Healthy Grain Salad Recipes

Find healthy, delicious grain salad recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Spiced Grilled Chicken with Cauliflower "Rice" Tabbouleh

Rating: Unrated
2
Chicken breasts on the grill have a smoky flavor that's enhanced with an easy spice rub. We chose flat-leaf parsley in this salad because it has a stronger herbal taste than its sometimes-bitter curly counterpart.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.
By Katie Webster

Beet & Shrimp Winter Salad

This healthy dinner salad recipe gets its staying power from protein-packed shrimp and fiber-rich barley. With a simple red-wine vinaigrette, this quick salad makes just one serving but is easy to double or triple. Look for precooked beets with other prepared vegetables in the produce department.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roasted Veggie & Quinoa Salad

Quick, simple and packed with satisfying protein and fiber, this salad makes a perfect lunch or easy one-dish dinner.
By Victoria Seaver, M.S., R.D.

Quinoa Avocado Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Protein-packed quinoa pairs with creamy avocado in this refreshing grain salad. It's the perfect make-ahead side dish to bring on a picnic or take to a potluck. Or pack it for lunch or enjoy it as a light dinner.
By Hilary Meyer

Quinoa Avocado Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

Persimmons add sweetness to this tossed green salad that sports a healthy salad dressing. A sprinkling of crispy fried quinoa adds unexpected crunch, putting the salad over the top in the best way.
By Erling Wu-Bower

Chicken & Farro Herb Salad

Rating: Unrated
6
With tons of fresh herbs, arugula, olives and farro, this healthy chicken salad recipe makes a wonderful potluck platter or healthy dinner. We love the nutty flavor and quick cooking time of farro but other whole grains, such as freekeh, bulgur or couscous, are also good choices.
By Joyce Goldstein

Winter Kale & Quinoa Salad with Avocado

Precooked quinoa helps keep this healthy salad recipe quick and simple. Loaded with black beans, kale, and avocado, this recipe is as filling as it is nutritious. You can also make the sweet potatoes and dressing ahead.
By Lori Zanini RD, CDE

Farro Salad with Grilled Chicken

Rating: Unrated
2
Enjoy the flavors of the season with this summer farro salad. This dish is also great with wheat or rye berries instead of farro: skip the toasting step and cook in a pot of simmering water until tender, about 50 minutes. If your celery doesn't have any leaves on it, substitute fresh parsley instead.
By Liana Krissoff

Quinoa Cilantro Taco Salad

This super-satisfying salad gets a whole-grain boost from cooked quinoa and crumbled whole-grain crackers.
By Crunchmaster®

Quinoa & Smoked Tofu Salad

Rating: Unrated
10
We took the tangy fresh flavors of tabbouleh and paired them with smoky tofu and quinoa to create a main-dish salad that's perfect served on a bed of greens. This salad is jam-packed with heart-healthy ingredients--whole grains (quinoa), legumes (soy-based tofu) and plenty of vegetables.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Black Bean, Mango & Kale Wheat Berry Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Wheat berries give this healthy grain-salad recipe a toothsome bite. The chopped kale can be swapped for any dark leafy green, such as spinach or chard, if desired.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Inspiration and Ideas

Cherry, Wild Rice & Quinoa Salad

Cherry, Wild Rice & Quinoa Salad

Rating: Unrated
9
This whole-grain wild rice and quinoa salad recipe is perfect for toting to summer potlucks. It features sweet cherries, crunchy celery, nutty aged goat cheese and toasted pecans. If you can find red quinoa, it's particularly pretty.
Toasted Quinoa Salad with Scallops & Snow Peas

Toasted Quinoa Salad with Scallops & Snow Peas

Rating: Unrated
42
This scallop-studded quinoa salad gets an exciting texture from crunchy snow peas, red bell pepper and scallions. Feel free to substitute shrimp or thin slices of chicken for the scallops.
Roasted Beet & Barley Salad

