Healthy and delicious, this Pomegranate and Orange Quinoa Salad provides crunch, texture, a hint of sweet from the orange and freshness from the mint. It’s one of our favourite quinoa salads to enjoy when pomegranates are in season!
Pomegranate and Orange Quinoa Salad
I created this pomegranate and orange quinoa salad for a Ladies Halloween Wine Evening. When our wine nights started, we always went with a theme so I racked my brain on a savour dish to make that fit the theme.
After rooting around my kitchen and pantry I devised the idea of this salad and named it “blood clot salad with crunchy finger nails“. It was a hit!

What’s so great about Quinoa
Like many grains quinoa is having it’s day in the lime light and for good reason. Quinoa is an ancient grain (planted and harvested for thousands of years), high in fibre, nutrients and protein (so good for vegan or vegetarian diets), and is full of antioxidants.
You either like it or don’t like it. I definitely like this grain!
How to cook Quinoa
Making fluffy, delicious quinoa has never been easier. If you follow my recipes you will know I love to cook a batch on the weekends, let it cool, fluff it up and store it in the refrigerator for using throughout the week.
I’ve always used the 1:2 ration when cooking my quinoa. Comes out perfectly and after it’s cooled off (in the pot) it’s fluffy and delicious.
Do I need to rinse Quinoa
The short answer is no. Perhaps back in the day you did to remove a bitter-tasting compound called saponin, but these days grains come already cleansed and ready to go.
For as long as I’ve been eating quinoa, I’ve never once rinsed it and it’s never tasted bad.
PRO TIPS
- Replace bok choy for your favourite greens: kale, spinach, arugula, swiss chard or parsley.
- Swap pine nuts for toasted almonds or pumpkin seeds
- Salad can be made a couple hours in advance and left to sit in refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Serve in shot glass for fun!
If you like this salad, give these salads a try!
If you made this recipe tag Wanda Baker on Instagram, hashtag #bakersbeans and leave a comment!

Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa cooked
- 1 orange, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 2 tsp pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tbsp bok choy greens
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds, plus extra for on top
- 1-2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, plus extra for on top
Dressing
- 1 tbsp juice from orange
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place quinoa through pumpkin seeds in a bowl and toss lightly.
- In a jar or measuring cup whisk together orange juice, vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Toss dressing into salad and taste for seasoning.
- Serve with another sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds on top.
Notes
Hi Wanda,
This will make a perfect lunch someone like me who is gluten free. I love pomegranate. Not sure why I’ve never paired it up with quinoa. Cute how your recipe evolved.
Pinned this.
Laureen
Hi Laureen! So glad you stopped by. Perfect for Halloween fun don’t you think?!