it's rich in protein, and it delivers lots of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. While many people associate quinoa as a side for savory foods, it works really well with sweet foods — and this recipe is proof of that!
Cook the quinoa and prep the fruit
Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on its packaging (some varieties are a bit different, but go with a 2:1 water to grain balance if you don't have instructions, simmering for 15 minutes or so) and add the salt and coconut oil to the saucepan as soon as the quinoa is at a steady simmer.
While the quinoa is cooking, get a chopping board and chop the strawberries into quarters and dice the mango into one-inch cubes. Then mix the honey and lime juice together in a small bowl.
Prepare the fruit salad
Once the quinoa has cooked, let it cool for a few minutes (or grab the pre-cooked and chilled quinoa from the fridge) and then pour it into a mixing bowl. Add the chopped strawberries, blueberries, and diced mango into the bowl and pour over the lime and honey mix. Now mix everything together.
It is now ready to be served and enjoyed! And it's best enjoyed right then and there, Olayinka says, as if you wait too long, "the fruit will get a bit soggy." And you want crunch and freshness, not soggy fruit, right?
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 8 strawberries
- 1 mango
- 1 cup blueberries
- 3 tablespoons honey
- juice of 1 lime
- Cook the quinoa according to the instructions, adding the coconut oil to the pan as it cooks.
- While the quinoa is cooking, chop the strawberries into quarters, and dice the mango into 1-inch cubes.
- Mix the honey and lime juice together in a small bowl.
- Once the quinoa has cooked, let it cool briefly, then pour it into a mixing bowl and add the chopped strawberries, blueberries, and diced mango. Pour in the lime and honey blend.
- Mix all ingredients together and serve.
| Calories per Serving | 425 |
| Total Fat | 8.7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4.4 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 82.7 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 39.6 g |
| Sodium | 6.1 mg |
| Protein | 9.7 g |
