Have you heard of the viral Jennifer Aniston Salad? It’s a nutritional powerhouse packed with chickpeas, quinoa, cucumbers, herbs, feta, pistachios, and a lemon-garlic dressing. This one-bowl Mediterranean salad is so healthy and delicious, and holds up for days so it’s great to make ahead of time or to bring to a friend’s house. It’s a perfect light vegetarian meal on its own or served as a healthy side dish.
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I’m always late to food trends! The Jennifer Aniston salad was originally shared by the famous actor herself in 2015 in a People Magazine, and resurfaced on TikTok in 2022 causing it to go viral. Since then, there have been lots of different versions created. And did you know Jennifer Aniston is of Greek descent? It’s no wonder why I loved this recipe – it screams of Greek flavor inspiration!
I stumbled upon Jessica in the Kitchen’s recipe for a vegan version of Jennifer Aniston Salad a few weeks ago, and made my own version of it many times since then. It’s even a favorite for my daughter – she has named it “the best salad ever!” and polished off three helpings of it last night!
In this recipe, I’ll show you how to make the quinoa perfectly fluffy and not bitter at all with a few tricks. My version adds a little honey to the dressing to sweeten it up and balance out the acidity of the lemon. And you’ll love the abundance of fresh dill and parsley!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Like many salad recipes, it’s so easy to substitute ingredients that you have or add or omit things to your liking. Here’s what you’ll need, and what you can substitute.
- Quinoa – you can use another grain if you want, just make sure it’s cooked according to the instructions and cooled before adding to the salad. Rice, bulgar, farro, pearl couscous, etc. would all be great here. This is a great way to use up leftover cooked whatever-you-have!
- Chickpeas – or another mild tasting bean such as cannellini. Lentils would be great here too.
- Cucumber
- Red Onion – green onions would also work.
- Parsley and Dill – or a combination of other fresh delicate herbs, like mint, basil, tarragon, or chives.
- Feta Cheese – leave out for a dairy-free version
- Salted and Roasted Pistachios – I love the salty crunch here, but feel free to use unsalted, or another nut or seed (pumpkin and sunflower seeds would be lovely!).
- Olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper – this is for the dressing. Feel free to omit the honey if you want, or use another sweetener. The lemon juice can be swapped out a mild tasting vinegar if you want.
This salad is packed full of Mediterranean ingredients, and if you want to add anything else to it like fresh tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, or capers, feel free!
How to make the Viral Jennifer Aniston Salad
First, cook the quinoa. I recommend doing this earlier in the day, so it has time to cool off before making the salad. Begin by rinsing the quinoa well – this removes any bitter flavor. Then add the quinoa, water, and salt to a pot, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it finish cooking with just the steam in the pot for 20 more minutes. At this point, it should be super fluffy and not mushy or sticky at all!
After you cook the quinoa, it’s smooth sailing. Just mix the dressing in the bottom of a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa and the rest of the ingredients, and mix it all together. Ta-da!
This is a summary of how to make this recipe. Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions, written in traditional recipe format, or Jump to Recipe.
If the salad seems too dry…
Feel free to drizzle with a little more olive oil when you serve if the salad seems dry. Over time, the quinoa will absorb some of the dressing and cause it to have a drier texture. If the quinoa is warm when you add it to the salad this is more likely to happen, so I do recommend cooling it off completely before adding it!
How long will this salad last in the fridge?
The Jennifer Aniston salad should last for about 4-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Over time, as mentioned above, it may become a bit drier – just add a little more olive oil to it if you want.
What are some things to serve with a Jennifer Aniston salad?
I love serving this salad with Greek Chicken Bites, a simple Seared Salmon, or Lemon Garlic Shrimp. That said, it’s a well rounded meal on its own, packed with protein and fiber!
Other Mediterranean Salad Recipes
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Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa dry, or 1-1½ cups cooked
- salt and pepper
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 small clove garlic grated on a microplane zester
- 15 oz. canned chickpeas drained and rinsed, about 1½ cups
- 2 cups diced cucumber from about 1 medium cucumber
- ½ cup finely diced red onion finely diced, from about ½ medium onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
- 4 oz. feta cheese crumbled, about 1 cup, see notes
- ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios roughly chopped, or other nut or seeds
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Instructions
- Rinse the ½ cup quinoa well in a mesh sieve. Place in a small pot with ¾ cup water and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave covered for 20 minutes. Uncover, fluff up, and store in the refrigerator until cooled. (Note: this can be done up to a day or two in advance of making the salad.)
- In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey, the grated 1 small clove garlic, and salt and pepper to taste (I used about ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
- Add the drained and rinsed 15 oz. canned chickpeas, 2 cups diced cucumber, ½ cup finely diced red onion, ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, ¼ cup chopped fresh dill, ½ cup roasted and salted pistachios, and crumbled 4 oz. feta cheese. Toss together to coat everything in the dressing.
- Serve immediately, or store for up to a few days before serving. If it dries out a bit, feel free to drizzle with a little more olive oil when serving.
Notes
- Feel free to use another grain or small pasta, like rice, pearl couscous, orzo, bulgar, farro, etc., in place of the quinoa. As long as it’s cooked and cooled, and you have about 1 – 1.5 cups total of it, you’re good to go!
- I used parsley and dill, but feel free to use other delicate fresh herbs like mint, basil, tarragon, chives, etc.
- Feta is best crumbled from a block, rather than buying pre-crumbled.
- Store this salad in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- This salad would be great with other Mediterranean-esque ingredients added to it, such as cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, capers, etc. Feel free to experiment!
- For a vegan version, please visit Jessica in the Kitchen’s blog to check out her Vegan Jennifer Aniston Salad.
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Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
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