My sister regularly gets this blueberry mango quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing at the Marks and Spencer grocery store in UK. She also regularly raves about it to me. She says it’s the perfect healthy salad for summer – fruity, tangy, fresh and filling.
Marks and Spencer’s version of this salad has quinoa, barley, red rice, sprouts, mango, blueberry, and cucumbers. I simplified it a bit, and used only quinoa plus the fruits and cucumber.
Cut the cucumber and mango about the same size as the blueberries, so everything looks uniform. Add the fruits to the salad just before serving to ensure they are fresh and juicy. This salad recipe has as much fruits and vegetable as there is quinoa. If you want it less fruity just use less fruits or more quinoa.
The dressing recipe here will make a little more than you need. Toss half the dressing with the quinoa. Serve the other half on the side – this always pleases the people who like their salads extra tangy!
You can customize this blueberry mango quinoa salad recipe any way you like. Here are some suggestions to add to this recipe if you want some variations:
- Cooked chickpeas
- Any kind of sprouts
- Walnuts
- Cubed jicama
- Cubed carrot
- Fresh mint
Here is another recipe for blueberry mango quinoa salad with lemon basil dressing ala Marks and Spencer from foodwired
Blueberry Mango Quinoa Salad with Lemon Basil Dressing Recipe
Serves about 2
For the quinoa
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
For the fruits and veggies
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup cubed ripe mangoes
½ cup cubed cucumbers
1/2 tablespoon dried cranberries
For the lemon basil dressing
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
10 Basil leaves, chopped finely
Salt and pepper
Place the quinoa and water in a medium skillet and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or till the quinoa is cooked. Remove the lid, and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Let it cool to room temperature.
While the quinoa is cooking, combine the fruits in a bowl and refrigerate till you are ready to serve the salad.
Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, except the chopped basil. Refrigerate till you are ready to serve. Chop and add the basil to the dressing just before serving. If you add it earlier, it will go black.
Add half the dressing to the quinoa and mix gently.
Assemble the salad just before serving – toss the quinoa, fruits and cucumbers together. Serve other half of the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.
This is a gorgeous salad with wonderful flavours. I have half a mango looking to be used but no blueberries. I think I need to head to the store pronto!
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That looks beautiful! Love the colors and I bet the flavors are amazing!
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Yumm and I love that strainer
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Sala,
Mango and blueberries make such a fantastic combination. Since the time I’ve realized this season, I just can’t stop thinking of incorporating them in any recipe possible.
This salad looks so refreshingly colorful and yes, so full of health..
The first shot and the one with fruits on the strainer are my favorite shots.
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Gorgeous colors, Sala! Sounds yummy and I can now imagine you taking the photo in your nice space. Maybe you’ll convert me to be a quinoa-lover one day. I keep trying and failing!
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bettyalice199 Reply:
March 16th, 2012 at 1:23 pm
Not hard to become a quinoa lover. Have you tried it in place of the wheat in Tabbouleh?
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Salty and sweet is such a winning combination. I can’t wait to try this one out.
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Beautiful! Loved the colours..
Rinku’s Kitchen Treats – Kinnathappam Malabar Style
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I have never had salade like this, looks so so good, I am in love with your blue plate too.
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Yum yum yum!! That’s all I can say. I’m a huge fan of quinoa, and I’m constantly on a lookout for new quinoa recipe. This is perfect. This salad looks so good, I can almost lick my screen;)
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It was not until a couple weeks back that I tried/tasted quinoa and now I am a HUGE fan of it!
That looks like a nice and refreshing recipe. Will give it a try since I love mangoes and the li’l one in the family can eat anything with blueberries in it so this recipe should be a hit in the family!
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Wonderful flavors and rich textures too. Loved the lemon basil dressing.
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Beautiful! I think I’d like your simple version. I just made a strawberry grain salad with basil in it. The herb makes for a great flavor combo with sweet fruit!
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This looks delicious. I love the lemon-basil dressing. Thanks for the tip about adding the basil at the last minute – I would have botched that for sure.
