Ready in under 30 minutes, this salmon quinoa bowl is perfect for a quick, easy, and healthy dinner. Filled with protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats, these bowls are sure to fill you up without forgoing flavor.
Tired of the same old dinner routine? Tell me about it! These quinoa salmon bowls were inspired by a dinner rut, and they do not disappoint. The combination of salmon and quinoa makes these bowls super high in protein, with over 30 grams per serving, and can be enjoyed hot or cold, making them a great meal prep idea too.
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And, while they are clearly designed to include salmon and quinoa, the recipe is very versatile, so you can easily swap salmon for another fish or chicken, and you can use another whole grain, such as rice, brown rice, or bulgur if you’re not a fan of quinoa.
Ingredients for Salmon Quinoa Bowls
You’ll need the following ingredients to make the protein, fiber, and flavor-packed bowls:
- Salmon: The star ingredient of these salmon bowls – you can use any cut of fresh or frozen salmon. If using frozen salmon, just be sure to thaw it first.
- Quinoa: The base to the bowls – you can use red, white, or tri-color quinoa. If you’re not a fan of quinoa, use rice instead.
- Olive Oil: To cook the salmon and dress the salad.
- Lemon: For the salmon marinade, cucumber salad, and sauce.
- Honey: To balance the spices and create a bit of a sticky texture.
- Spices: A mixture of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to season the salmon.
- Cucumber: You can use any style of cucumber you like and add it unpeeled or peeled.
- Arugula: To mix with the cucumber. Feel free to add more if you want a heartier salad.
- Fresh Herbs: Some dill to season the cucumber salad and finish the bowls, you can also use fresh parsley if you like.
- Mayonnaise: To make the creamy sauce.
- Dijon Mustard: To flavor the sauce.
- Salt and Pepper: To season everything.
If you prefer things with a bit of heat (like I do), you can add a pinch of ground cayenne pepper to the salmon marinade and a few red pepper flakes to the cucumber salad.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make them Gluten-Free: No adaptations are needed, the bowls are gluten-free.
To Make them Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed, the bowls are dairy-free.
How to Make Salmon Quinoa Bowls
Ready in under 30 minutes, these bowls are quick and easy to make, here’s what you’ll do:
- Cook the quinoa. Begin by cooking the quinoa.
- Season the salmon. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add diced salmon, and stir gently until all the salmon is well coated.
- Bake the salmon. Transfer the salmon to a sheet pan, place it in the oven, and bake to your liking.
- Make the cucumber salad. Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl and toss until well combined.
- Make the sauce. Combine the sauce ingredients and whisk until creamy.
- Assemble the bowls. Once all the components are ready, assemble the bowls, serve, and enjoy!
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
Not only is salmon a wonderful source of animal protein but it’s filled with omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats are considered essential fatty acids because the body cannot produce them and, therefore, they must be obtained through the diet. While there is a debate as to whether wild salmon or farmed-raised salmon is better, overall, both are great choices, so simply use whatever you have access to and fits your budget.
FAQs
This salmon quinoa bowl contains 566 calories per serving.
Quinoa can be a little bland on its own, however, it takes on flavor very well. Quinoa can be seasoned during the cooking process with salt, pepper, dried herbs, and spices such as turmeric or cumin, or cooked in broth for additional flavor.
Once cooked, you can season quinoa with fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, basil, or mint, or toss the quinoa in a salad dressing or simple sauce such as pesto.
Storage + Reheating
To Store: Store the components (quinoa, salmon, cucumber salad, and sauce) in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To Freeze: The salmon and quinoa can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months, however, the cucumber salad and sauce cannot be frozen.
To Reheat: While the bowls can be enjoyed cold if you prefer to eat them warm it is best to leave the components unassembled so that the quinoa and salmon can be reheated on their own before serving. Transfer the quinoa and salmon to a microwave-safe bowl and reheat for 1-2 minutes until warm and then top with cold cucumber salad and sauce.
