This corn and quinoa salad undeniably has a LOT going on. But that’s what makes it perfect for a healthy weeknight lunch or a meal you can prep throughout the week – you’ll never get bored of any bite. This is a salad with charred corn and toasted pepitas, quinoa and edamame to pack it full of protein, cilantro, mint and cucumber to freshen everything up, and a pineapple lime dressing that brings the sweetness with cotija cheese brings the saltiness and umami. So yeah, like I said. A LOT IS GOING ON. But all the flavors sing together, and I could eat a salad like this every day.
Not to mention if you *do* end up eating a salad like this every day, you’ll end up feeling amazing. So what’s to lose?
Table of contents
- What ingredients you will need for the pineapple-lime dressing
- Your two options for making the pineapple-lime dressing for this corn and quinoa salad
- Do you need to char the corn for this corn and quinoa salad?
- The best way to char corn on a skillet
- The ingredients you will need for the rest of this corn and quinoa salad
- What can I use besides quinoa?
- Storage tips for this salad
- Watch the recipe here
What ingredients you will need for the pineapple-lime dressing
I’m a big fan of putting really fun dressings on my quinoa salads (this coconut dressing version remains one of my favorites!), and this pineapple-lime dressing screams summer. Here are all the ingredients you will need to make it:
- 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
- 1 lime, for both zest and juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Your two options for making the pineapple-lime dressing for this corn and quinoa salad
Now, there are two ways you can make this salad dressing. The first way is by blending all the ingredients together, which is a much easier route, but does require a few extra dishes. The second way is a little bit of a longer way, but since you are already using your knife and your cutting board, it cuts down on any excess work.
The second way means that you chop up the pineapple as finely as possible, then add it to a bowl with all the other ingredients except the olive oil. You then gradually stream in the olive oil as you whisk, causing the dressing to emulsify.
The key to either method is that you season with salt and pepper at the end. You need to taste the dressing to figure out what salt level it needs. So taste first, then adjust as you prefer!
Do you need to char the corn for this corn and quinoa salad?
I love a raw corn moment, so charring the corn for this recipe is not necessary. But what it DOES bring is an extra level of sweetness to the quinoa salad, as well as a slightly smoky, charred flavor. The one thing charring the corn also gives you is an easy way to toast the pepitas. The pepitas are a little sad without any toasting, so if you are already getting out your pan, I recommend charring the corn alongside them!
The best way to char corn on a skillet
I like to char corn on a cast iron skillet, and I have an extra tip for how to do it: leave the corn untouched for the first 3-4 minutes, then move it around the pan. Corn needs time to get some color, so if you mix it too often, too early, it will take what feels like forever to brown. Try this trick and it will make charring corn on a skillet that much easier!
The ingredients you will need for the rest of this corn and quinoa salad
This salad is a lovely little crash-course in balance. The sweetness of the dressing counteracts with the sharp saltiness of the cheese. The heat from the serrano pepper is tempered by the coolness of the cucumber. And of course, the quinoa and edamame add protein.
Here’s everything you’ll need for the entire salad portion:
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 3 large ears of corn
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 cups edamame beans shelled, and can be fresh or frozen
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 medium serrano pepper
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 4 ounces cotija cheese
What can I use besides quinoa?
Quinoa is a great little grain, one of my favorites! However if you don’t find yourself with quinoa on hand, this recipe also works very well with:
- Farro
- Black lentils
- Brown rice
- Wild rice
- Buckwheat
- No grain at all! Just let the other ingredients shine 🙂
Storage tips for this salad
What I love about this salad is it stores SUPER well in the fridge. To preserve freshness, I recommend putting it in an airtight container, and from their it will keep for up to 4 days.
If you want to preserve the salad’s freshness for as long as possible, store the dressing separately. The cheese can also be stored separately to keep it as fresh as possible. Just use it as garnish at the end!
And that’s it for this Corn and Quinoa Salad!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Watch the recipe here
The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.
Corn & Quinoa Salad with Pineapple Lime Dressing
Equipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large cast-iron skillet
Ingredients
For the pineapple lime dressing
- 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
- 1 lime for both zest and juice
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the corn and quinoa salad
- 1 cup quinoa uncooked
- 3 large ears of corn
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pepitas
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 cups edamame beans shelled, and can be fresh or frozen
- 1 large cucumber
- 1 medium serrano pepper
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
- 4 ounces cotija cheese
Instructions
- First, prepare the pineapple dressing. You can either add the pineapple, 1 teaspoon of lime zest, juice from the lime (about 2 tablespoons), apple cider vinegar, honey and olive oil to a small blender and blend until smooth, OR you can finely chop the pineapple, add it to a small bowl with the lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, and honey and whisk together, then continue to whisk as you gradually pour in the olive oil.
