Quinoa Salad with Raisins
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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.
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, 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!
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 almonds just before serving.
More Quinoa Salads to Try:
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
- 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
- Spray a large skillet with olive oil, add the almonds and toast over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
- In a food processor, combine the lemon juice with the minced garlic and let stand for 15 minutes. Transfer half of the 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 the chickpeas, carrots, quinoa, and raisins to the bowl and toss.
- Garnish with the remaining almonds and serve.
- If you want to make the carrot salad ahead of time, it can be refrigerated overnight. Garnish with the almonds just before serving.
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
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Super easy to make, turned out very yummy, my guests loved it and asked for the recipe. Thank you so much. Will keep checking in for more.
Yay! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit, Sunita. Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review, I really appreciate it 🙂
excellent post thank you for sharing
Weird but tasty.
My tastebuds went into shock mode with the first bite, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Then I realized it’s a positive shock!
It’s so simple, crunchy yet fluffy!
Not my personal favorite but my mother is a huge fan!
So glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for giving it a try and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
I’ve been getting your recipes for some months now but this is the first one I’ve tried. It’s delicious! I can’t wait to try the deconstructed guac salad to use up this cilantro. 🙂 I assumed that the quinoa went in the bowl the same time as carrots, chickpeas and raisins, but the recipe does not actually say that.
Ohh yay! I’m so excited that this was the first recipe your tried. Welcome to the world of EBF recipes. 🙂 Thank you so much for catching that oversight. You assumed correctly. I’ll update the recipe right away.
What do we do with the raisins? Do they go in the food processor, or garnish. Looks delish, will definitely try.
I just updated the recipe, but you add them to the mix the same time you add the chickpeas and carrots. 🙂
This salad looks so delicious and perfect for the hot summer when turning my oven on isn’t an option. Thanks for sharing this!
I wanted to make this immediately but have no cilantro, so, I used baby spinach instead. I’m sure my dressing turned out way greener than the original recipe. However, I think it still tastes great! I also roasted my chickpeas with tamari using Dreena Burton’s Tamari roasted chickpea recipe. All together, this dish is wonderful. I hope it freezes well because this is too much for me to eat in just a few days. Has anyone tried freezing it?
Oh yum! I love that you used Dreena’s Tamari Roasted Chickpeas with it. I LOVE her recipes! I haven’t tried freezing this recipe (or any similar recipes) so I’m not 100% how well it will freeze. If you do end up freezing it, please come back and let me know if it froze well. Thanks Tammi!
This looks lovely – I’ve a glut of carrots I need to use up and this looks really tasty – thanks!
Hi,
I immediately wanted to make this delicious looking salad and did so last night for my book club taking place tonight. It tasted great before I went to bed and I’m certain it will be even better tonight once the flavors have blended for 24 hours.
I am suggesting that for the salad dressing that instead of browning the almonds and making them into a paste, bottled almond butter is quicker and just as good. Mine has no sugar added so as soon as I figured out what the almonds had to be used for, I just plopped a tablespoon of almond butter into the food processor and the dressing turned out very tasty.