Roasted Beet & Barley Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Roasted Chicken & Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Wild Rice & Roasted Beet Salad

Wild Rice & Roasted Beet Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Mediterranean Edamame Toss

Mediterranean Edamame Toss

Rating: Unrated
5

Grilled Flank Steak Salad with Ginger-Wasabi Dressing

Rating: Unrated
1

This quick, healthy dinner salad recipe is ready in 40 minutes thanks to preshredded carrots and coleslaw mix. If you have leftover quinoa, skip Step 1 and use 2 cups in the salad. If you want a bigger flavor kick in the dressing, up the wasabi powder to 1 tablespoon.

All Healthy Grain Salad Recipes

Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini & Pork Bowls

Bursting with colorful veggies, this healthy grain bowl recipe is topped with an easy miso dressing. If you have quinoa already cooked, skip Step 1 and use 2 cups in Step 4.
By Andrea Bemis

Chicken, Fennel & Grape Quinoa Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Leftover cooked chicken? This healthy grain-salad recipe is the perfect way to use it up. We like the color of red quinoa, but yellow works well too.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Grilled Chicken Salad with Freekeh, Preserved Lemon & Dried Cherries

Dried cherries add color and sweet and tart flavor, while mint and parsley give this healthy grain salad recipe fresh notes. If fresh sweet cherries are available, you could add those instead. Serve this chicken salad recipe with tzatziki sauce and mixed greens on the side.
By Diana Henry

Quinoa, Mango & Black Bean Salad

Rating: Unrated
9
The vibrant colors of this salad--orange, red, black and green--signal that it's loaded with phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals. And since it features both quinoa--a “complete” protein with all the essential amino acids--and black beans, it's a vegetarian protein powerhouse. Serve on a bed of Boston lettuce or in a pita pocket.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Bacony Barley Salad with Marinated Shrimp

Rating: Unrated
5
Here's a great example of how to cook a healthy dish in minutes--simply cook the bacon in the same pan as the barley to enrich the flavor, add some purchased cooked shrimp, a few aromatic vegetables, and you've got dinner (or a hearty potluck dish) in no time flat.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Broccoli Rabe & Orzo Salad

Rating: Unrated
4
Lemon, oregano and feta add zing to broccoli rabe tossed with whole-wheat orzo.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Roast Chicken & Pomegranate Farro Salad

This healthy roasted chicken recipe is perfect for a simple supper or on special occasions. Arrange the chicken pieces on top of a grain salad studded with pomegranate seeds and roasted almonds for a pretty and comforting dish. Add green beans or roasted Brussels sprouts for an easy crowd-pleasing meal.
By Tara Mataraza Desmond

Tabbouleh With Edamame and Feta

This healthy Mediterranean salad makes a great vegetarian main dish. Or you could serve smaller portions as a side dish with grilled chicken, beef, or pork.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Shrimp, Zucchini & Tomato Sorghum Salad

In this gluten-free grain-salad recipe we use sorghum, a hearty small yellow grain that has a chewy texture. Here it's tossed with a cider vinaigrette, shrimp and vegetables. Serve as a main dish or as a side for grilled chicken or steak.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Scandinavian Rice Salad

Rating: Unrated
2
Serve this Scandinavian-inspired salad for lunch on the patio, accompanied by some good rye bread or rye crisps.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Broccoli, Edamame & Cabbage Millet Salad

Trying to eat more whole grains? Try millet--a gluten-free ancient grain with a slight corn flavor. In this grain-salad recipe, the millet is tossed with a white-wine vinaigrette, green veggies and apricots. Serve with grilled chicken, fish or tofu.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Tofu, Snow Pea & Carrot Wild Rice Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Sesame oil and nori (dried seaweed) give this healthy grain-salad recipe Asian flair. Serve as a vegetarian main dish or as a side for grilled shrimp or baked chicken.
By Carolyn Malcoun
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