The Jennifer Aniston Salad is fresh, crunchy, and packed with plant-based protein. Enjoy this light, gluten free salad as a healthy lunch or dinner.
“This recipe has become one of my FAVORITE go-to salads! So fresh with delicious textures and flavors. It’s one of those things I will happily make a big batch of and eat throughout the week!”
Alternatively titled, “The One with the New Lunchtime Obsession.“
I don’t know about you but anytime I hear the name “Jennifer Aniston” followed by pretty much anything else, I’m in. If it works for Jennifer Aniston, it works for me!
That said, I recently stumbled upon a dish that Jen once described as her “perfect salad” and I couldn’t resist making it the very same day. Ding, ding, ding – we had a winner!
The Jennifer Aniston Salad is fresh, crunchy, healthy, and packed with plant-based protein. I’ve been eating it on repeat as a light lunch and protein-filled snack after a challenging workout.
Could this salad BE any more health goddess-esque?!
Watch How to Make It
Not THAT Salad
If you’re a Friends television show fanatic then you probably know that Jennifer Aniston reports that she ate the same salad every day for 10 years with co-stars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow while filming the series.
THIS salad is not THAT salad.
The salad Jen ate on the set of Friends was a Cobb Salad, while this salad is a riff on a tabbouleh. She shared it years ago on Instagram with the caption “My perfect salad”, and was nice enough to also list the ingredients that were inside her bowl.
Celebrities — they’re just like us!
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Pin ItWhat’s in the Jennifer Aniston Salad
- Quinoa: The salad Jen shared on Instagram was bulgur wheat-based but since bulgur isn’t gluten free, I swapped it with cooked quinoa instead. Quinoa is a nutrient-dense seed, not a grain, and is a great source of plant-based protein, minerals, and antioxidants.
- Chickpeas: also called garbanzo beans, are high in fiber and protein. I use canned chickpeas for convenience.
- Cucumber: provides a fresh, satisfying crunch. I use english or persian cucumbers, which don’t need to be peeled, though a regular cucumber (which I do peel first) works great too.
- Red Onion: adds a nice, spicy crunch to this quinoa salad.
- Fresh Herbs: fresh mint and fresh parsley add refreshing flavor to this recipe. If you’re hesitant about the mint, PLEASE give it a try at least once – it’s a game changer!
- Pistachios: provide a salty, satisfying crunch plus flavor and protein. Chopped cashews, walnuts, almonds, or even sunflower seeds are fine alternatives.
- Feta Cheese: adds tangy flavor to this easy, healthy salad. If you’d like to keep the salad dairy free and vegan, you can use vegan feta or simply leave it out.
- Lemon Dressing: While Jen didn’t mention a specific dressing in her Instagram post, I think a simple combination of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, plus a drizzle of honey brightens up the whole dish.
Great for Meal Prep
This recipe makes a TON of salad which is great because you can portion it out for easy lunches all week long. Simply mix everything up, including the dressing, then scoop into individual size storage containers, or wide-mouth mason jars with lids.
Add any protein or additional lettuces on top then cover. Voila — instant, healthy lunches for the week!
What to Serve it With
Personally I think this quinoa and chickpea salad is totally satisfying on its own, but feel free to pair it with additional protein / healthy fats. Here are some ideas:
- Grilled chicken or Air Fried Chicken Breast
- Roasted chicken
- Roasted shrimp
- Steak (pan fry or on the grill)
- Salmon (roasted or pan fried)
- Sliced avocado
Variations
The Jennifer Aniston Salad has been SO well received by readers and what I love is that they’ve found ways to make it their own! Here are some ideas on how to put your own spin on this viral salad recipe:
- Cheese swap. Swap feta cheese for crumbled goat cheese. Honey goat cheese would be divine in here!
- Nut swap. Use chopped roasted cashews, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds instead of pistachios.
- Add lettuce. Serve the salad over a bed of baby spinach, mixed greens, or chopped romaine.
- Add Veggies. Pump up the veggies by adding chopped celery, tomato, peppers, or carrots.
- Salty. Mix chopped kalamata or Italian green olives into the salad.
- Sweet. Add dried cranberries for a pop of sweet.
Fresh, crunchy, and healthy to boot, I hope you’ll give this gorgeous salad a try! Let’s get to it.
How to Make the Jennifer Aniston Salad
Step 1: Cook quinoa in chicken or vegetable stock.
Bring chicken or vegetable broth or stock to a boil in a small pot then add the dry quinoa, turn the heat down, and then cover and simmer until the quinoa is tender and the stock has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork.
The cooking process is very similar to cooking rice. You’ll know the quinoa is done when it “pops” into what look like tiny little springs. The texture is so great.
Scoop the quinoa into a storage dish or large bowl with a lid to cool before placing into the refrigerator to chill completely.
Recipe Tip
I usually cook the quinoa a day or two ahead of time so it’s chilled and ready to toss together with the other ingredients.
Step 2: Assemble.
Once the quinoa is chilled, add all your goodies. We’ve got canned chickpeas that have been drained and rinsed, chopped pistachios, crumbled feta cheese, diced cucumber, and minced red onion.