- Once you have the dressing, season it with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
- To start the salad, cook the quinoa according to package instructions.
- While the quinoa is cooking, slice the kernels off the corn. Place a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the corn and cook, undisturbed for 3-4 minutes or until the corn has begun to char.
- Push the corn to the side of the pan and add the pepitas. Mix all of this together and toast for 3-4 minutes or until the pepitas are fragrant. Season with salt and transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the edamame into the bowl with the corn and stir. When the quinoa is finished, add it to this bowl. Leave this out so that it cools to room temperature as you prep the other ingredients.
- Thinly slice the cucumber and serrano pepper. Tear up the mint and finely chop the cilantro. Add this to the bowl with the quinoa and toss everything together.
- Pour the pineapple dressing over the top and crumble in the cotija cheese. Mix everything together, taste and season with salt and pepper as preferred, and serve!
This looks like a wonderful recipe to try out for the summer. What other cheeses would work well here? Also, would canned corn be ok?
I’m excited to try this with farro.
Ooo with farro it sounds delicious. Canned corn will work, just make sure to drain, rinse and dry it before you put it in the pan. Also feta and ricotta salata are other great cheeses for this!
Would it be ok to use lemon instead of lime?
Lime is preferred, but lemon will work if you are in a pinch!
Delicious recipe! Didn’t have edamame so added avocado instead. So good!
So SO happy you liked it!
Made this for dinner last night and it was amazing! Can’t wait to bring this to my summer BBQ’s. Thanks Justine!! <3
So glad you liked it!!
I’m planning to use frozen edamame. I need to cook it first before adding to the salad, correct? I don’t see that step so just want to confirm. Thank you!
You can thaw them if you’d like, but I find any residual heat from the corn and quinoa thaws them for me!
I am a big believer that dense salads are the best summer dinner, and this salad exceeded all expectations!! It was fun to make and fun to eat!! Thank you for sharing!!
So SO glad you liked it! And thank you for taking the time to leave such a lovely review!
Fantastic salad, perfect summer recipe! I used pistachios instead of peptias and it was lovely 🙂 It got the salad-skeptical boyfriend stamp of approval.
Love love LOVE this! So glad you both liked it!
I found your site just a few weeks back looking for ideas for buffalo cauliflower and this is the fourth recipe I’ve tried, I’m obsessed!! Love how easy this was to meal prep and the dressing is incredible. Only sub I made was pickled jalapenos in place of the serrano peppers which was my loss because it could have used the extra heat. I’ll be eating this all summer!
YAY – this makes me so happy! I also call it my all-summer-salad so I’m glad you agree!
As someone who loves pineapple flavor but hates pineapple texture, this was so good! Def seems like a salad that will be great leftover.
I used farro, frozen corn, and canned pineapple (in juice not syrup), and I added chives because I had some languishing. Easy to throw everything together while the grain cooks!
So so happy you liked it! And with farro it sounds delish 🙂
Loved it, 10/10. Not even a huge quinoa fan but this might’ve turned me.
Oooo yay ok this is a high compliment! Glad you liked it!
This was so easy to make and a perfect dinner for a hot/humid day. We loved it and are having it again for lunch today. Thanks!
So SO glad you liked it! It’s great for leftovers, so I hope you enjoy it!
This was SO yummy! Used frozen Trader Joe’s Mexican style corn (pre-charred) to make it a little easier but then made it harder by charring the edamame, haha. I’ll be eating this all summer long. So excited to have a new flavor profile in the salad rotation. Thank you!
So so happy you liked it!! And I had no idea Trader Joe’s had that item but it’s perfect for this!
Commenting again to leave a rating – it seems like it glitched and didn’t save. 5/5!
Could I thaw out some frozen pineapple instead of using fresh? Love the concept of this fresh delicious summer recipe! I find your recipes so inspiring and creative!
Absolutely! Frozen will work just fine 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
This recipe is absolutely incredible. Such an amazing combination of ingredients that make this salad out of this world. I made a big batch this week, and my family ate it as both a side dish and light lunch. I’m making it again this weekend for a Father’s Day BBQ side-dish. This recipe is a keeper!
So SO happy you enjoyed it!