Copycat Jennifer Aniston Salad

This copycat Jennifer Aniston salad is fresh, flavorful and packed with crisp veggies like cucumber and radish, herbs and topped with a simple lemon olive oil vinaigrette.

This Jennifer Aniston salad is a recipe that went viral on TikTok because she allegedly ate it on set while filming Friends! Can’t say how true that is, but it is a delicious, hearty, protein packed and flavorful salad that you absolutely must make.

I made a few tweaks to the original to make it better (in my humble opinion) and also just to make it gluten free because the original recipe calls for bulgur.

The flavors remind me a bit of a tabbouleh salad thanks to the parsley and dressing, but we’re adding in some more veggies and herbs as well. It’s perfect to meal prep for lunch, or serve alongside some chicken breast for a healthy dinner.

Why you need to make this recipe!

• It has all the key components of a good hearty salad- protein, carbs, healthy fats and veggies!
• Quick and easy to make – you only need simple, pantry staple ingredients! 
• It holds up well in the fridge so it’s the ideal meal prep recipe.
• Can easily be made vegan – just use veggie broth and omit the feta!

How to make the Jennifer Aniston Salad

Add the quinoa and bone broth to a pot on the stove over medium high heat. You can use regular chicken broth, but I like bone broth for added protein.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, then simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Remove from the heat, cover and let sit for about 5 minutes to finish cooking. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prep the veggies and add to a large mixing bowl with the herbs, chickpeas and feta.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing. Once the quinoa has cooled a bit, add to the bowl with the veggies and toss with the dressing. Enjoy!

Key ingredients and substitutions

Quinoa. I love using quinoa in salads because it makes them more hearty and adds some good plant based protein. The Jennifer Aniston salad sometimes uses bulgur, but to make this recipe gluten free, I opted for quinoa.

Bone broth. I love using bone broth to cook grains like rice and quinoa because it adds a good amount of protein without you really even realizing. If you want to make this recipe vegan or vegetarian, just swap with veggie broth.

Chickpeas. Chickpeas and quinoa just pair so well together. You need just one can of chickpeas here, but you can definitely swap for another bean such as navy beans or black eyed peas.

Veggies. This salad uses really fresh and crisp veggies like cucumber and radish. Feel free to add in anything else you like, grated carrot is also delicious.

Herbs. I never realized how much I love mint in salads until I tried this recipe. We’ll also use parsley which will make things taste super fresh.

Dressing. I love a super simple dressing like this one. It’s just lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and some honey to balance out the tang.

Serving suggestions

I love serving this salad exactly as is and just having for a quick lunch! There’s lot of protein from the quinoa, bone broth and chickpeas, but you can definitely spruce it up with some chicken. When serving for dinner, I will usually add some of my air fryer chicken thighs or lemon pepper salmon to bulk it up. My lemon pepper tofu is also great for a vegan/vegetarian option.

More salads you’ll love!

• Edamame Peanut Crunch Salad
• Mediterranean Lentil Salad
• Orzo Pasta Salad
• Peach & Quinoa Summer Salad

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