Plus lots of chopped fresh herbs including parsley and mint. SO GOOD.
Step 3: Make the Lemon Dressing.
Last step is to whisk up a simple Lemon Dressing to dress the salad with. To a small mixing bowl, or to a mason jar with a lid, add equal parts lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, plus with a drizzle of honey, and pinches of salt and pepper. Whisk or shake to combine.
Step 4: Dress the salad.
Drizzle however much of the lemon dressing you’d like over the quinoa salad then toss to combine — you do NOT need to add all the dressing! Serve right away or stash in the refrigerator for later!
How to Store
Store the dressed salad in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can store it in the big mixing bowl with a lid, or scoop into individual size storage containers. This salad also makes great mason jar salads! Scoop into wide-mouth mason jars then grab and go!
I hope you love this simple yet seriously stunning quinoa salad from Miss Jennifer Aniston herself! Enjoy!
More Healthy Salad Recipes
- Italian Quinoa Salad
- Chicken Caesar Salad Pasta
- Fruit Salad Recipe for a Crowd
- Berry Quinoa Chicken Salad
- Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
- Chickpea “Chicken” Salad
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Italian Sub Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 English cucumber, chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, minced
- 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup roasted salted pistachios, chopped
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese, 4oz
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Lemon Dressing:
- 1/2 cup lemon juice, ~3-4 lemons
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
For the Lemon Dressing:
- Add ingredients to a jar with a tight fitting lid, or small bowl, then shake or whisk to combine.
For the Salad:
- Add chicken or vegetable stock to a small saucepan over high heat then bring to a boil. Add quinoa then turn heat down to low, place a lid on top, and simmer until quinoa is tender and broth has been absorbed, 12-15 minutes. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork then scoop into a storage container or large mixing bowl to cool. Once cool, cover then refrigerate until chilled. Can be made a day or two ahead of time.
- Add chilled quinoa to a large mixing bowl then add remaining salad ingredients. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing (do not need to use all if you don't want to!) then toss to combine and serve, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Be sure to purchase quinoa that’s labeled “pre-rinsed”. I like Bob’s Red Mill Organic Quinoa.
- The quinoa is best cooked a day ahead of time so it’s chilled and ready to be mixed with the rest of the salad ingredients on the day you want to eat.
- Nutritional information includes the entire Lemon Dressing recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
This is going to be my go-to salad for the summer! It’s everything you said it would be: delicious, fresh, great flavor combos, crunchy! Love it!
I’m THRILLED you loved it, Tiffany!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
SO DELICIOUS.
Allergic to quinoa, so I subbed with pan-seared chickpeas, seasoned with salt and pepper.
After making it the first time, I realized I didn’t need quite so much of the dressing, so I triple the recipe, but use only one serving of the dressing
We love the roasted pistachios, but honestly salted cashews taste just as good in this, and are more cost-effective.
Thanks for another great recipe!!
To clarify, I keep the original amount of chickpeas and sub the quinoa with more chickpeas. That sounded confusing the way I worded it.
LOVE those swaps, SaraAnne!! More chickpeas is always a good thing in my book!!
I’ve made this a few times now.. it’s so simple and versatile! My school doesn’t allow tree nuts so I substituted roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds. I’ve also added some baby spinach and chopped tomato. I made it once using boxed tabouli in place of the quinoa. It was great! I bring this for lunch topped with tuna, baked tofu or hard boiled egg .
That sounds so delicious, Jj! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This salad is so refreshing! Will definitely make it again!
Thrilled to hear it, Candi!
Jennifer Aniston salad is so good. It was a hit with the family. Thank you for sharing this
I’m thrilled you and your family loved it, Dawn!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This is absolutely delicious! I will have to make this often this summer.
I’m so glad you loved it, Nicole! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I’ve been loving this salad!! I’ve added peppers, celery and carrots for more color. I have lots of mint, but no parsley, so I just leave out that. It’s delicious!
Love those additions, BJ – so much color and crunch!
I am looking forward to trying this, I can’t eat cucumber or onion, could you suggest alternatives to add to it? Thanks!
I love love this salad I’ll be making this all summer long until September football season begins but I’ll still make it during the fall&winter months I eat salad year round
I’m so glad this recipe was a hit, Susan! I agree – it is delicious no matter the season!
Can I use cilantro instead of parsley! ?
If you like the combo of cilantro and mint, then you could absolutely do that!
It tastes good and it’s healthy for you easy to make I’ll be adding shrimp and avocado next time and be making this all summer long
Those sound like delicious additions, Susan!! I’m so glad you loved this recipe!
This was delicious!! You’re right about the mint really popping in this. I thought I didn’t like the dressing at first, but it was because it separated again before I had poured it on. Once I shook it to death it was amazing and so nice and lemony.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed and pushed forward, Amy! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I made this salad and LOVED it!!!! However I am on Noom and desperately trying to figure out serving size and calories, etc. do you have a breakdown of that? I plan on making this many more times!
I’m super excited to try this dish but was wondering if I could use a different dressing, such as an Italian or balsamic?
Oh sure! Whatever dressing you like best and would like paired with thee flavors! :D