Quinoa Chickpea Salad

Quinoa chickpea salad is the perfect meal-prep recipe; protein-rich, easy to make, and healthy.

Louise and I are always on the lookout for nourishing, make-ahead dishes that we can keep in the fridge and enjoy throughout the week.

This salad checks all the boxes; it’s easy, satisfying, and loaded with feel-good ingredients.

Marinating the chickpeas in the dressing while you prep the rest is the secret to this salad. It’s a simple step we picked up from our chickpea pasta salad and couscous salad recipes, and it transforms canned chickpeas from bland to bold.

The result is a quinoa chickpea salad that’s rich in flavor, and completely irresistible. It’s incredibly good for you, so go ahead and have seconds (or thirds!).

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

• Quinoa: You can use white, black, red, or whole-grain quinoa. Substitute quinoa with pasta, pearl couscous, buckwheat, teff, millet, or amaranth, barley, and brown rice.

• Chickpeas: You can use canned chickpeas or cooked dried chickpeas. Substitute lentils, black beans, or white beans for chickpeas.

• Tomatoes: We use cherry tomatoes, but you can use any tomato variety, including vine, Roma, grape, or plum tomatoes.

• Olives: We like to use Greek Kalamata olives or Italian taggiasche, but you can also use regular pitted black or green olives. Substitute capers, chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, or marinated artichoke hearts for olives.

• Cucumber: You can use American, English, Persian, or Kirby cucumber. Ensure your cucumber is fresh and firm, or it might be bitter. Substitute zucchini or radishes for cucumber.

• Corn: You can use canned or frozen corn that you previously boiled. You can also use boiled, steamed, or grilled corn on the cob, slicing off the kernels with a knife. Substitute green, yellow, or red bell pepper for corn kernels.

• Red onions: We use red onion as it’s generally sweeter than white or yellow onion. For a milder and fresher flavor, substitute shallots or spring onions for the red onion.

• Parsley: we tried many other fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, chives, and basil. You can substitute fresh herbs with leafy greens such as arugula or chopped spinach.

• Feta: You can use regular feta or non-dairy feta, diced or crumbled. Substitute nuts and seeds such as toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, pinenuts, pistachios, pepitas, or mixed seeds for the feta.

• Avocado: Add avocado shortly before serving the salad so it doesn’t turn dark from oxidation.

Dressing:

• Extra virgin olive oil: substitute regular olive oil.
• Honey: substitute maple syrup.
• Fresh lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar.
• American mustard: substitute Dijon mustard.
• Dried oregano: substitute ground cumin.

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

STEP 1: Cook the quinoa. Rinse and drain 1 cup of uncooked quinoa, then add it to a saucepan or small pot with 1 1/2 cups of water (or vegetable broth) and ⅓ teaspoon of salt.

Bring to a gentle simmer and boil uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all water.

Fluff it up with a fork to separate the grains and set aside. While the quinoa cooks, make the dressing.

Tip: Rinsing the quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve will remove the bitter-tasting outer coating containing saponins. Saponins are compounds that the quinoa plant uses to make itself bitter so that animals won’t eat it.

STEP 2: Marinate the chickpeas: To a medium bowl, add extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, mustard, honey, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.

Whisk until emulsified or combined. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the bowl with the dressing.

Stir and let them marinate for a few minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

STEP 3: Veggies. Cut the tomatoes and olives in half. Cut the cucumber and avocado into small dice.

Finely chop the onion and parsley. Drain the corn. Add everything to a large mixing bowl.

Tip: Only add the avocado if you are serving the salad within the next two hours.

STEP 4: Mix. Add quinoa, diced or crumbled feta cheese, and the marinated chickpeas to the bowl.

Mix until well combined, then taste and adjust for salt and lemon juice.

Serve as a main meal, optionally with a dollop of Greek yogurt, tzatziki sauce, tahini sauce, or yogurt tahini sauce for a boost of creaminess.

Tips

🧂 Marinate the Chickpeas First: Toss the chickpeas in the dressing before chopping your veggies — even 10 minutes is enough to soak in flavor.

🥑 Add Avocado Just Before Serving: To keep your salad fresh, add diced avocado only if you’ll serve it within 2 hours. This prevents browning and keeps the texture buttery.

🌿 Use Fresh Herbs Generously: Chopped parsley (or your favorite herbs like mint, dill, or basil) brightens the whole dish and brings out the summer freshness — don’t skip it!

Storage

Make ahead: Chickpea quinoa salad is an excellent recipe for making up to three days in advance, using it for meal prep, and bringing to potlucks or for lunch at work.

Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Remove them from the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before eating and enjoy them at room temperature.

Freeze: We don’t recommend freezing quinoa chickpea salad.

More salad recipes

Similar recipes to this quinoa chickpea salad are:

• quinoa lentil salad
• kale quinoa salad
• black bean salad
• lentil salad.
• Mediterranean salad
• vegan pasta salad

If you tried this Chickpea Quinoa Salad or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!