BackgroundThere is limited knowledge about dietary quality among the adult population in low- and middle income countries (LMICs). This study aims to describe dietary quality among the adult Saharawi refugee population and to investigate whether dietary quality is associated with socioeconomic status.MethodsIn 2014, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Saharawi refugee camps, Algeria. A three-staged cluster sampling was performed and 180 women and 175 men, aged 18–82 years, were randomly selected. The dietary intake was assessed by 24-h dietary recall and dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated. Socioeconomic status was assessed using the WAMI index (sanitation, assets, education and income).ResultsThe mean DDS among the total sample was 3.8 ± 1.4 and 2/3 of participant were at risk of low dietary adequacy. The main food groups consumed were starchy staple foods, flesh foods, and dairy. Vitamin A-rich dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds and eggs were the food groups least consumed. The multiple regression model showed a positive association between DDS and the WAMI index (P < 0.001) and a negative association between DDS and age (p = 0.01).ConclusionsLow DDS was associated with low socioeconomic status. Programmes to improve the dietary quality among the Saharawi refugees should be implemented.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4527-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.