Your new favorite bowl recipe is here! Avocado Shrimp Quinoa Bowl with Cilantro Vinaigrette for the win!
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.
Check out some of my favorite Shrimp Recipes here:
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
- 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Grilled Shrimp:
- 1/2 pound medium sized shrimp peeled and de-veined
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 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 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch dice
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 large white onion finely diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 jalapeño finely diced (seeds and membranes removed for a milder salsa)
- 1/2 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
This is everything I want for dinner tonight- looks so fresh and delicious!
This is definitely everything I could ask for in a quinoa bowl!!
Yummy! A great combination of so many of my favorite things!
I am loving these healthy bowls of goodness lately. It’s a great way to use up leftovers too.
All of those fresh flavors look delicious together!
If perfection has ever arrived in a bowl, this is it! I’m so all over this recipe Gaby, it’s ridiculous!
SERIOUS winner. I could honestly drink your cilantro vinaigrette. Thanks for making my week a little tastier!
yay!! so glad you love it 🙂
Made this tonight!! So so delicious! Already planning to make it again!
How long can cooked quinoa be kept in the fridge before it turns into mush?
I keep mine around for about a week
Could I use chicken instead of shrimp?
of course!
ahhhhhh, this looks delightful!! I love the idea of using leftovers to come up with new creations!
This was SOOOOOO GOOD! Even my husband who is not a fan of quinoa LOVED IT! The cilantro vinaigrette IS amazing! Thank you for a her WONDERUL recipe! I saw you recently on Home and Family and look forward to making your Chicken chili verde!
This was delicious, especially the vinaigrette which I will double next time. My only negative comment Is that it took me way longer to throw this together than 20 minutes. It’s more like 60 and lots of clean up with blender, etc. the flavors are amazing!
This was absolutely delicious. The cilantro vinaigrette is sooooo good. I made this for dinner last night and my husband said it was the best dinner I ever made and I cook a LOT. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Obsessed. I’ve made this twice and both times this was super spicy which I’m ok with
Amazing! It tastes just as good as it looks. Great Spring/Summer meal… Definitely keeping this one in our rotation.
This recipe is super delicious. While there are a number of components, they truly make the dish very tasty. I’m going to try it with chicken next time.
This was delicious! The dressing is one of my new favorites.
So so good!! Unfortunately the grocery was clean out of cilantro so I added some salsa into the quinoa so give it some extra personality, and bit or coriander into the pico.
Followed the recipe exactly & it was perfect!
So delicious!! Will be making again. Used 3x the shrimp so doubled the spices on the shrimp. Will lay off on the spice next time I use more shrimp.
Omg – this is my family’s FAVORITE dinner of all time!!! Soooo delicious! I substituted pineapple for the tomato in the pico and it was insanely delicious….just happened to have a pineapple and forgot tomatoes at the store. The sweet of the pico so balances the spice of the shrimp. And the cilantro vinaigrette is just insanely good. AMAZING recipe! Thank you!!!
Made this last night, and WOW! I can’t wait to eat left overs for lunch. I am obsessed with cilantro vinaigrette. I made extra to freeze.
This is the most amazing dish and my new absolute favorite!
So so good! The perfect weeknight dinner – it’s quick, healthy, and delicious!
This might be a totally stupid question but my family hate cilantro, do you have any subs that might work with this vignette?
basil would be great!
Made it with basil and it’s delicious!
This took way longer than 30 minutes to prep the first time however I foresee that it will be less and less time as I develop a routine. Let me tell you. This was so delicious it will definitely be on a weekly menu! Thank you for a great recipe. The cilantro dressing is stunning!
I have a cilantro aversion/allergy (tastes like soap) what can I use instead?
basil would be delish as well!
Simple, flavorful, delicious. My kind of perfect meal.!
Do you think I could replace the quinoa with cauliflower rice?
absolutely!
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!!!
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!
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
Excellent! This was devoured and the dressing is to die for!
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!
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.
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
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!
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!
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!
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.