Your new favorite bowl recipe is here! Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Vinaigrette for the win! These bowls are such a great way to have a quick, balanced and delicious meal. And I have many options for you to explore these amazing combinations.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Remember the good old days when we used to have people over for dinner and cook a big spread. The question my guests would ask most frequently is do I cook like this every night!? And the answer is a big fat no. I cook a few times a week and then mix and match those recipes to make delicious lunches and dinners for us. For example, if I cook a big pot of quinoa - I'll turn it into various things through the week to keep things exciting. These Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Vinaigrette are a result of just that! That's exactly what I've been doing this year too because things are hectic with a new baby and I'm trying to keep it simple!
Adding a few giant spoonfuls of my self-proclaimed famous cilantro vinaigrette, stirring in some toppings and adding grilled shrimp couldn't be easier or more addictive. It's one of those recipes that you can have for lunch or dinner and add various proteins if you prefer. Chicken, shrimp (like I did here), salmon, steak, the possibilities are endless and it travels well so you can throw it in your bag before you head out the door to work!
Want some other easy meal / bowl ideas - here ya go! Southwestern Brown Rice Bowl, Quinoa Burrito Bowls. My ginger scallion chicken bowls uses soy sauce and garlic, and is a good way to mix it up every now and then, it is equally straightforward and delicious!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Quinoa
For the Cilantro Vinaigrette:
- Shallot
- Fresh Cilantro Leaves
- Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Salt
For the Grilled Shrimp:
- Shrimp peeled and de-veined
- Olive Oil
- Garlic Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
- Chipotle Pepper
- Salt and Pepper
For the Toppings:
- Black Beans
- Avocados
- Raw or grilled corn
- Romaine Lettuce
For the Pico de Gallo:
- Ripe Tomatoes
- Kosher Salt
- White Onion
- Jalapeño
- Fresh Cilantro
- Lime Juice
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowls
Step 1: Combine all the ingredients for the cilantro vinaigrette in a high powered blender and blend for 60-90 seconds until very smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
Step 2: Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Fold half the vinaigrette into the quinoa, taste, add more if needed.
Step 3: Toss the shrimp with the oil, cayenne, garlic powder and chipotle pepper as well as salt and pepper.
Step 4: Grill on an indoor or outdoor grill pan for about 3 minutes on each side until pink and fully cooked.
Step 5: Combine the ingredients for the pico de gallo in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning and spice level as needed.
Step 6: Divide the quinoa into 4 bowls and top with desired amounts of black beans, avocado, corn and shredded romaine. Sprinkle with pico de gallo and serve.
How to Store Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowls
The bowl is best created fresh and enjoyed. The best way to enjoy this for a few days is to store leftover quinoa, shrimp and the vinaigrette in the fridge separately and keep whipping up the bowls with freshly chopped toppings, the lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado, etc and even change them up if you want.
How to Freeze Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowls
This bowl is not a good candidate for freezing as is. However, you can keep a lot of ingredients in the pantry/freezer and its pretty quick and easy to prepare. Have frozen shrimp on hand, and the vinaigrette can also be frozen. With the quinoa in the pantry, all you need is some fresh toppings and you're all set.
Tips & Tricks
The dressing will keep for a week in the fridge, so I love to always have some sort of vinaigrette on hand. You can also use leftover quinoa here so it's really a quick meal for busy nights.
FAQs
By all means! You can use chicken, or even a vegetarian substitution. You can also swap a grain you like, or add/remove toppings based on your preference/what you have on hand.
I have a large variety of bowls with different flavor profiles. Check out these:
Ginger Scallion Chicken Bowl
Chicken Larb Bowls
Sushi Bowls (and a vegetarian version)
DIY Poke Bowls
Chicken Shawarma Bowls
Veggie Spring Roll Bowls
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
For the Cilantro Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot roughly chopped
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves tough stems removed
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Grilled Shrimp:
- ½ pound medium sized shrimp peeled and de-veined
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon chipotle pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Toppings:
- Black Beans
- Sliced Avocados
- Raw or grilled corn sliced off the cob
- Shredded Romaine Lettuce
For the Pico de Gallo
- 1 ½ pounds ripe tomatoes cut into ¼- to ½-inch dice
- Kosher salt
- ½ large white onion finely diced (about ¾ cup)
- 1 jalapeño finely diced (seeds and membranes removed for a milder salsa)
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the package directions. Combine all the ingredients for the cilantro vinaigrette in a high powered blender and blend for 60-90 seconds until very smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Fold half the vinaigrette into the quinoa, taste, add more if needed.
- Toss the shrimp with the oil, cayenne, garlic powder and chipotle pepper as well as salt and pepper. Grill on an indoor or outdoor grill pan for about 3 minutes on each side until pink and fully cooked.
- Combine the ingredients for the pico de gallo in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning and spice level as needed.
- Divide the quinoa into 4 bowls and top with desired amounts of black beans, avocado, corn and shredded romaine. Sprinkle with pico de gallo and serve.
Great lite summer dinner option!
Might be my new favorite WGC recipe! Not sure how I hadn’t made it before but it is a keeper! I did modify slightly and used Dalkin & Co Taco Seasoning on the shrimp.
LOVE this recipe! The dressing is one of the best I've ever had, and I wouldn't change a thing about the recipe. Looking forward to making it again.
One of the best meals I have ever made. The flavors blend well and the variety keeps the meal interesting. The only significant variation I made was to halve the spices on the shrimp to let the shrimp flavor come through. My timesaving tip: Broil the shrimp and the corn kernels at the same time.
This is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted! It’s the first recipe I have made of Gaby’s and now I just trust her palette so much that I want to make everything she shares.
100%, y’all have to make this. Next time I’m doubling because I need leftovers for days.
Our first time trying a recipe from this blog and we were blown away! Such a nice light summer recipe. My husband seriously raved about this one. Can’t wait to make it again & will definitely be trying more from Gaby in the future!
So, so delicious!! Had for dinner and cannot wait to eat it for lunch. Only hack I did was use Trader Joe’s pico, but that vinaigrette was perfect with the quinoa, and the flavors truly were the perfect blend. Exceeded my expectations!
So good! Excellent flavor profile & my husband cooked the shrimp perfectly! Will make again & again. FYI - Trader Joes has a small bag of frozen grilled corn that works perfectly!
This was Fabulous! I actually used leftover shrimp from a cajun boil and only had canned corn on hand, but OMG! I should've taken a picture before I started eating, lol
Made this tonight and hubby said it was awesome. First recipe from this sight. Tried to halve the recipe for two but it does not blend the vinaigrette in my Vitamix so just added enough to make a regular batch with some leftover. Looking forward to making more dishes from Gaby.
Made this tonight with skinny margs! It’s delicious, checks all the boxes; healthy & flavorful, only took 35 mins....except I think it’s need a full pound of shrimp. Thanks Gaby, you rock!
Excellent! This was devoured and the dressing is to die for!
Hi,
Really want to try this bowl, but not sure about chipotle pepper. Am I looking for a fresh one, or a seasoning?
Thanks,
Jennie
dried!! in the spice section
Wow. First of all that cilantro vinaigrette is something special. It’s going to be staple in my house!
Overall this was delicious. My bf thought he didn’t like quinoa and you proved him wrong!
I really have to say this recipe surprised me... I am typically not a fan of quinoa but with the cilantro vinaigrette it was so good. The seasoning on the shrimp complimented it so well! Great dish! Thank you!!!