More Quinoa and Salmon Recipes:
- Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad
- Slow-Roasted Salmon with Fresh Herbs
- Baked Pesto Salmon
Salmon Quinoa Bowls
Filled with protein, healthy fats, and whole grains, these healthy salmon quinoa bowls can be enjoyed hot or cold and work well for lunch and dinner.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 15 minutes
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Total Time: 25 minutes
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Yield: 4 bowls 1x
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Category: Dinner
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Method: Stovetop and Baked
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:Ingredients
Bowls:
- 1 cup quinoa, raw
- 1 pound salmon fillets, cut into bite-size chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cucumber Salad:
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 cup arugula, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup dill, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Salt
- Pepper
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon dill, finely chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Fill a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and quinoa and cook for 15 minutes, or as per package directions, until tender. Once cooked, strain quinoa in a fine mesh colander and shake the colander to remove as much excess water as possible. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the salmon marinade ingredients; olive oil, honey, lemon juice, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt, and whisk until well combined.
- Add cubed salmon to the bowl of marinade and toss gently, with a spoon or your hands, until all of the salmon pieces are well coated. Transfer the salmon to a baking sheet, separating the salmon so there is room in between the pieces, then place in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking.
- In a medium bowl, make the salad by combining the cucumber, arugula, and dill, then drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, and season with a pinch of salt. Toss until well combined, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed, and set aside.
- In a small bowl, make the sauce by combining mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, dill, salt, and black pepper, and whisk until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then set aside.
- Once the quinoa and salmon are cooked, assembled the bowls with a layer of quinoa, salmon, cucumber salad, and a drizzle of sauce, and serve.
- Leftovers of the quinoa, salmon, salad, and sauce an be stored in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 566 calories
- Sugar: 6 grams
- Fat: 33 grams
- Carbohydrates: 39 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 33 grams
Keywords: quinoa salmon bowl, salmon and quinoa bowl
Thank you for an easy and delicious recipe. This salmon quinoa bowl was easy to put together. Used frozen sockeye salmon from Costco. I used a cast iron skillet and the skillet in the oven while it was pre-heating. Cooked the salmon for 5 mins, took it out and then flip and let it sit in the cast iron pan for about 5 mins so that residual heat cooks it without overcooking. Had a home-made salad dressing that I dressed the greens with and the I made the mayo sauce as written. Yum!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you liked it, and thank you so much for sharing your swaps/tips! Much appreciated. 🙂
skin on salmon?
I left mine on, but you can remove it if you like!
This will be in regular rotation at our house. Simple, healthy, and delicious – my 7 year old went back for seconds and the 4 year old ate all of his, too! Huge wins!
★★★★★
Amazing, love it when a recipe is kid approved! Thank you for sharing, Kate. 🙂
This is a DELICIOUS and filling recipe! I love that it uses salmon as the protein source because I don’t often think about making salmon at lunch time. The flavors all mix together beautifully and it is tasty and filling, but still pretty light. I didn’t have quinoa so I subbed in some jasmine rice and it was delicious! This is definitely going in my regular rotation.
★★★★★
Yay! I’m so happy you like them and really appreciate your sharing. Thanks, Lisa!
This was so good. I love that I already had the majority of the ingredients on hand. The salmon nuggets are super tasty.
★★★★★
I’m so happy you liked it, thank you for sharing!
Delicious – all my family loved this, and I felt like a proper chef! I didn’t have quinoa so substituted couscous. It wasn’t difficult to make, and the flavours were really good. This will become a regular dish in our house
★★★★★
Amazing! I’m so happy you liked it and absolutely love that you felt like a proper chef. Thank you so much for sharing!
This meal is so good, especially the salmon. The sauce also has a real kick to it. Cucumber salad was also good but we found it a bit too much arugula, so will cut that back next time. Thanks again for another keeper!
★★★★
So happy you liked them, thank you for sharing!
I didn’t have all the ingredients for this whole recipe but did have salmon on hand. I prepared it and the sauce as per recipe. We had it with some carrots and basmati rice. It was delicious!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed it!
I made it for my family and my friend. They all loved it! I realized I ran out of Dijon mustard so I substituted it with Sriracha. It was a win in our book. Definitely will make again and highly recommend!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you all liked it, and love the swap/sub for sriracha! Thank you so much for sharing!
Followed exactly, was delicious, but my cucumbewr salad was not good, it sat for about an hour and the water leeched out of he cucumber and it was a watery soup. I thin I’ll substitute zuchinni next time for the cumcumber….thanks for the recipe..
★★★★★
Happy you enjoyed it!
Note that it’s normal for water to leach out of cucumber after salt is added, this will happen with any vegetable with a high water content, including zucchini. If you want to make the cucumber salad ahead of time, simply wait to add the salt until you’re ready to serve. Moreover, you can remove the seedy part of the cucumber to further reduce the water content.