Quinoa Chickpea Salad

This quinoa chickpea salad is healthy and delicious. It contains protein-rich chickpeas and quinoa, crunchy and colorful veggies, and a heavenly honey-mustard dressing.

This recipe is excellent for meal prep. It requires less than 30 minutes to prepare, and it uses simple ingredients.

Enjoy it as a quick lunch or a healthy dinner, for a lunchbox meal, potlucks, or picnics.

You raved about our chickpea salad and pearl couscous salad, so we created this tasty and nutritious quinoa chickpea salad for you.

We wanted to make a wholesome, fulfilling, and protein-rich option for a lunchbox meal, potluck, or meal prep and have it ready in the fridge for the week.

Chickpeas can be a little bland right out of a can, but as we learned in our chickpea pasta salad and couscous salad recipes, we can quickly marinate them in the salad dressing while we chop and prep the other ingredients.

This simple step makes a world of difference!

Your chickpea quinoa salad will have a bold, rich flavor, and you won’t be able to stop eating it.

And that’s good! It’s so ridiculously healthy, and it’s going to make you feel great.

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.

You can also use whole grains such as barley, oats, and brown rice.

Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)

You can use canned chickpeas or dried chickpeas that you cook at home.

Here’s our guide on how to cook 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.

You can substitute capers, chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, or quartered marinated artichoke hearts for olives.

Cucumber

Any cucumber is good here. 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

We love the flavor of corn kernels with quinoa. It reminds us of Southern flavors. 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.

Onion

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.

Fresh herbs

We like to use flat-leaf parsley for this chickpea quinoa salad.

However, we tried many other fresh herbs, such as cilantro, dill, chives, and basil, and we assure you they are all delicious. Pick your favorite!

You can substitute fresh herbs with leafy greens such as arugula or chopped spinach.

Feta cheese

Feta cheese adds a savory umami flavor and creaminess to this salad, making it bolder and richer.

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

While avocado is optional, we love adding it because it adds creaminess and healthy fats.

It’s also delicious with quinoa, making the salad more nutritious and fulfilling.

If you add avocado, do so 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.
• Salt and black pepper.

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

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.

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.

3. Chop the 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.

4. Mix and serve

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.

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. Remember to add avocado only when you are ready to serve the salad.

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

Love salads? We’ve got you covered. Similar recipes to this quinoa chickpea salad are our quinoa lentil salad, kale quinoa salad, black bean salad, and lentil salad.

Some other delicious salad recipes with wholesome legumes are Mediterranean salad, vegan pasta salad, broccoli salad, white bean salad, lentil sweet potato salad, and Greek chickpea salad.

For even more ideas, check out Louise’s list of 45 best salad recipes.

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