Fluffy quinoa, tender maple roasted butternut squash, and crunchy apples are the just-right mix for this delicious vegan salad. It's a flavorful side dish or a tasty and light main! Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Salad is the warm fall salad of my dreams! Top it off with candied pecans for the perfect finishing touch.
Today I'm sharing a recipe I created in collaboration with Yes! Apples! It's a Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Salad that's so good you'll be eating it all season long. I am seriously addicted to this flavor and texture combination! It's the perfect savory apple recipe for fall, and it's loaded with nutrients thanks to butternut squash, quinoa, fresh apples, and pecans. A Maple Apple Cider dressing provides the perfect sweet and tangy finish that will leave you dreaming about this dish long after your plate is clean.
The Best Apples for Salad
I'm so excited to partner with Yes! Apples. It's a woman-owned company that sources apples grown in family-owned farms all year long. You can find their apples in Aldi, Walmart, Sam's Club...all over the place! You can click here to find them near you. I used SweetTango apples for this salad because of their perfect crunch and the tart/sweet balance that's just right.
Health Benefits of Apples
You probably know by now how much me and my entire family love apples. So, I'm constantly looking for new ways to use them from snacks to desserts to savory meals like this one. This time of year they’re crispier and fresher than ever. Apples are full of powerful nutrients and health benefits! They keep you hydrated because of their high water content, they’re low in calories, fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, and full of fiber and vitamin C. Yes! Apples are some of the best we've tried, and trust me, we've tried them all! They are always so fresh and crispy.
Why Use Quinoa in Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Salad?
Quinoa is one of my favorite pantry staples. It is light and absorbs flavor wonderfully with a light, fluffy texture that is perfect for salads like this one. Quinoa is easy to prepare with lots of health benefits. It is loaded with fiber (one serving has over 5 grams) and is considered a complete protein with all nine essential amino acids. This makes it a great source of plant-based protein for vegans. In fact, it has more protein than any other grain. Quinoa is a good source of folate, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and many phytochemicals. It also offers important minerals such as calcium, potassium, copper and zinc.
For a complete guide on quinoa, see my post on Quinoa Benefits for Vegans (+ Recipes).
All About Butternut Squash
This Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Salad recipe includes a batch of my Maple Roasted Butternut Squash. The maple brings out the very best flavors in the butternut squash! Butternut squash is loaded with nutritional benefits. It is a good source of fiber, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins A and C. Butternut squash contains phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals) that support vision, heart and gastrointestinal health. It even boosts your immune system and lowers your risk of some cancers.
This Maple Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Quinoa Salad is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and refined-sugar free. You can omit the candied pecans to make it nut-free as well! When I'm serving to guests with nut allergies I use my Sweet & Salty Roasted Pepita Seeds in place of the Pecans.
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Vegan Apple Arugula Salad with Candied Walnuts, Dates and Feta
Pecan Encrusted Delicata Squash and Quinoa Kale Salad
Best Creamy Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Salad
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Fluffy quinoa, tender maple roasted butternut squash, and crunchy apples are the just-right mix for this delicious vegan salad. It's a flavorful side dish or a tasty and light main! Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa Salad is the warm fall salad of my dreams! Top it off with candied pecans for the perfect finishing touch.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (cooked in the Instant Pot with 1 cup of water)*
- Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
- 2 SweetTango apples, chopped (skin on)
- ⅓ cup crumbled vegan feta cheese
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 cup Healthy Maple Candied Pecans, roughly chopped**
- ¼ cup diced chives
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, diced
- Optional: garnish with a handful of fresh pomegranate seeds OR 2 soft Medjool dates, diced
Maple Apple Cider Dressing
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa in the Instant Pot*. While the quinoa cooks prepare your dressing and other ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked quinoa with the butternut squash, apples, feta cheese, red onion, pecans, chives and parsley.
- Whisk the dressing well and pour overtop the salad. Stir well to combine.
- Optional: Garnish with a handful of pomegranate seeds or diced Medjool dates.
- Enjoy immediately while the butternut squash, quinoa and pecans are hot or warm.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container (or separate smaller airtight containers for lunch on-the-go). Salad lasts in the refrigerator for up to five days. Bring back to room temperature before enjoying for best results.
Notes
*Use two cups of water if using the stovetop to cook the quinoa. Use my easy stovetop method for perfectly cooked quinoa. In the Instant Pot put the quinoa and water in the pot and cook on Manual high pressure for one minute. Then, press off and allow it to naturally release for 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with a fork. Allow to slightly cool before adding to the salad.
**For a nut-free version use my Sweet & Salty Roasted Pepita Seeds in place of the Candied Pecans.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Side or Entree
This post is sponsored by Yes! Apples. All opinions are my own.
Penny says
I love your recipes, but why no nutritional info? I have a husband that is diabetic and I need the carbs as we do carb counting. Sadly to have to figure it out piece by piece takes to much time, so----. Would greatly appreciate the nutritional info as I expect that other folks would appreciate. We are not all vegans but we like to be healthy! As I said your recipes definitely appeal to me, but time is important. 🙂
Elaine Gordon says
Hi, Penny! Thank you so much. I'm so happy to hear you love my recipes. I do add nutritional information to my recipes as I can. It is actually a manual process and a bit time consuming. On recipes like this it can be a little difficult since it draws from two additional recipes on the website and also uses store-bought vegan feta cheese. But, I did the best I could with my nutrition calculator and added it for you for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any questions. I'll continue to add nutrition facts for my recipes as I can. I have over 500 recipes on the website so I'm chipping away at it day by day :). Are there any recipes in particular you would like me to prioritize? I would be more than happy to!
Kristi says
This salad was satisfying in taste and textures, with a light dressing to enhance the combination. All this without the vegan feta, as I cannot get any around here, the closest Whole Foods is over an hour away. This will be on repeat here.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you so much, Kristi! Are you near a Sprouts? Does InstaCart deliver to you? Another option is to order vegan feta cheese direct from the manufacturer once you find a brand you know you love. Glad that either way you are loving the recipe though! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
Holly CORRALES-TALLNT says
This is very good. thank-you for sharing. The only adjustments I made were I swapped out the apples for dried cranberries and I used about 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and used real feta cheese instead.
Elaine Gordon says
Thank you, Holly! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this one and thank you for sharing your modifications. Always helpful to other readers and much appreciated. Thank you for the five star review! Best, Elaine
Janet says
Can this be cooled and served cold?
Elaine Gordon says
Yes, I actually prefer this one at room temperature. My favorite is to have everything room temperature and then stir in the warm butternut squash. The contrast works well. But really you can't go wrong with this one. Pls LMK how you end up serving it and what you think! Best, Elaine