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Made this tonight it was delicious!!! Will be making it again soon thanks for the great recipe!
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Can you estimate calories per serving?
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I love fruit and grain salads, and the colors in this one are beautiful. Looks delicious!
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I’m not sure if I should thank you or curse you for sharing this recipe. I can’t stop eating it — soooooooooooooo good!
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Am curious as to whether you put this together for the colour or for the taste.. This is gorgeously vibrant
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This looks fabulous! Is it possible to use frozen mango for this? Wondering how it would hold up.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 15th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Yes you could use frozen defrosted mango
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Ooh I love the taste of tangy, cucumbery quinoa. Never thought of adding mangoes and blueberries. Stunning photography. Glad I discovered this site
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Made this last weekend and it was a HIT!!!! Followed the recipe to a T and it was super easy. LOOOOOOVE it and can’t wait to make it again!
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Great colors here! I love the sweeter salad type…I always end up making a savory one. This would definitely change things up a bit for me!
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Oh wow this looks incredible! And can’t say I have ever seen it at Marks… maybe our store in Cambridge is a bit too simple! Will have a go tomorrow… which mangoes did you use? We have some Alphonso… just discovered your blog, so I have many exciting recipes to look forward to
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 17th, 2011 at 1:12 am
I used to live in Cambridge! Yes, the M&S there is pretty small! I used mexican mangoes.
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What a colourful, healthy and gorgeous-looking salad! Quinoa salads have something very addictive, I find!
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I’m totally making this sometime this summer. It looks so fresh and delicious!
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Gasp! I want this tomorrow…I love foods like this…I try to be a health nut and this looks like it fits the bill for health, beauty, and deliciousness. Thanks for sharing!
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This looks absolutely delicious! Love the combo of quinoa and blueberries – I wil definitely try this when summer comes around to South Africa again!
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This was a delicious salad. The dressing was a bit subtle but I liked it. I wrote about it here: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/blueberry-mango-quinoa-salad-with-a-lemon-basil-dressing/
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I just stumbled onto your blog via a Google search for “blogs and vegetarian” and am I EVER happy I did? Your photos are amazing and the recipes SO tempting! Thanks for sharing!
/Zarah in Sweden
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I would like to try all teh recipes on your blog! everything is beautiful. Sucha pleasure to come here to see the food and your photographs. I am so making htis salad with some pearl couccous that a friend had sent to me. I hope it will look as beautiful as yours! The colours are brilliant. I must look for a blue plate like in your picture. So beautiful.
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This salad looks and sounds AMAZING! Simply gorgeous. Can’t wait to try it!
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Nice combination of flavors! I subsituted peaches from a farmer’s market for mangoes, added pecans and added little cayenne pepper to the dressing. Yum!
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
September 18th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
love the peaches and cayenne! glad you liked the salad
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This sounds fantastic! I love your ‘Basil’ fork as well, where did you find it?
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
December 14th, 2011 at 8:30 am
the fork is from etsy
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Thanks so much for this awesome recipe! Just used it on my lifestyle blog (www.athenafey.com) under a “non-leafy salad” post. I’ve never been able to like leafy salads and the quinoa is a great substitute. Thanks! Hope you liked the shout on on http://www.athenafey.com as well!
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I made a 1/2 batch of this salad and now I wish I would have made a double! This really was so good
Next time I think I will add more mango just for personal preference. Thanks for posting!
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How well do you think this recipe would work for making ahead of time? I could wait to combine the quinoa with the fruit until just before serving, and hold off ’til the last on the basil too of course. That brings up another question. If the above WOULD be okay, should I wait until just before mealtime to toss the quinoa with the dressing or is okay to let it sit overnight already “dressed”?
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
March 29th, 2012 at 6:12 pm
you could do it 2 ways –
1. keep the fruits, quinoa, dressing, and basil all seperate. and combine in the last minute.
or
2. toss the quinoa and dressing ahead of time, and add the fruits and basil in the last minute.
