Quinoa Salad with Raisins
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Published Jul 14, 2014, Updated Mar 27, 2025
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This quinoa salad with raisins is loaded with quinoa and chickpeas for extra protein and dressed in a bright and flavorful cilantro almond dressing.
I’ve always been into carrot salads. I think the fact that they’re typically studded with raisins is what draws me in — I’m such a sucker for dried fruit! That said, you’ll usually find me eating raisins by the handful rather than spending the time to make carrot salads.
This changed after a picnic lunch where I tried a carrot, chickpea and quinoa salad with Moroccan spices. It wasn’t anything too crazy or different but the flavor was on point and I immediately knew I wanted to recreate the salad at home.
Cooking Quinoa for Salad
When it comes to cooking quinoa to use for salad, it’s basically the same process as normal, but I like to make my quinoa a day in advance, let it cool and chill it in the fridge overnight and then use it for the salad the next day.
Prepping it in advance is just so the quinoa doesn’t heat up the other salad ingredients. Of course it’s fine to cook it the same day and just let it cool a bit before using. I do this all the time when I’m in a rush!
Ingredients Needed
- chickpeas – the perfect ingredient to add bulk protein. I used canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), but you can cook your own if you have the time.
- carrots – the star of the show here.
- quinoa – this is the base of the recipe and you can use any type of quinoa you prefer from white, black, red to tri-color.
- raisins – adds a little sweetness and pairs perfectly with the cilantro.
- cilantro almond dressing – a super simple dressing made with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, toasted almonds, fresh cilantro, smoky paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
Substitutions & Notes
Chickpeas – Like I mentioned, I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans.
Protein – The chickpeas and quinoa do add a good amount of plant-based protein to this salad but you could absolutely add a grilled protein to this salad to make it even more filling! This apple cider vinegar chicken would be delish.
Raisins – The raisins are what takes this salad to the next level, in my opinion. If you’re not a raisin fan you could swap in dates, dried cherries, prunes or another dried fruit.
Avocado – Want to add a little creaminess and healthy fats to your salad? Add in some chopped avocado!
Dressing – I love the cilantro almond dressing I created for this salad but any dressing would work if you’re in a pinch. Some options: poppyseed dressing, cilantro lime dressing, white balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette.
How to Serve
I love eating this carrot raisin salad as a mid-afternoon snack or as a side with lunch or dinner but it would also be a great dish to bring to a potluck or summer cookouts.
If you want to meal prep this carrot salad, it can be refrigerated overnight in an air tight container. Just garnish with the toasted almonds just before serving.
More Quinoa Salads to Try:
- Easy Quinoa Salad
- Roasted Broccoli Quinoa Salad
- Greek Quinoa Salad
- Chickpea Quinoa Salad
- Spinach Quinoa Salad
- Southwest Quinoa Salad
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Quinoa Salad with Raisins
Ingredients
Cilantro-Almond Dressing
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (divided)
- 1 packed cup cilantro leaves and stems
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Toast almonds: Spray a large skillet with olive oil, add the almonds and toast over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
- Make dressing: In a food processor, combine the lemon juice with the minced garlic and let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer half of the toasted almonds to the food processor. Add the cilantro, cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper and pulse until chopped. Add the olive oil and process to a chunky paste. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a large bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients: Add the chickpeas, carrots, quinoa, and raisins to the bowl and toss.
- Serve: Garnish with the remaining almonds and serve.
- Prep ahead of time: If you want to make the carrot salad ahead of time, it can be refrigerated overnight. Garnish with the toasted almonds just before serving.
Notes
- Chickpeas – Like I mentioned, I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans.
- Protein – The chickpeas and quinoa do add a good amount of plant-based protein to this salad but you could absolutely add a grilled protein to this salad to make it even more filling! This apple cider vinegar chicken would be delish.
- Raisins – The raisins are what takes this salad to the next level, in my opinion. If you’re not a raisin fan you could swap in dates, dried cherries, prunes or another dried fruit.
- Avocado – Want to add a little creaminess and healthy fats to your salad? Add in some chopped avocado!
- Dressing – I love the cilantro almond dressing I created for this salad but any dressing would work if you’re in a pinch. Some options: poppyseed dressing, cilantro lime dressing, white balsamic vinaigrette or lemon vinaigrette.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe has clearly been around for a while but perhaps this is still important information. First, I love this recipe! The only change I made was to use chopped dates instead of raisins. It creates the perfect sweetness to balance the rest of the flavors instead of the raisins. My warning, though, is this. Don’t trust the thing you click on to double or triple the recipe. I did and ended up with a lot of carrots and chickpeas and not enough dressing and no time to change it. Go old school and get out a piece of paper to adjust the amounts, otherwise, this is a fabulous recipe and the perfect lunch with some chopped chicken on top. Happy cooking!
Hi Nora, I’m so glad you loved the recipe, and I love the idea of using chopped dates for a different touch of sweetness! Thanks for pointing out the issue with the recipe scaling—I’ll make sure to take a look. I really appreciate you making the recipe and taking the time to leave a review.
We love this recipe and make it regularly for our weekday lunches. That dressing is to die for!
YUM! Sounds absolutely perfect, Melody. I am so glad you are loving this recipe. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!