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I quadrupled the recipe. I had no fresh blueberries so I substituted strawberries. I added mint, garbanzo beans and cherry tomatoes. Also, I a bunch of bulgur, so I used that instead. In turned out awesome. I will add some shredded chicken to it to make it a full meal salad. I may try this again. Thanks
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I made this salad last night for a cookout with friends and it was amazing. I think it’s all I want to eat for the rest of spring/summer!
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Just featured this recipe paired with a Fume Blanc as the Daily Nosh on VirtualWineBar.com.
Cheers!
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We had fun this weekend picking blueberries with our families and were looking for recipes. Thanks for sharing, I can’t wait to try this with my daughter. I’ve shared your link on our site with Little Hands that Cook with Books and Blueberries. http://theeducatorsspinonit.blogspot.com/2012/05/30-ways-to-eat-blueberries.html
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Made this today with mint and basil, and butternut squash instead of mango. Added tamari-roasted sunflower seeds. It was the awesome. Picture here.. Thanks for this!
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Whoa, I just recently started eating quinoa in the morning with blueberries, almonds and some coconut milk. This looks likes another great way to pair quinoa and blueberries, along with my two other favorites lemon and basil. I can’t wait to try this!
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Was a great motivator to take out that packet of Quinoa which the rest of the family didn’t accept wholeheartedly! I made myself a salad with mangoes, cucumber and coriander leaves, since I didn’t have blueberries (hard to keep them, they vanish instantly) and basil. Tasted great nevertheles. Thanks!
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I had no idea what to do with the quinoa I got at Blogher Food. This is the perfect recipe. I can’t wait to try it. It was nice meeting you at the closing party for Blogher Food.
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
June 19th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
It was nice meeting you too! and how cool that we got to chat with Ree!
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This looks amazing!
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I found this on Pinterest a few months ago and was so excited to try it I spent a fortune on out of season fruit to make it. Now that summer has rolled around and fruit is so much more affordable, this has become a staple at my house. I love it!
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This recipe moved quinoa way up on my list. It was delicious. Your picture actually inspired me to make it. Thanks for the great recipes.
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Made this for dinner tonight, but added a bit too must lemon zest. To counteract the tartness, I added a packet of splenda. Otherwise, followed it exactly. Loved it!!
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I am a basil lover and not only am I anxious to try this recipe… I’m also in LOVE with your fork
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This is so good! Perfect for a hot summer day! I made this with my toddler and she liked counting the blueberries and throwing them in. She thought it was very good too
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You have really pretty cutlery. Shopping for props is so much fun. Ain’t it?
And yes! The photographs are stunning! Happy to visit your vegan journal.
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This salad is gorgeous! I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog! I am so making this
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Wow! “This is a real keeper” says my husband and he never says this about much, especially salad! And it is. I used frozen mango (thawed, of course), fresh blueberries, quinoa cooked in store-bought chicken broth, cukes, dried cranberries, fresh basil and toasted walnuts. The basil added the beautiful flavor and the walnuts added the wonderful texture. Gorgeous color and taste!
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Wonder if I can sub the blueberries with grapes?
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Sala @ Veggie Belly Reply:
April 18th, 2013 at 12:30 pm
Sure!
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Just wanted you to know that I came across this recipe on Pinterest and I made it tonight. It is to die for! So yummy! Thanks for the excellent recipe!
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This was a huge hit at our house! Thank you!
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I just wanted to thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I made it last night and it was so fresh and tasty-like summer on a plate! I shared it on the community website I manage, with a link back to veggiebelly.com. I hope that is okay. I’ll also tweet it with a link. http://derochedecibel.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/mango-blueberry-quinoa-salad/
Look forward to many more of your recipes!
Carrie
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This was delicious! It’s difficult to measure how much lemon juice I’m squeezing out of the lemon, and same with the zest. I just grated the lemon right over the bowl with the olive oil and lemon juice. But I guess I should have grated it over a separate plate and then put the zest in a measuring spoon to make sure it was exact. I think I ended up putting too much in because it was just a tad bitter. But it was still super yummy! It looks beautiful too. Thank you!
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Can you substitute dried basil & if so how much?
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